Nick Cunningham reports
A fortnight on from the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, Hubert Bals Fund manager Iwana Chronis confirmed yesterday that the fund remains committed to its pledge of €10,000 to Haiti's Cine Institute, originally given to support a narrative masterclass. The HBF has sent notice that fund monies can now be used in whichever way the institute management sees fit as they look to rebuild the school, which was destroyed in the disaster.
“We were shocked to hear that the Cine Institute, the only film school on Haiti, was destroyed by the recent earthquake”, comments Chronis. “Luckily, we quickly learned that all its students and tutors had survived. The Hubert Bals Fund immediately decided to contribute to the reconstruction of the film school, so that its students could continue their training. We find it very important to support the Cine Institute in these difficult times and wish its students and tutors all the very best in the coming months.”
In an email posted on January 14, the institute's development director Leslie Norville wrote, “Our damages are extensive … [it] seems we've lost everything at the film school – the studio and our theatre … Students and staff are digging surviving equipment out of the rubble and will begin to shoot footage.” Some of this footage can be viewed at www.cineinstitut.com/news and www.facebook.com/pages/Cine-Institute/75003662386.