To Serve the Gods

In the Haitian countryside, where people have little access to doctors, hospitals, or conventional medicine, peasants have learned to use local leaves, herbs, and therapeutic massage as a way of curing simple ailments. This video follows several men and women as they take us into the bush to look for leaves that they need for healing. We then follow then home where they explain and demonstrate their way of preparing the poultice or infusion. Narrated by the people themselves –and with beautiful songs about the importance of leaves woven throughout – this poetic film gives unique insight into the culture.

This joyous, upbeat film explodes with color, music, and pride of tradition as America's largest Caribbean community puts on their annual festival to celebrate their vibrant culture.

Haitian Song is an anthropological film about farmers in rural Haiti. The film follows Gustav and Zillmen and the everyday rituals that mark their lifestyle.

A look at stilt-walker performers.

An in-depth portrait of a snake cult in Jolo, W. Va. Depicts a snake hunt in the mountains, two serpent-handling services, and a prayer vigil for a victim of a snake bite. Includes discussions with church members who explain their reasons for handling serpents and the persecutions they have suffered.

A film about the restavèk children of Haiti, who, because their own parents are too poor to keep them, must leave their families to live and work as full-time, unpaid domestics in other households. The camera follows the children as they go through their daily chores, which include an endless cycle of mopping, cooking, washing, sweeping, marketing, and doing errands.

A history of New York's hand-made cigar industry.

Restaurant owner prepares traditional West Indian food.

The story of the artists, rebels, and bohemians who came to New York’s Greenwich Village over many decades, and changed the face of American culture through their art and politics. The film portrays important political and social movements that started in the Village - such as the first interracial jazz club, the earliest Socialist newspapers from before World War I, and the Stonewall rebellion that sparked gay liberation.

Short documentary of the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.