Freda
Haiti has not been faring well for a long time. There is great poverty in the Caribbean country and corruption and violence are commonplace. Wouldn't it be better to leave? In her self-written feature debut, this is the question that Haitian director and actress Gessica Généus raises from a female perspective. Généus is aware of the social and political abuses, but her story focuses on the dynamic and creative sides of Haitian culture.
Anthropology student Freda lives with her family in a poor neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, where they run a small shop. Her younger sister Esther hopes to move up the social ladder by lightening her skin, while her brother Moïse thinks he will have more luck in Chile. Though Freda still believes in Haiti, she too has to decide whether she will stay or leave: her boyfriend Yeshua has asked her to go with him to the Dominican Republic.
Het Filmgesprek: Freda
Het Filmgesprek organises a special evening with the film Freda. Curious about this night? Click here for more information and to order tickets.
GESSICA GÉNÉUS (1985, Haiti) is an award-winning actor, director and writer who has worked with Haitian and international directors. She founded her production company, Ayizian Productions, in Haiti before directing the series Vizaj Nou on contemporary Haitian figures. Her documentary The Sun Will Rise appeared at many festivals, picking up six awards. Her debut directing feature, Freda was selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
