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!