New Mexico State University will bring the inspirational documentary “Madan Sara” to Las Cruces on Feb. 15. Directed by Etant Dupain, the film tells the story of the simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary women making Haiti’s economy run.
In the face of intense hardship and social stigma, the Haitian women known as “madan sara” demonstrate the power of Black women in a global economy, putting their children through school, housing their families and working to establish a better life for future generations. They have become an important piece of the Haitian economy and culture by working tirelessly to buy, distribute and sell essential items in markets throughout the country despite a lack of investment, infrastructure and state assistance.
The University Art Museum at NMSU is hosting a free screening of “Madan Sara” from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 in Devasthali Hall, 1308 E. University Ave. After the screening, both Dupain and co-executive producer Lulaine Childs will answer questions from the audience via Zoom.
The film amplifies the calls of these women as they speak directly to the audience to share their dreams for a better Haiti. Watch the trailer for the documentary at https://www.madansarafilm.com/.
The documentary has won 14 film festival awards from organizations around the world, including the Berlin Indie Film Festival, Paris Play Film Festival, London International Monthly Film Festival and the Harlem International Film Festival.
In addition to being a filmmaker, Dupain is a journalist and community organizer. For more than a decade, he has worked as a producer on documentaries and international news media outlets including Al Jazeera, TeleSur, BBC, CNN, Netflix, PBS and Vice. He founded an alternative media project in Haiti to enable citizen journalists to provide access to information in Haitian Creole for and about internally displaced people, aid accountability and politics.
Childs is the co-owner of Street Team Productions, a New York City based company that creates entertainment content for different platforms. As a New York City native, he and his friends decided to create a company that would make content that appealed to their demographic. They are currently working on a documentary about the journey of the 1974 Haiti World Cup team titled “Haiti 1974.”
The UAM is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Visit https://uam.nmsu.edu/ for more information about upcoming events.
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CUTLINE: The University Art Museum at New Mexico State University will host a free screening of the award-winning documentary “Madan Sara” directed by Etant Dupain from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at Devasthali Hall 1308 E. University Ave. A virtual question and answer session with Dupain and co-executive producer Lulaine Childs will follow. (Courtesy photo)