Masisi Wouj
2021, video, 22 minutes, Haitian Creole
Produced during the 6th Ghetto Biennale
The Haitian Revolution and Beyond
Atiz Rezistans, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
A performative video essay on queerness in Haiti, Vodou, and revolution. In Haiti, men perceived as feminine are known as masisi. The word is often used as a slur on gay men, transvestites and queer or non-binary folks. It doesn’t translate well and does not correspond to any of the letters in the LGBTQIAP+ acronym. In a queer tribute to the gods, Haitian artist and activist Sanba Yonel speaks of the plight of the masisi who, faced with prejudice and hostility, find shelter in the religious context of Vodou.
Best Short Documentary, The Artists Forum Festival of The Moving Image 2021, The Artists Forum, New York City
Best Documentary, Film Pride 2021 – Brighton & Hove Pride Film Festival, Brighton, England
Best International Short Documentary, 8th International Queer Film Festival Playa del Carmen 2021, Séptimo Arte, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Made in collaboration with Zé Kielwagen (Brazil), Steevens Simeéon (Haiti), and Sanba Yonel (Haiti).
2023
16th Peripheral Visions, Digital Imaginaries, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
SFTFF San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, San Francisco, California, USA
MIX Copenhagen LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, Copenhagen Pride Week 2023, Cinemateket Copenhagen, Denmark
Queer (non)Beliefs, Kaunas Artists' House, Kaunas, Lithuania
The One Minutes ‘Carnival of the ancestors’ curated by Ghetto Biennale, Rozenstraat, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2022
30th Mix Brazil Festival for a Culture of Diversity, Mix Brasil Association, São Paulo Cultural Center, Brazil
37th Mix Copenhagen LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, The Cinematheque, Empire Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark
Zinentiendo – XVII Muestra Internacional de Cine LGBTQI, Gobierno de Aragon, University of Zaragoza, Spain
16th XPOSED Queer Film Festival Berlin, Moviemento, Berlin, Germany
2nd Queer Film Festival Weimar, Lichthaus Kino Weimar, State Chancellery of Thuringia, Weimar, Germany
tiglff – Tampa Bay Int'l Gay & Lesbian Film Festiva – Queer in Color, Tampa Bay Arts, Florida, USA
19th OUTFEST FUSION QTBIPOC Film Festival, Regal Cinemas, Japanese
American Cultural & Community Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
9th San Antonio LGBT International Film Festival, Pride San Antonio 2022, Public Theater of San Antonio, Texas, USA
2021
doclisboa 2021 - 19th International Film Festival, Casa do Cinema, Cinemateca Portuguesa, Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal
ART200 International Queer Film Festival, Cinemateca Eforie, Bucharest, Romania
7th DOBRA – International Festival for Experimental Cinema, Cinemateca do MAM - Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Chéries-Chéries - 27th Festival du Film LGBTQ & +++ de Paris, MK2 Beaubourg, MK2 Bibliothèque and MK2 Quai de Seine, Paris, France
26th LesGaiCineMad - Madrid LGBTI+ Film Festival, Madrid, Spain
2nd Giornate di Cinema e Cultura Queer, Associazione CineQueer, Zalib e Frocya, Rome, Italy
Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest, London, England
Seattle Queer Film Festival 2021, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Seattle, Washington, USA
Everybody’s Perfect - Geneva International Queer Film Festival, Les Cinémas du Grütli, Geneva, Switzerland
Sphere Digital - World Cinema Carnival 2021, WYND360, Zero Degree Arts and Queer Screen Alliance, Kolkata, India
Massimadi - 13th Montreal's LGBTQ + Afro Film Festival, Massimadi Foundation, Montreal, Canada
11th Fabulous Independent Film Festival, Harvey Milk Festival, Sarasota, Florida, USA
tiglff - 32nd Tampa Bay Int'l Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Tampa Bay Arts, Florida, USA
TQAF - Thessaloniki Queer Arts Festival, Balkan Queer Network, Athens and Tessaloniki, Greece
Out On Screen: Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada
23rd Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival, Calgary Queer Arts Society, Canada
San Antonio QFest - LGBT International Film Festival, Pride San Antonio, Texas, USA