Florida-bred filmmaker Dudley Alexis decided to dig deep into the history of soup joumou—Haitian pumpkin soup that is consumed heavily in some Haitian-American households on the first of the year. The documentary Liberty in A Soup is the result of his cultural research.

The documentary is a breakthrough for his career. It’s his first feature documentary, and he not only directed it, but also wrote and edited the work. Interestingly enough, it was a conversation in a taxi that led him to produce Liberty in A Soup! The cabbie, who was of West African origin, asked Alexis about the significance of the soup, and the director decided to create a documentary that would explain its history to his fellow Haitian-Americans and other curious folks.

Liberty in A Soup contains interviews with Dr. Benjamin Hebblethwaite, a professor at the University of Florida, who lectures on Haitian Creole and culture, Babacar M’Bow, an art curator, and author Edwidge Danticat, among other commentators and experts.

Prior to releasing Liberty in A Soup, Mr. Alexis produced several short documentaries. He was heavily involved with the Miccosukee Magazine, as post production producer.

This has been another episode of…Haitian-American Culture from your favorite chick Kreyolicious.

You can watch a trailer of Liberty in A Soup below.

CLICK HERE to visit the Liberty in A Soup website!

Haiti-born filmmaker Raoul Peck has had a fantastic year in the world of cinema with his documentary I Am Not Your Negro. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association have just chosen the James Baldwin doc he wrote and directed as Best Documentary!

Photo Credit: Magnolia Pictures

The judges/award panel for the Los Angeles Critics Association are picked from among the world’s best cinema critics. Some pundits have pointed to the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s picks as an indicator of Oscar winners! Will Mr. Peck win an Oscar as well? So, we’ll just have to see. Congratulations to Mr. Peck.

While we’re on the subject of this documentary, it must be mentioned that the documentary’s UK and North American rights were sold while it was still on the film festival circuit. Oh, and also, Mr. Peck’s last documentary was Fatal Assistance, his take on international aid during the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Recently, he directed a biopic of Karl Marx, and prior to that he had directed Murder in Pacot, a murder-mystery set in Haiti.

I Am Not Your Negro will be released to the public in February, so be sure to watch for it at your local theater from Magnolia Pictures!

Meanwhile…You can check out a trailer of the documentary below!

The Hollywood Reporter conducted an interview with Mr. Raoul Peck, and a panel of big screen pundits and analysts. Peck spoke about the importance on relying on James Baldwin’s words to create the documentary film. He also talks about how he was on the road to becoming an engineer, only to turn to film later on in his career. His passion for the work of James Baldwin and his determination to represent him well is so apparent. Check it out the video below!

CLICK HERE to read more about this documentary and filmmaker Raoul Peck.