On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Gri Gri Project, the non-profit arm of Bajo El Sol Gallery, will host a fundraiser and screening of the documentary film “Madan Sara: The Power of Haitian Women” at Mongoose Junction, on St. John. Following the screening at 7 p.m., a panel discussion with filmmaker Etant Dupain and producer Lulaine Childs will be held wherein guests can discuss the making of the film, the roles of women in Haitian society, the contributions of independent business owners to the economy, and more.
The film centers on the status of women in Haitian society and their importance to the way their society functions. ‘Madan Saras’ sell their goods in the public marketplaces to support their families, and in doing so, they deliver much-needed goods throughout the country. This work is often dangerous because they are not protected by the authorities, they face disruption on the street which holds up commerce and they are subject to being robbed along with other dangers. The “Madan Sara” film won Best Documentary at the 2021 CaribbeanTales International Film Festival.
Filmmaker Etant Dupain is a journalist and community organizer. For over a decade, he has worked as a producer on documentaries for international news media outlets including Al Jazeera, TeleSur, BBC, CNN, Netflix, PBS and Vice. “Madan Sara” is his first film and was inspired by the strength of the working women he met in the marketplace, and his own mother. Outside of filmmaking, Etant has founded an alternative media project in Haiti to enable citizen journalists to provide access to information in Haitian Creole about politics, for and about internally-displaced people, and to aid in accountability.
Lu Childs is the co-owner of Street Team Productions. He developed the company with his friends in New York City to create content that would appeal to their demographic. Street Team Productions creates entertainment content such as films, podcasts, web series, documentaries, books and plays for different platforms. Childs served as co-executive producer of the “Madan Sara” documentary.
Donations will be collected at the screening and given to The Good Samaritan Foundation of Haiti, a non-profit that provides long-term aid to rural Haitian communities. The suggested donation is $20.
Bajo El Sol Gallery/ Gri Gri Project can be contacted at 693-7070 or bajoelsolgallery@gmail.com for more information.
