CLACS Media Collection

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From Port-au-Prince to Paris by way of Montreal, New York and Saint-Malo, this film follows the physical and spiritual itinerary of one of Quebec's most charismatic writers and filmmakers, Dany Laferrière. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and raised in Petit Goâve, Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haiti before moving to Canada in 1976. In 2009, Laferrière won the prestigious Prix Médicis for his 11th novel, L'énigme du retour. Tracing a similar path as in his novel, the film touches on his exile from Haiti, his stunning first novel, How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired, released 25 years ago, and his friendship with other Haitian writers including Frankétienne and Edwige Danticat who appear in the documentary. Finally we view Laferrière's return home 33 years after having left, and his rediscovery of Haiti, where much has changed but sensual beauty still coexists with anarchic violence. A portrait of a fascinating storyteller traced with sensitivity, humor and beauty.

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