British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

HAITI: THE SLEEPING GIANT

Synopsis

This documentary looks at the contribution of Haiti. On January 1st of 1804, Haiti became the second nation in the new world to establish an independent government. These achievements marked not only a burst of independence, but also emancipation from slavery. It started not as a result of a revolt, but out of the depths of human squalor. In 1787 the French revolution rocked France. The framers of the French constitution drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, and listed the inalienable rights of the individual. The right to liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression, as well as the rights to freedom of speech, were guaranteed. Unlike the US declaration of independence, the French revolution was intended to apply universally. It not only set fourth the fundamental rights of the French citizen, but also acknowledged these rights to all men, without exception. When the Haitian slaves started demanding their rights promised by the French revolution, the French colonizers quickly reminded them that the Declaration was intended for the Europeans only. This prompted the Africans to revolt, resulting in the first black republic.

Details

Year
2007
Type of project
Shorts
Running time
60 mins
Format
Video
Director
Love Joel Aryeetey
Producer
Love Joel Aryeetey
Editor
Love Joel Aryeetey
Screenwriter
Love Joel Aryeetey
Director of Photography
Curtis Nichouls
Sound
Love Joel Aryeetey
Composer
Gwyn Allen

Genre

Black

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

LA Pictures

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A Distant Call A Distant Call

Director: Andrea Suwito

Year: 2026

In the ancient Bugis way of life in Indonesia, gender non-binary ‘bissu’ were once revered spiritual leaders. Eka, one of the last remaining bissu, decides to leave behind their identity, searching for belonging in a world that insists on definitions.

Asian
Solstice on Grímsey Island Nation

Director: Nikolai Galitzine

Year: 2026

When a church burns down in a storm, a remote arctic community come together to preserve their identity as they face an uncertain future.

Climate / Environment
A reality TV presenter speaks to the camera, looking directly into the lens. Tops

Director: Ames Pennington

Year: 2024

A fun pastiche of chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS sees self-proclaimed future award-winning filmmaker Ames Pennington present their landmark faux-documentary. Casting themselves as an invasive TV presenter, Ames goes on a satirical odyssey through the lives and homes of four unique individuals, exploring the crucial question that defines the transmasc experience: “What TOP did you want to wear after TOP surgery?” Official Selection BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024 - World premiere Official Selection Kashish Pride Film Festival 2024 - International premiere

Comedy Docufiction LGBTQIA+