Papa Machete
Papa Machete is a glimpse into the life of Alfred Avril, an aging subsistence farmer who lives in the hills of Jacmel, Haiti. He also happens to be a master of the mysterious martial art of Haitian machete fencing, also known as Tire Machèt. Teaching about the practical and spiritual value of the machete—which is both a weapon and a farmer’s key to survival—Avril provides a bridge between his country’s traditional past and its troubled present. The film documents his proud devotion to his heritage and his struggle to keep it alive in the face of contemporary globalization.
Directed and edited by Jonathan David Kane, Papa Machete world premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2014 and later had its US premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2015. It was released digitally by National Geographic and The Atlantic, and has garnered over 3 million online views.
“Going into production, I knew two things: The Professor’s words were going to be the structure on which the film was built upon, and slow motion was needed to highlight the precision, grace, and strength of the swordplay. Other than those two things, my approach to telling this story was very fluid. We would go up the hill to Professor Avril’s home each day and train with him, and each day we’d experience something new. Some of those things we learned were good for the film, others were good for the soul.”
Select Screenings
Toronto International Film Festival, 2014
Sundance Film Festival, 2015
Sheffield Documentary Festival, 2015
Miami International Film Festival, 2015
Brooklyn Museum, 2015
Zanzibar International Film Festival, 2015 (Winner, Best Documentary)
Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, 2015 (Winner, Best Documentary Short)
Key West Film Festival, 2015 (Winner, Best Short Film)
Blackstar Film Festival, 2015
New Voices in Black Cinema, 2015
Indie Grits Film Festival, 2015
Ambulante Film Festival, 2015
Regard sur La Court Film Festival, 2015
Havana Film Festival, 2015
Traverse City Film Festival, 2015
Maryland International Film Festival, 2015
Treefort Film Festival, 2015
Nashville Film Festival, 2015
Rooftop Films Summer Series, 2015
Eastern Oregon Film Festival, 2015
Little Rock Film Festival, 2015
Gasparilla Film Festival, 2015
Minneapolis Underground Film Festival, 2015
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, 2016
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 2016
FEMI Guadeloupe International Film Festival, 2016
Timehri Film Festival, 2016
Kickstarter
To finish post production on the film and help the Avril Family in the construction of a new home and Tire Machèt training facility, the team behind Papa Machete turned to Kickstarter to aid in their fundraising efforts. The project was selected as a Kickstarter Project of the Day, and the campaign raised more than $13,000. You can read more about this effort here, and by watching the video below: