Baseball In The Time of Cholera is an excruciating emotional social justice documentary. How did Cholera become an epidemic in Haiti?
After more than 7,000 Haitians killed, the UN still denies responsibility for introducing the disease despite mounting evidence against its Nepalese peacekeeping force – though there hasn’t been any civil unrest in Haiti since the defeat of the French in 1803! Obviously UN’s $700 Million funding a year in Haiti for peace keeping is a hoax when people are dying every day from their Cholera.
Here really is the story of Joseph, a young baseball player – a victim of Cholera – having lost a young mother to it, and a Haitian lawyer fighting for compensation for the victims in Haiti.
Though their online launch and promotion about a month ago has fallen far short of the Invisible Children phenomenon, it should not distract from the film. This is a beautiful and emotional documentary that elegantly fuses activism and lyricism. And don’t forget to sign the petition to bring justice to poor Haitians here on Undeny.org
Baseball In The Time of Cholera is set in Haiti, during the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which laid the country low in January of 2010. The film takes time to hit the nail on the head in a profound way – an exposé on the terrible cholera outbreak in the wake of one of the world’s terrible earthquakes. An outbreak that strong evidence suggests was brought into the country by U.N. Peacekeepers.
Through Undeny.org you can watch the film and sign a petition for UN restitution. The filmmakers in this way hope to create a social justice movement around the film. Despite the presence of Olivia Wilde as an executive producer, and a recent award from the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. There’s hope however, the campaign seems to be busting from the Vimeo/YouTube view figures, the group’s FB Fan page likes, and the number of Twitter followers.
This is a film an incredibly satisfying spiritual heart.
That core story is Joseph’s, a young Haitian baseball player whose life we follow. We watch him play, he introduces us to his family, and ultimately we join him on a surprise visit to Toronto. The time the film spends with Joseph is lovely, personal, and highlights the way for activist documentaries going forward – present the situation that you want, and do not forget that the reason for anyone to care is that your issue affects real-life people.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”” cite=”” quotestyle=”style02″] Ultimately the subjective lens of filmmaking, and storytelling more generally, is the most powerful force creating awareness and developing the empathy you will need to engender action. The activism may not be going well in this case, but the filmmaking should be appreciated. [/sws_blockquote_endquote]
Original Review & Quote from: Jason Sondhi (Short of The Week)
Watch the trailer.
Directors: David Darg, Bryn Mooser
Please sign the petition here: Undeny.com
