Case Study: Passing Through a Cloud of Mist – Filming in Haiti with Wilmarc Val

Since 2019 – perhaps even since gaining independence in 1804 – Haiti has been in the midst of a deep political, social and structural crisis. At the same time, the desire to make films in Haiti seems stronger than ever among a new generation of filmmakers. Wilmarc Val, who left Haiti at the age of four and grew up in France, is one of them. His films take him back to his roots: to a country that he must become reacquainted with from an outsider perspective, to his family history and to questions of origin, faith and identity. Here, filmmaking becomes a form of return, despite – but also precisely because of – the uncertainty that continues to characterise Haiti to this day.