Venezuela giving Danny Glover $18m to direct film on Toussaint Louverture led slave revolt
Chavez hopes venture will aid anti-imperialist fight
Actor wants to educate US on Toussaint Louverture
Venezuela is to give the American actor Danny Glover almost $18m (£9m) to make a film about a slave uprising in Haiti, with President Hugo Chavez hoping the historical epic will sprinkle Hollywood stardust on his effort to mobilise world public opinion against imperialism and western oppression.
The Venezuelan congress said it would use the proceeds from a recent bond sale with Argentina to finance Glover’s biopic of Toussaint Louverture, an iconic figure in the Caribbean who led an 18th-century revolt in Haiti.
It will also give seed money for a film version of The General in His Labyrinth, Gabriel Garca Marquez’s novel about the last days of Simon Bolivar, who liberated much of South America from Spanish colonialism.
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The project could mark a breakthrough for Villa del Cine, a new government-funded studio outside the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, which is part of Mr Chavez’s effort to combat what he sees as American cultural hegemony.
Glover, who visited Caracas at the weekend, told the Guardian that he would direct the film, titled Toussaint. “It’s so advanced that you can taste it. We’ve scouted locations within 75km [45 miles] of Caracas. I can do everything I need to do with this film from here.” He said he had been in talks with the government, but was unaware that a decision had been made until journalists tipped him off about the congress’s announcement. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” he said.
He suggested that there was still some uncertainty over whether the venture would go ahead. “One of the major axioms in theatre is never talk about anything until the deal is signed. There’s a lot of deliberation that goes on before something actually happens.”
It appeared that the congress timed the announcement to coincide with a media conference in Caracas hosted by the television network Telesur, a Venezuela-funded regional answer to CNN. Glover is on the board.
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Toussaint Louverture is a towering figure in the region’s history. A freed slave of African descent, he led thousands of slaves in successful campaigns against British, Spanish and French troops before being betrayed, captured and exiled. He died in 1803, just before his followers succeeded in establishing the island’s independence. William Wordsworth wrote a sonnet about him.
Glover said he wanted to educate the US about the story. “It’s been essentially wiped out of our historic memory, it’s been wiped clean.”
The actor is chairman of the TransAfrica Forum, an advocacy group for African Americans and other members of Africa’s diaspora, and a vocal critic of the Bush administration. Along with the singer Harry Belafonte, Glover is the best known celebrity supporter of Mr Chávez, whom he considers “remarkable”. He is a regular visitor to Venezuela.
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More @:http://film.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329883684-3156,00.html
Guardian Unlimited
People, People, People, get a GRIP. Can anyone please tell me the last film or documentary that has been presented on this subject, has there ever been a feature length strip to tackle this great story??? Get a grip, things are moving in a very positive way. There are A-List actors attached to this project, that is an amazing accomplishment in itself. The name of the game is to present a compelling story, with actors who can first of all carry a great story and second of bring people to the box office. If you do not have a great story and bankable actors, it’s tough to get a studio and or private investors to give you a penny to make a movie, let alone make a movie based on a African Leader, who defeated emperor forces of the time. Get a grip people, do you really know whats at stake. This is a great first step towards developing a relationship to have other great stories perserved and told for our children and for the world to be educated on our great leaders. Mr. Glover and his fellow film makers could have tackled other subject matter such as: Growing poor in the hood, Gang violence, The Pimp Diaries, Baby Mamma Drama, etc. If they had done such a thing, everyone would be saying, why didn’t they do a movie on something like Toussaint, or Hannable, or Black Wall Street. Jamal, my brother, can you honestly say there has not been a non-black person, that has ever assisted or helped in our development. Please, Please, Please get a grip, let’s support the process and offer feedback to uplift the project and the people supporting the efforts to get the story told.
OMG THANK YOU CAPTION!!! finally a person common sense!!! it not that hard people! 2+2=4!!!!
People, People, People, get a GRIP. Can anyone please tell me the last film or documentary that has been presented on this subject, has there ever been a feature length strip to tackle this great story??? Get a grip, things are moving in a very positive way. There are A-List actors attached to this project, that is an amazing accomplishment in itself. The name of the game is to present a compelling story, with actors who can first of all carry a great story and second of bring people to the box office. If you do not have a great story and bankable actors, it’s tough to get a studio and or private investors to give you a penny to make a movie, let alone make a movie based on a African Leader, who defeated emperor forces of the time. Get a grip people, do you really know whats at stake. This is a great first step towards developing a relationship to have other great stories perserved and told for our children and for the world to be educated on our great leaders. Mr. Glover and his fellow film makers could have tackled other subject matter such as: Growing poor in the hood, Gang violence, The Pimp Diaries, Baby Mamma Drama, etc. If they had done such a thing, everyone would be saying, why didn’t they do a movie on something like Toussaint, or Hannable, or Black Wall Street. Jamal, my brother, can you honestly say there has not been a non-black person, that has ever assisted or helped in our development. Please, Please, Please get a grip, let’s support the process and offer feedback to uplift the project and the people supporting the efforts to get the story told.
Hemptress, your comments are very heart felt. Haitians, as well as other great people of African descent have all suffer in the Western Hemisphere and no one story is greater or lessor then the other, we should all be in this together, to get our story told. The people involved with this project are professional film makers, I have had the privilege to see a draft of the script, I think you will be pleased. I hope your feeling about the Produkkkshun is not solely based on the fact African-Americans are leading the way to get the story told, versus a team of Haitian film makers. Maybe you should then put together a group of Haitian brothers and sisters and tell the story of Nat Turner. I don’t think, I would be as offended as you are about those facts. I would be reaching out and appaulding your efforts and honestly, I would be honored, that my Haitian Brothers and sisters had that much respect to tell the story.
Get A Grip People, Let’s get the Movie Done
I can’t wait to see this movie in theathre.
Congrats to Mr. Glover On such a Heavy task, lets wait and see Toussaint was a brilliant leader , my only concern is that there should be more actors and directors involve in this project such Raoul Peck, Carl Andy Louis, Jimmy Jean Louis, Gabriel Casseus, just to name a few.
look we blacks are ass holes so many of us are rich. Forinstance jordan, pele, ali ,johnson and some rich haitians like aristide, baby doc and many more filthy rich niggers that could produce this movie, why did danny have to go beg chavez we after all these years we still begging and slaves what a shame we are nothing without others, moreless the white man. shame on toussaint f…. him he also had slaves so was H. christophe he killed slaves too. niggas will always be niggas.
zotobre chabrac granneg
your vocabulary is very limited and your facts are even more. Your entitled to your own opinions but you are not entitled to your own facts. Based on your limited vocabulary it would be fitting for you present Baby Doc in a topic like this. Next time you have something to contribute to a conversation , I suggest you also hold your breath for a 20 count and shut “F” up.
zotobre;
H.I.M teaches us that each man can do unlimited things when he understands the language and culture of his host land. Don’t despise your brother for doing hard work for his reward. The word of H.I.M is prosperity for all man but not laziness at the expense of your brother. No my brother, “Niggas are not always Niggas” only when they make the choice to be so. Otherwise we are the children of Jah the shinning sons of Africa. There is a big difference in perception here. I will always be a child of Jah, but I have to work hard to be a shining son of Africa. Just my crazy idea on life.
Rasman
Zotobre
Your comments show that you are one ass licking fool! You are neither black nor African, just a mutilated piece of rotten meat venting malodorus poison.
Go hide and die…rotten maggot!
Jahdey
lol don’t hold back Jahdey; tell us how you really feel. you could not be any more on point about zotobre if you were an arrow at a mountains peak. ignorance like that sickens me.