First Haitian fiction film, ‘Kidnapping, Inc.,’ premieres at Sundance 2024
Filmmaker Bruno Mourral uses comedy to discuss a dark topic and does a great job at showcasing Haiti’s vibrant culture through its music, food, art and infrastructure.
“Kidnapping, Inc.” made its mark at Sundance 2024 as the first Haitian fiction film to premiere at the prestigious annual festival.Â
Filmed in Haiti, “Kidnapping, Inc.” looks at the kidnapping crisis in Haiti, where the United Nations reported over 3,000 kidnappings in 2023 alone. It follows two kidnappers who have been tasked with abducting a politician’s son, but are met with challenges along the way. Â
The movie’s director, Bruno Mourral, uses comedy to discuss a dark topic while doing a great job of showcasing Haiti’s vibrant culture through its music, food, art and infrastructure. Throughout the film, the cameras show how the people are living in Haiti, a scene those outside the Caribbean island nation — one that’s historically gone through government corruption and poverty — don’t often get the chance to see.Â
Other themes tackled in the film are colorism and elitism, both common societal issues that severely impact Haiti’s government and economy.
The journey to completing “Kidnapping, Inc.” did not come without its share of challenges. Something that astonished the audience after the film premiered was the revelation that two crew members were unexpectedly kidnapped in the middle of filming. This added an unexpected and unsettling authenticity to the subject matter that the production team had not foreseen.
Thankfully, with the help of the Dominican Republic government, Mourral was able to get his crew back safely.
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Not only does this film shed light on the kidnapping crisis in Haiti, but it allowed a son to spotlight how his own father, French diplomat Paul-Henri Mourral, fell victim to the violence in Haiti and was tragically killed in a carjacking in 2005.
Overcoming dangerous conditions, the “Kidnapping, Inc.” cast and crew persevered to tell a story that gives the Haitians a voice and provides them with some hope that the condition of their country will get better.Â
When available for distribution by XYZ Films, this is a film highly recommended for its message and what it explores. And hopefully, it inspires a new era of Haitian filmmakers to tell their own stories.
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