Full Details

Thursday, October 7

CLAS Film Series: Stateless
Time:
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Sponsored by:
Center for Latin American Studies
Contact:
Alexis Takoushian
Contact Email:
art112@pitt.edu

Runtime: 1h 36min
Filmmaker/Director:Michèle Stephenson
Dominican Republic, 2020 | Documentary

In 1937, tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were exterminated by the Dominican army, based on anti-black hatred fomented by the Dominican government. Fast-forward to 2013, the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents, retroactive to 1929. The ruling rendered more than 200,000 people stateless, without nationality, identity or a homeland. In this dangerous climate, a young attorney named Rosa Iris mounts a grassroots campaign, challenging electoral corruption and advocating for social justice. Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary Stateless traces the complex tributaries of history and present-day politics, as state-sanctioned racism seeps into mundane offices, living room meetings, and street protests. At a time when extremist ideologies are gaining momentum in the U.S. and around the world, STATELESS is a warning of what can happen in a society when racism runs rampant in the government.