WHEN THE DRUM IS BEATING

By Whitney DOW

CINEPHIL - as SALES All rights, World

Documentary - Completed 2011

A Journey into Haiti's tortured history with the music and memories of the members of Septenrional, the country's oldest and most celebrated big band.

Festivals
& Awards

Festival de Cannes 2012
Doc Corner
    • Year of production
    • 2011
    • Genres
    • Documentary
    • Countries
    • USA
    • Languages
    • ENGLISH, CREOLE
    • Duration
    • 90 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Whitney DOW
    • Producer(s)
    • Whitney DOW
    • Synopsis
    • In Haiti, there is one band that has seen it all: Septentrional. For six decades this 20 piece band has been making beautiful music- a fusion of Cuban big band and Haitian vodou beats, and turns out thousands of fans each time it plays. Yet this documentary is about more than the music. Since gaining independence and wealth in 1804, Haiti, the world’s first black republic, has become the poorest nation in the hemisphere, one that yearns for a promising future. This film offers a deeper understanding into the survival of Haitian culture and Septentrional through the country’s turbulent history.