ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
While documenting the explosion of art happening in a Haitian slum, the filmmaker takes viewers into the post-earthquake art scene, an exploration of Haiti’s love affair with Vodou, its revolutionary history, local music, and lots of art.
SYNOPSIS
Pascal Giacomini, a French-American sculptor and photographer based in Los Angeles, is invited to participate in the 2nd Ghetto Biennale of Port-au-Prince, an international art festival founded by Atis Rezistans, a group of Vodou artists who have exhibited at the Venice Biennale; the Grand Palais in Paris; at museums in New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Geneva, England, Belgium, Japan and more. However, they still live in a slum in the Grand Rue neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.
Giacomini spends a month in this poorest of slums, where he creates three large-scale sculptures with whatever materials he can find on the ground, like the local artists do. His pieces are part of a group show at the end of his stay.
As he prepares his sculptures for the opening of the 2nd Ghetto Biennale, he documents life in the community and undertakes interviews with multiple Haitian artists—those notable and prosperous, those successful but still poor—in his mission to fathom what sustains them despite the daily hardships of life in Port-au-Prince.
OUT OF CHAOS is a film about art made by an artist. Interwoven with photography, local music, and lots of art, it delves into Haitian history through the paintings of the island’s celebrated artists, uses archival footage, and elicits observations and wisdoms from world expert on Vodou, UCLA Professor Emeritus Donald J. Cosentino, as wells as Haitian author and MacArthur Fellow Edwidge Danticat, who supplies a glimpse into some of the reasons behind the world’s ongoing fascination with Haiti. And since Vodou is revealed to be a major influence in the lives and works of most Haitian artists, the film also gives viewers an intimate look at an annual, historically significant Vodou ceremony, which takes place in dazzling color, pomp and circumstance.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Pascal Giacomini
SCREENWRITER Carine Fabius
PRODUCER Carine Fabius
WEBSITE outofchaosthemovie.com
The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Support a TFC Fiscal Sponsorship Project
Please help support this project with a tax deductible contribution. The “donate” button below will take you to PayPal, but a PayPal account is not required to make a donation. You can check out 2 ways:
- Use your PayPal account
- Check out as a guest by selecting “Donate with a Debit or Credit Card” (no PayPal account is required)
Transaction Fee
Please consider covering the PayPal transaction fee by selecting the “I’d like to add to my donation to help offset the cost of processing” box on the next page. This will ensure your intended full donation amount will be received for the project.
Alternate Donation Payment Methods
If you prefer to donate by check, Zelle, ACH, or wire transfer, please email us for instructions.
Stock Donations
TFC accepts stock donations. By donating stock that has appreciated for more than a year, you are giving 20% more than if you sold the stock and then made a cash donation, since you will not pay capital gains taxes on the donated stock. Learn more here.
Please email us for instructions to donate stock to a fiscally sponsored project.
Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Donations
A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is like a charitable investment account for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations. TFC accepts DAF donations and is on file with most major DAF companies. Provide your DAF TFC’s Tax ID: 32-0295081. If we are already on file with your DAF company, they will process the donation.
If TFC is not already on file with your DAF company, please email us for instructions.
Tax Receipts
In compliance with IRS rules, tax receipts for your charitable gift are issued for the amount The Film Collaborative receives after payment processor fees are deducted. The Film Collaborative emails tax receipts in PDF format within 30 days of your online donation. The “receipt” that is immediately sent to you from PayPal after you donate is just a payment receipt, not the tax receipt.
Matching Donations
Many companies have matching gift programs and can help you double your donation to a project of your choosing. Sometimes these programs will match a donation up to a year after it was originally made! Check with your employer—if they have a matching gift program, they will provide you with instructions.
End of Year Giving
November, December, and January are big giving months each year. Donors top up their annual giving in November and December. January is a new fiscal year, and some donors start their giving for the next fiscal year early. Some donors even give at the end of the year and again in January since these donations fall into different fiscal years.
Donors tend to make their large year-end donation decisions before the holidays start. In 2024, that means before December 20. TFC can accept donations by wire, ACH, and Zelle until 5:00pm Eastern Time on December 31. Online donations by credit or debit card can be made until 11:59pm Pacific Time on December 31.