International aid as a means of development is a major failure, and not just in Haiti. Raoul Peck Read Quote
I came back to Haiti after the earthquake not to shoot a film, but to help and be a part of the rebuilding process, like all my fellow compatriots. I didn’t come to shoot a film, but I became frustrated when I realized that my help was kind of useless. We all felt lost and helpless. And it’s out of that frustration that I decided to shoot a film. Raoul Peck Read Quote
To put it simply, as a black man, I started watching films at the age of six, and I’ve since seen the bad guys changing race – between the African savages, to the Native Americans, and then the blacks and the Arabs and the Chinese and the Vietnamese. Look at ‘Rambo’: it’s exactly that. Raoul Peck Read Quote
That’s what as an artist you always try to do. To try to be a sharper mind than the average person. Raoul Peck Read Quote
I don’t think I ever watched a movie without being totally immersed in the story. But at the same time, I had to keep some distance from it. I had to question what the narrative was trying to tell me or was injecting in my brain. Raoul Peck Read Quote
Right now, the machine keeps us totally busy. If you don’t react against it, you’ll end up letting yourself go and become the perfect consumer. That’s what they want. Raoul Peck Read Quote
A black character is much more than just a black character; he’s a character, period. So show the world as it is. Even with all your artistic license, you make a political choice. Raoul Peck Read Quote
You face the reality, whether it’s hopeful or hopeless. What’s your alternative? To lie down and die? Raoul Peck Read Quote
I have been skeptical, sometimes, about the importance of rap music, which I think is a capitalistic project to make money. Raoul Peck Read Quote
I have to make sure, when you start seeing a film, you are going to see it until the end. I have to, of course, entertain you a little bit. The real question is how far do I go? Raoul Peck Read Quote
