Free film screening and audience Q&A with the filmmakers

In collaboration with the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine

About the Documentary:

RUN FROM RAIN / Kouri Pou Lapli is a short documentary that follows 16-year-old Macul Nelson, who fled Port Lafiteau near Haiti’s capital after losing both parents to gang violence. Now living in the Central Plateau with a former neighbor who acts as his grandmother, and caring for three younger siblings, Macul navigates the trauma of loss and the pressures of survival in a country destabilized by rising gang control. The film traces his resistance to recruitment, his search for belonging at a rural school, and his effort to rebuild a future—one of over 1 million Haitians displaced and more than 300,000 children without access to education. Macul is now facing displacement again after gangs attacked Mirebalais in March of this year.

Filmmakers:

Jacki Huntington

Storytelling work has taken filmmaker Jacki Huntington (Cinematographer/Editor/Animator) across continents and cultures – from the bustling streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to the serene landscapes of the Mississippi Delta. With a background as a producer at Refinery29 working in New York City and Los Angeles, Jacki now works across documentary film, commercial media, and podcasts as a director, cinematographer, sound designer and editor. She studied journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master's of Science degree from Harvard Medical School's Media, Medicine, and Health program. Jacki has worked on several documentary projects (Redefined: J.R. Smith, Liquor Store Dreams, Out of the Picture, Rising Hope) and podcasts (The City of the Rails, The Small Bow Podcast, Under the Influence with Jo Piazza), and worked as communications coordinator for Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Global Health. She is a co-founder of storytelling studio Strange Luck. She lives between Mexico City and the United States.

Jess DiPierro Obert

Jess DiPierro Obert (Director/Producer/Editor) is an award-winning investigative journalist, photographer, and filmmaker focused on solution-based storytelling. She has lived and worked in Haiti for nearly a decade, reporting on armed conflict, grassroots resilience, women’s rights, and mental health for outlets including The Guardian, PBS NewsHour, The New Humanitarian, and Rest of World. Her short film Run from Rain, which follows displacement through the story of a 16-year-old teen, premiered at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival. Jess’ work has been exhibited at Prix Bayeux Calvados-Normandie and has received a Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Murrow award and Vimeo Staff Pick. Jess is also the Co-Founder of Strange Luck, a storytelling studio producing documentary-driven projects.