Film At 11

Michele Mitchele Charlottetown, PEI-Maritime Canada Blog

Film At 11 — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:34:45 +0000

Charlottetown, PEI—Maritime Canada is the most impoverished area of the country. Most of the people here have seasonal work—fishing, agriculture, tourism—and spent the rest of the year figuring out how to scrape by.

I only knew Prince Edward Island from oysters and Anne of Green Gables (which, admittedly, I never finished). It is rolling red farmland dotted with Irving gas stations. The handmade sweaters at Northern Watters Knitwear run about $200—or, a quarter of the average monthly salary. The locals, many of whom work in the nearby French fry factory, worry about the possible closure of the government dialysis center and cutbacks in unemployment insurance.

These are the people who gave ten dollars to aid organizations after the Haiti earthquake, and they grumbled and shifted in their seats in St. Pauls’ Church as they watched the film. They wore windbreakers and shorts. Their idea of “cold” was clearly different than mine. I shivered in a wool sweater that a former nun made. I was staying at her small apartment, and she took pity on a first-timer’s visit and gave it to me. She also gave me a small jar of wine jelly (“I don’t drink wine,” she said, “I eat it”) and introduced me to a hermit—a real hermit—who broke his solitude to come to the screening.

I was talking to the hermit when a man persistently tugged at my sleeve. He talked very fast. His name was Leo, he was 60, and he was a “people-first person,” he said. He had spent his life in foster homes. Now he was an old man, in the poorest area of the country, suspicious of dogs (“some dogs aren’t very nice”) but less so of people. He asked the most questions after the film.

The former nun poured me a giant wine glassful of Bailey’s Irish Cream later that night. I began wondering a lot about former nuns. And the next day, when I left at five in the morning to head out to New Brunswick, I would find out that Leo, living alone in a boarding house, had bought a copy of the film. It would take him two months on his limited income to buy it, but once he did, he told the organizers, he wanted to donate it to the local library. “So as many people as possible can see it,” he said.

“Documentary filmmaker to present ‘Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?”

Film At 11 — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:27:26 +0000

Cape Brenton Post article regarding screening of Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?

Excerpt:
“Mitchell, by documenting two visits to Haiti since the 2010 earthquake, examines and exposes conditions in Haiti and asks some sobering questions.
The presentation of “Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?” is part of a Maritime tour and Canadian premiere of the film. The tour is organized by Cooper Institute in Prince Edward Island. This showing is sponsored by the St. Anns Bay Development Association. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated…”

Read the full article HERE

Oakland International Film Festival

Film At 11 — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:43 +0000

David Roach interviews Michele Mitchell at the Oakland International Film Festival on the film “Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?”

CBS 5 San Francisco News

Film At 11 — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:11:53 +0000

Anne Makovec interviews Michele Mitchell about “Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?” and the screening at the Oakland International Film Festival.

“Haiti’s Martelly Attends Inter-American Red Cross Conference in Montrouis”

Film At 11 — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:42:55 +0000

The Caribbean Journal posted this article on the Red Cross and their initiative in Haiti:

Excerpt:

…The Red Cross’ work in Haiti was recently challenged by a film, “Haiti, Where Did the Money Go?”, which challenged the performance of the Red Cross and other international organizations in Haiti with regard to their disbursement of aid funds.”

Read the Full Article!

“New documentary asks, ‘Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?’”

Film At 11 — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:00:51 +0000

The Ledger-Enquirer post this article about our documentary “Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?”

Excerpt:

…It’s about an hour long and the filmmaker, Michele Mitchell, went to Haiti twice to see if the billions of dollars donated to the earthquake-stricken country was being used correctly.

What she found is horrible…

Read the Full Article!

“‘Where Did the Money Go?’ The Red Cross and Haiti’s Missing Millions”

Film At 11 — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:00:41 +0000

The Pacific Free Press posted this article highlighting the documentary “Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?”

Excerpt:

“…The film is currently airing on dozens of PBS stations around the U.S. One NGO that Mitchell focuses on, in interviews, and in on-the-ground examination of the situation in IDP camps, is the Red Cross…”

Read the Full Article!

“Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?”

Film At 11 — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:23:10 +0000

The London Student Blog posted this article on our documentary “Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?”

Except:

“Did you give money to Haiti after the earthquake? Well, it doesn’t matter if you did. When broadcast journalist Michele Mitchell screened her new documentary ‘Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?’ at Capitol Hill, she was met with yelling and seething members of the Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), American Red Cross (ARC), who tried to hand out documents citing inaccuracies that were quickly dismissed…”

Read the Full Article!

“Two years later, little change in Haiti”

Film At 11 — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:42:17 +0000

The Observer Dunkirk posted this editorial on our film “Haiti: Where Did The Money Go?”

Excerpt:

On Monday night I went to Goldcrest the foreign sales agent for the film in the West Village to finally view a screening of the finished product: “Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?”

What I saw filled me with anger, sympathy, and many, many questions …

Read the Full Article!

“Buying Out Our Guilts”

Film At 11 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:44:43 +0000

The Huffington Post published this article on giving to disaster relief.

Excerpt:

…The guilt trade flourishes immediately after each disaster and right before the end of the fiscal year — performing a good deed is great, getting money back for it is even better. Afterwards we forget all about it, like we do after throwing a dollar in a homeless person’s cup, walking away with pride, having temporarily silenced our inner voice. No questions are asked if the donated money finally reaches what it is meant for and in what way…

Read the Full Article!