Institute of Island Studies presents film N'AP Boule (Through the Barricades) on January 21

The Institute of Island Studies’ first Island Lecture Series of 2025 will feature a screening of a short film titled N'AP Boule (Through the Barricades) on Tuesday, January 21, at 7:00 pm, in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, University of Prince Edward Island.

A portrayal of real-life circumstances, the award-winning film is about a Haitian couple who face blocked roads and murderous gangs in the hope of finding a place to give birth safely in the midst of the treacherous social protests that have paralyzed Haiti for months.

The event, which is open to the public, will include a virtual facilitated conversation with Alexandrine Benjamin, a Haitian filmmaker who holds a master’s degree in film production from the University of Greenwich in England. Her works mostly focus on social justice issues such as human rights, gender violence, and insecurity. For more than five years, she was project manager for Lakou Kajou, a media program produced by Blue Butterfly, which raises awareness among Haitian children about literacy and math but more importantly about how to solve problems.

Benjamin is now producing her first feature film O Negatif, promoting the full emancipation and inclusion of people living with HIV around the world. She believes that education is the path to a better future for her home country, Haiti, and if her art can be a tool to this end, it is the way to go.

Admission is free.