Pras Michel of hip-hop legends the Fugees will attend the September 15 opening night gala at the 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), where the documentary Sweet Micky for President will have its Caribbean premiere.
The remarkable story of Michel Martelly’s run to become President of Haiti, Sweet Micky for President won both the Audience and Jury Prizes for Best Documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival, where it had its world premiere. The film also screened at Hot Docs in Canada.
Pras, who is of Haitian descent, is one of the film’s producers as well as its narrator.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the regional premiere of Sweet Micky for President,” said Bruce Paddington, ttff Founder and Festival Director. “This is a brilliantly made, rousing film that affords us the opportunity to acknowledge Haiti and its importance in the shaping of the Caribbean’s history.
“It also affords us the opportunity to welcome Pras Michel, an accomplished son of the Caribbean diaspora, to Trinidad and Tobago and the ttff, as we celebrate our tenth anniversary.”
Directed by Ben Patterson, who will also be in attendance, Sweet Micky for President follows Pras as he visits Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake. With no experience or money, he mobilises a presidential campaign for the unlikeliest of candidates: Michel Martelly, aka Sweet Micky, Haiti’s most popular and controversial pop star.
The politically innocent pair set out to triumph against a corrupt government, civil unrest and a rigged election. When Pras’ former bandmate, superstar Wyclef Jean, also enters the presidential race, their chances seem further doomed.
Sweet Micky for President brilliantly captures an important—and improbable—moment in Haiti’s history, as a fledgling democracy battles to produce a government worthy of the country’s status as the world’s first black republic.
The ttff/15 opening night gala will take place at Queen’s Hall in Port of Spain. Tickets for the gala will go on sale soon.
The rest of the lineup for the ttff/15, which runs from September 15–29, will be announced in the upcoming weeks.