Lakay film series brings Haitian cinema to sold-out Manhattan audiences

On May 28 and 29, curators Abigail Cherubin and Christy Joseph teamed up to host a weekend-long film series titled, “Lakay: A Celebration of Haitian Film”. Its goal: to increase accessibility of Haiti-based cinema in the United States. Cinema, in their eyes, serves as a direct bridge to life in Haiti, especially for second and third-generation Haitian Americans who may never visit the Caribbean country.

The event took place at Roxy Cinema, a single-screen theater in downtown Manhattan that specializes in independent films. Though intimate in its screening setup, the venue itself is expansive and grand, drawing comparisons to the original Roxy Theater near Times Square. The theater is tucked toward the back of a large, bustling complex that houses multiple restaurants, with the ambient noise of diners and passersby setting a lively backdrop. Attendance was strong on both evenings.

Cherubin spoke with The Haitian Times about how she met Joseph and how the idea came about.

“What really bonded us was our mutual love for film and cinema and storytelling,” she said. “Our very first dinner, we completely bonded over our favorite films, our favorite directors.” 

About two years after their initial meeting, they pitched Roxy and the programming director gave them creative control.

During their quest for Haitian films they planned to spotlight during the series, “it became brutally apparent that a lot of these films are not accessible,” Cherubin said. “We would look up an array of films and none of them were available to stream in the U.S. The question became, why is Haitian film so inaccessible, particularly in the U.S., amidst a time when people feel the distance between us and the land at such a precarious moment in history.”

They both agreed that a series like this could “remedy that in even the smallest way.”

Both nights were sold out and a short film and a longer feature were shown each night. Both evenings also highlighted a panel: one that allowed both curators to discuss their vision, and the second that highlighted some of the films’ cast. 

Styles reporter at the New York Times, Gina Cherelus moderated the first night’s post-show discussion. She spoke to The Haitian Times on the phone and described the process of being a part of the project as an easy decision, “As a Haitian American woman, I felt like, if I could be a part of shifting the narrative on what it means to be Haitian, on what is taking place, not only in the country, but across the diaspora,” she said. “Even if it was a small way to play my part then I was happy to join in on their efforts.”

On the first night, the short film“Song for the New World”, directed by Miryam Charles and “Freda”, directed by Gessica Geneus were featured. The films explored themes of longing, grief, mental health illness, gender-based violence, desperation, choice and lack thereof. 

It invoked frustration in attendee Mehika Sephorah, who had an emotional response during the movie. 

“Watching this film [Freda] makes me angry. It’s the system. The system seems to be for us but it’s against us,” she said. 

Sephorah noted that her life doesn’t exactly mirror the protagonist but that once she moved to the U.S. from Haiti, it was understood that, as a young girl, she was going to do the caretaking of her younger siblings. Her gender and age acted as a formal decree. “It’s somehow ingrained in us that we have to take charge,” she said.

Joseph had a different takeaway from the film, noticing Geneus exploring the idea of community that exists in womanhood.

“Gessica [Geneus] takes her time with portraying her female characters,” she said. “ For a story that can be sad at times, she was still able to give a lot of the women agency.”

The themes of the second night shifted toward the diasporic experience. The duo showed “Konpa”, directed by Al’Ikens Plancher and “Mountains”, directed by Monica Sorelle. 

These films had a lot in common, including an editor and a setting in Little Haiti, Miami. They both discussed themes of language, displacement, gentrification, intergenerational relationships and cultural expectations.

Atibon Nazaire, the actor who plays Xavier, the protagonist in Mountains, joined the post-show panel alongside Al’Ikens Plancher. 

“Little Haiti is disappearing fast due to infestation,” he said, referencing developers in the fast-gentrifying Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami.

As the crowd laughed at his word choice, Nazaire doubled down and said the character’s motivation stemmed from his love for Haiti.

“Haiti is a place where you can dream of all possibilities,” he said.

What landed as both refreshing and disappointing was how much the series illuminated: the films were nuanced and specific, refusing to flatten Haiti into a single story. But that same richness also served as a reminder of how few answers exist for the realities they depicted.

Plancher’s goal in creating his film was clear. “I needed to make a film where my dad could be seen and my sister could be seen,” he said during the post-show panel.  

The Lakay film series positioned cinema as a means of accessing a space that is often misunderstood. The films also highlight the complexity of each character.

Cherubin and Joseph intend to extend the series to other major Haitian hubs around the country, including Miami and Boston.

“Seeing our culture, language, dance and music so beautifully displayed on screen, it’s a portal into Haiti and our identity as Haitians,” said Cherubin. 

“Cinema is one of our most accessible and necessary forms of access to our culture,” Cherelus said. “It’s a way that we can control the narrative and what stories are being told about Haitians, and I think that is extremely vital for the next generation of Haitians. If we cannot go back home, making it accessible through art is really important.”

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