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Stateless

2020 Official Selection: Features

FEATURE | United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Haiti | 95 MINUTES | Creole, English | English subtitles

STATELESS

Experimental, Women, Documentary, Politics

In 1937, tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were exterminated by the Dominican army, based on anti-black hatred fomented by the Dominican government. Fast-forward to 2013, the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents retroactive to 1929, rendering over 200,000 people stateless, without nationality, identity or homeland. In this climate, a young attorney named Rosa Iris launches a grassroots campaign, taking on electoral corruption and advocating social justice. In Stateless, director Michele Stephenson explores the complex history and present-day politics of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Utilizing elements of magical realism and vivid cinematography, combined with gritty hidden camera footage and the legend of a young woman fleeing brutal violence, the film navigates through offices, living room meetings, and into street protests, revealing the depths and personal impact of institutionalized oppression. In this light, the reality of Rosa’s fight becomes clear, as she must keep a balance between her congressional run, and dedication to her family and community. —Deborah Rudolph

Co-hosted by the Haitian Cultural Exchange, the Dominicans Love Haitians Movement, and Border of Lights.

Part of the Juneteenth programming. Sponsored by:

In Partnership with:

Media Sponsor:

Co-hosted by


CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Michele Stephenson

Michèle Stephenson pulls from her Panamanian and Haitian roots and experience as a human rights attorney to tell provocative stories about personal and systemic liberation. She was recently awarded the Creative Capital Fellowship, the Chicken & Egg Pictures Breakthrough Filmmaker Award, and the Guggenheim Fellowship.

Director
Michèle Stephenson
Producer
Michèle Stephenson, Jennifer Holness, Lea Marin
Screenwriter
Michèle Stephenson
Cinematographer
Alfredo Alcántara, Tito Rodriguez, Naiti Gámez, Nadia Hallgren, Pedro Arnau Bros Santana, Jaime Guerra
Editor
Sophie Farkas-Bolla
Executive Producer
Joe Brewster, Anita Lee, Sudz Sutherland

CONTACTS

Press Contact
Carlos Gutierrez
Cinema Tropical
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212 254 5474
carlos@cinematropical.com
Press Contact
Pilar Dirickson Garrett
Cinema Tropical
10012
Phone: (212)254-5474
pilar@cinematropical.com