Film details

Synopsis

A sense of form, the whirl of poetry, thinking that is deep and light all at the same time work that was never meant to be contained. From Port-au-Prince to Paris by way of Montreal, New York and Saint-Malo, “La dérive douce d’un enfant de Petit-Goâve” introduces us to one of Quebec’s most charismatic writers and filmmakers, Dany Laferrière. The film touches on his exile from Haiti in 1976, his first novel released nearly 25 years ago, his admiration for Haitian writer Frankétienne, and the importance of the Brooklyn Bridge in his life. A portrait of a fascinating storyteller traced with sensitivity and humour.

Credits
Written and Directed by Pedro Ruiz

Photography : Pedro Ruiz, Étienne Michaud Sainte-Marie
Sound : Pablo Villegas, René-Ruiz Portillo
Editing : Marc Thomas-Dupuis, Pedro Ruiz
Delegate Producer : Faits Divers Média Inc

Broadcasting Co-producer : TV5 Québec
Contribution : CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec), Rogers Documentary Fund, CNC

Direction

Pedro Ruiz

Pedro Ruiz is a Bachelor in Social Communication, a photojournalist for Montreal newspaper Le Devoir since 2004, and a filmmaker. His works include Animal tropical à Montréal (2007), a portrait of Cuban writer, Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, broadcasted by ARTV. In 2009 he released, La dérive douce d’un enfant de Petit-Goâve, broadcasted by TV5 Québec. The film premiered at the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montéal and earned the Prix du public.