Bringing together talent, encouraging local production, and gradually laying the foundations for a true Haitian film industry: that’s the goal the Lakaywood Foundation set for itself during the third edition of the Lakaywood Film Festival, held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the Cap-Haïtien town hall.
Bringing together talent, encouraging local production, and gradually laying the foundations for a true Haitian film industry: this is the ambition expressed by the Lakaywood Foundation on the occasion of the third edition of the Lakaywood Film Festival, held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the Cap-Haïtien town hall.
Organized around the theme “Haiti in the World Cup – Ayiti nan Mondyal,” this new edition brought together filmmakers, actors, movie lovers, entrepreneurs, and personalities to celebrate Haitian cinema. Directors from different regions of the country also traveled to the city of Christophe, some to showcase their productions as part of the annual competition, others to attend screenings and discussions.Haitian actor Smoye Noisy, from the North, was the special guest at the event. Michel Saint-Croix, chairman of the interim municipal commission of Cap-Haïtien, attended as guest of honor.
For Pierrot Mervilier, CEO of the Lakaywood Foundation, the festival should be more than just a cultural gathering. The goal, he explains, is to help set up a structured film industry that can offer new opportunities to Haitian creators and, eventually, regularly produce works that can reach beyond the country’s borders.”Our dream is that one day Haitian filmmakers will be able to produce great works like Jean-Jacques Dessalines the Great, The Battle of Vertières, Bois Caïman, or 1804, so as to bring to life, on screen, the feats of the founders of our nation and present them to the whole world,” said Pierrot Mervilier.
This desire to tell Haiti’s story through the eyes of its own creators has been one of the main focuses championed by Lakaywood since its launch. From its very first edition in 2024, the initiative was presented as a project inspired by the major international film industries, with the goal of giving more visibility to Haitian productions and professionals.The third edition also helped to shine a spotlight on new filmmakers through the Lakaywood 2026 Competition. Ronald “Rondy_P” Petit-Homme took first prize for Ayiti Yon Lòt Fwa Ankò. Moise Mirabeau, director of La Voie des Grenadiers, came in second, while Carlin Estima, known as “Artiste Metkok,” placed third with Bwa Kayiman Reaksyon Sou Mondyal 2026.
Special awards were also given to Youbentha Preval and Smoye Noisy in recognition of their contribution and support. The organizers also praised the presence of Jude Charles Faustin.Through this initiative, the Lakaywood Foundation also promotes an economic vision of cinema. For its supporters, a better-organized film industry could create jobs, encourage the emergence of new businesses, boost professional training, and contribute to the country’s tourism and cultural promotion.
The organization wants to draw, on a Haitian scale, inspiration from models that have become international references. ‘Lakaywood’ even claims this symbolic connection to Hollywood in the United States, Bollywood in India, and Nollywood in Nigeria, while also seeking to develop its own identity, rooted in Haiti’s realities, history, and culture.The Foundation mainly aims to create more spaces where young people can train for careers in filmmaking, produce their own works, and tell the story of the country from their perspectives.
After this third edition, Lakaywood is already inviting film professionals and enthusiasts to meet on August 15, 2027, in Cap-Haïtien for a fourth edition, which should continue this goal: making Haitian cinema not only a tool for cultural expression but also a sector capable of contributing to the country’s economic development.
