ULTIMATE DOCS COMPETITION

GHOSTS OF CITE SOLEIL

Denmark, 2006, 86 min., Creole, English, French.

Director: Asger Leth
Producers: Mikael Chr. Rieks, Tomas Radoor, Seth Kanegis
Cinematography: Milos Loncarevic, Frederik Jacobi, Asger Leth
Editing: Adam Nielsen
Music: Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, Wyclef Jean
Sound: Hans Møller, Rasmus Winther
Production company: Nordisk Film
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Ghosts of Cite Soleil

Two hours off the shores of Miami Beach lies the most dangerous place on earth: Haiti. Nestled next to the Dominican Republic and ignored by the rest of the world, it is a country of poverty, despair and violence. Granted unprecedented access to this tense underworld, filmmaker Asger Leth follows the lives of two gangster brothers, 2Pac and Bily, who rule over the slum Cite Soleil with their gang the Chimeres. Armed by President Aristide, the brothers were given the task to control the people in the city. As they struggle to find a better life for themselves and for their people they quickly learn that they exist in a world without choices. 2Pac, whose role model is the legendary gangster rapper Tupac, vents his frustration through music and starts incorporating anti-Aristide lyrics into his songs. Bily on the other hand remains loyal to the president and has political aspirations. Torn between them is Lele, a French developmental-aid worker drawn into the brother's lives at first out of necessity (without their protection she wouldn’t last long in the slums) and later out of love. As Aristide's regime begins the crumble, the hectic and raw images of the brothers’ quotidian existence take on a desperate urgency as they fight to stay alive.

Asger Leth was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1970. He is the son of film-editor Ann Bierlich and renowned film director Jorgen Leth. Started working as an assistant director on music videos and commercials while studying law for three years. After ten years of film experience and making a couple of shorts, he wrote and shot segments of Jorgen Leth’s and Lars von Trier’s The Five Obstructions. He also worked on his father’s New Scenes from America.

Filmography:

Ghosts of Cite Soleil (2006), documentary feature debut.

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