The Agronomist is a 2003 American documentary directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Jean Dominique. The documentary follows the life of Dominique, who ran Haiti's first independent radio station, Radio Haiti-Inter, during multiple repressive regimes.
| The Agronomist | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jonathan Demme |
| Written by | Jonathan Demme |
| Produced by | Jonathan Demme Edwidge Danticat Bevin McNamara Peter Saraf |
| Starring | Jean Dominique Aboudja Ronald Reagan |
| Cinematography | Aboudja Jonathan Demme Bevin McNamara Peter Saraf |
| Edited by | Lizzie Gelber Bevin McNamara |
| Music by | Wyclef Jean |
| Distributed by | THINKFilm |
Release date | April 23, 2004 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Land | USA |
| Languages | English, French, Haitian Creole |
| Box office | $226,189 (US Domestic) |
Summary
The Agronomist is about Jean Leopold Dominique who hosted Radio Haiti-Inter, Haiti's first independent radio station. Jonathan Demme puts together this documentary with historical footage and interviews. The result is a serious recount of Haiti during its numerous regimes.
Radio Haiti-Inter was Radio Haiti in 1960 and in 1969, it became Radio Haiti-Inter. It finally ended its broadcast three years after the assassination of Jean Dominique. His broadcasts were primarily for the struggle of democracy and he was able to capture the feelings of those who were poor and powerless.
The remarkable account of Jean Dominique and his radio hosting days is that his struggle was able to last as long as it lasted. While almost a majority of any repressive society would silence its critics, Radio Haiti-Inter wasn't silenced for decades. Even after his assassination, his wife and fellow journalist, Michèle Montas, tried to keep the radio broadcast going until it finally collapsed 3 years after his assassination.
The documentary starts with an interview where Jean Dominique recounts a day when he was able to broadcast gunfire outside Radio Haiti-Inter.
Reception
The Agronomist was shown on May 3, 2004 at the UN Headquarters in NYC while observing World Press Freedom Day. There were no seats vacant for the showing at noon.[1]
The film received favorable reviews by critics. It received a 96% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes[2] Praise focused on the use of historical footage combined with interviews.
Box office receipts totaled $226,189 in 21 theaters in the U.S.[3]
DVD release
The movie was released on DVD on June 7, 2005 with English and French spoken language tracks, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.[4]
See also
References
- ^ The Life and Work of Jean Dominique UN Chronicle.
- ^ Critic Reviews Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
- ^ Agronomist Box Office Results Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
- ^ DVD Release Date Amazon.com
External links
- Radio Caraibes FM 94.5 live from Port au Prince Haiti, Haitian Radio stations Find all Haitian radio Stations.
- The Agronomist at IMDb