Snakeskin Print and Beaded Cornrows, This Haitian Filmmaker Just Made Cannes Film Festival History — Again. But Why Is It Historic?
- Annie
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
Gessica Geneus has become the first Haitian woman filmmaker to have two feature films selected at the Cannes Film Festival. With the premiere of Marie Madeleine last week at the 79th Festival de Cannes, she continues to pave the way for Haitian filmmaking and perspective to be recognized and appreciated everywhere. But what makes this moment so powerful and historic? Let's look at the facts.
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FIRST HAITIAN WOMAN FILMMAKER SELECTED AT CANNES
Haitian cinema has had a presence at Cannes, but a limited one. It started in 1993 with Raoul Peck — born in Port-au-Prince but largely based abroad — who brought Haiti to the main competition with L'Homme sur les quais, a film about a young girl whose family fled the Duvalier regime, though shot in the Dominican Republic. He returned in 2000 with Lumumba, a film about the Congo filmed in Zimbabwe, screened in the festival's parallel sidebar for independent cinema. In 2025, Haitian short filmmaker Samuel Suffren screened Coeur Bleu in that same sidebar.
In 2021, Généus changed that — becoming the first Haitian woman to do so. With Freda — her debut narrative feature — she became the first Haitian film in the official Cannes selection since 1993, making her one of only three Haitian filmmakers ever selected at Cannes, and the first female Haitian director to be nominated for an award there. It received a standing ovation and went on to win 25 awards at international festivals.
Freda follows a working class Haitian family — particularly its women — navigating poverty, colorism, the tension between leaving Haiti or staying, love, sexuality, and mental health. Stories that have been depicted many times, but never truly through the perspective and experiences of Haitian women themselves — until now, through narrative fiction.
TWO FEATURE FILMS — BREAKING A 28-YEAR GAP
In 2021, Freda broke a 28-year silence — the first Haitian film in the official Cannes selection since Raoul Peck's 1993 appearance. Now, five years later, Généus is back with Marie Madeleine — selected in the Cannes Première section, a prestigious non-competing section of the official selection. Both feature films running over 90 minutes.
From the official Cannes selection description:
"In Jacmel, Marie Madeleine is a free woman. She lives from prostitution and moves through the nights without submitting to the rules of those who claim to save souls. When her path crosses that of Joseph, a young believer deeply involved in an evangelical community, a relationship forms between these two beings who seem to have nothing in common."
Beyond the synopsis, Généus takes on the lead role herself. Speaking to France 24's À l'Affiche, she said that casting herself was partly practical, but that she also wanted to show up as her fullest self — not to present a perfect or singular image of what it means to be Haitian, but to be vulnerable, in her strength, and to show that being Haitian is not just one thing.
Marie Madeleine continues the thematic territory Freda opened — centering Haitian women's lives. Not the ones typically portrayed in mainstream film, but the ones overlooked, judged, and rarely given a full story.
FILMED ON HAITIAN SOIL, IN KREYÒL, WITH A HAITIAN CAST
Both films were made on Haitian soil — Freda shot in the streets of Port-au-Prince, Marie Madeleine filmed in Jacmel, on Haiti's southern coast, where Généus has lived and worked for 20 years.
Both films are also in Haitian Kreyòl — with subtitles. It's a deliberate choice that goes beyond language. It forces the viewer to fully immerse themselves in the culture — to pay attention, to sit with it. And it plants Haitian Kreyòl on one of the world's biggest stages. A beautiful, romantic language that deserves to be heard.
She was joined at Cannes by her cast — Béonard Monteau, Melissa Mildort, and Edouard Baptiste — who also made the trip to the Croisette. In an interview with Ticket Magazine, Généus described premiering Marie Madeleine to a standing ovation in a room of over 1,200 celebrities and filmmakers.
Marie Madeleine is an international co-production between Haiti, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Canada — but it was filmed on Haitian soil, in Kreyòl, and led by a Haitian vision.
IN COLLABORATION WITH CINÉ — HAITI'S ONLY FILM INSTITUTE
Founded in Jacmel in 2008 by David Belle, the Ciné Institute is Haiti's first and only film school. Filming Marie Madeleine in Jacmel gave Généus direct access to the institute's infrastructure and support — something she noted in her interview with France 24's À l'Affiche. Jacmel's relative stability also provided a kind of shield from the ongoing crisis in Port-au-Prince — allowing the production to move forward on Haitian soil, with the resources and foundation that Ciné helped make possible.
ON THE CROISETTE, DRESSED IN HAITI
On the Croisette, Généus wore a bold snakeskin print, beaded cornrows front and center. For the premiere of Marie Madeleine, she changed into a red gown from the Ti Solèy Pòtoprens — "Little Sun of Port-au-Prince" — collection by Haitian designer Waina Chancy of Atelier Ndigo, paired with jewelry by Nouka Jewelry.
From the film itself, to the cast that traveled with her, to every detail she wore on that carpet — Haiti was present in every corner of that moment.
The premiere falls during Haitian Heritage Month and Haitian Flag Day on May 18th. A true win and a powerful moment for Haiti — a country that, despite facing immense challenges both at home and internationally, continues to prove that creativity, perseverance, and determination cannot be stopped.
Personally, I can't wait to see Marie Madeleine once it makes its way through the public circuit — and hopefully, to one day get the chance to speak with Gessica about her work and this moment. Until then, if you're looking to watch Freda or Marie Madeleine — both are currently difficult to access in the US, and that's a whole separate conversation. We'll update you with streaming or screening information as it becomes available. Subscribe for alerts!
About Gessica Geneus
Gessica Geneus is a Haitian actress, writer, director, and producer. She began her career at 17 with a leading role in Barikad by Richard Sénécal, before establishing herself as one of the defining voices of contemporary Caribbean cinema. After Haiti's 2010 earthquake, she worked with the United Nations before studying acting in Paris on a scholarship. She returned to Haiti, founded her production company Ayizan Productions, and has been making films from within the country ever since.
Her 2021 debut feature Freda brought international attention to Haitian women's stories and announced her as a filmmaker of serious vision and craft. Marie Madeleine is her second narrative feature and her second Cannes Film Festival selection.
This piece has been updated since its original publication to reflect additional production details, cast corrections, and context around the Ciné Institute collaboration.
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