WUFT | News and public media for north central Florida
"Kidnapping Inc.": Film uses humor to confront a harsh reality
By Martine Joseph
February 11, 2025 at 12:07 PM EST
Chatter filled the Hippodrome Cinema on Monday as dozens of people from various walks of life arrived for the screening of the film “Kidnapping Inc.,” a comedy that confronts the unfortunate reality that many Haitians live.
“Kidnapping Inc.,” directed by Bruno Mourral, who was born and raised in the capital Port-au-Prince, was the first Haitian film to be shown at Sundance, an annual film festival that aims to promote independent films from around the world.
The film is set in the capital and takes a unique but authentic Haitian approach blending thriller and dark comedy to convey a powerful message about the high rate of kidnappings in the country.
"In 2005 I was interviewing people who got kidnapped," Mourral said. "And while I was doing this, they would tell their stories with spice, making jokes about it. I found myself uncomfortably laughing, about their stories. We kind of turn it around not making fun of it but just a way to make light of the situation."
For Mourral, the film was deeply personal. He poured his experiences and the anecdotes of others into the script.
The journey to complete the film was a tumultuous one. The six-year production, beginning in 2019, was riddled with funding issues, political unrest, and a real-life kidnapping of three members of Mourral's crew.
"We had a convoy of 19 cars, police in the front, police in the back. Then, in the middle of the convoy, four guys with heavy weapons came out and took three of my guys," Mourral said. "They were asking for $3 million — $1 million per person."
Movie-goers take their seats at the Hippodrome Cinema in Gainesville, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, before the start of the film "Kidnapping Inc." (Martine Joseph/WUFT News) (3685x2111, AR: 1.7456181904310752)
As a result of the abduction of his three crew members, several of his international workers refused to continue filming and returned home. Even after the production resumed, Haiti's unrest continued to interfere with production. Just weeks before they were set to film again in 2021, Haiti's president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his home.
Despite these obstacles, Mourral and his crew never lost sight of their goal, and the abduction of one of their own solidified their message.
"Kidnapping is something that kind of relates to everyone in Haiti," Mourral said. "Wherever you are in society, it affects you."
The film screening attracted a diverse audience, including students and children, some of whom had personal connections.
Devlin Yorker, 29, a digital marketer who attended the screening at the invitation of Mourral's brother, described the film as culturally shocking.
"I thought it did a good job of balancing the intensity and the comedy," Yorker said. "It's crazy how common kidnapping is in Haiti. In the U.S., that would be unheard of. It's unfortunate."
While culturally shocking for some, Daniel Monsento, 28, a relative of Mourral's, said the film reflected the country he grew up in.
"Growing up in Haiti, you see so much more than the average American," Monsento said. "You almost become numb to things like killings and kidnappings. That's why with this humor some may think it's very dark, but we relate to it. This is a different reality."
Carl Henri Backer, 20, a University of Florida pre-med student and vice president of Club Creole, an organization that promotes Haitian culture in the Gainesville area, was struck by the film's closeness to real life.
"The president was in on it, the police chief was in on it. That's really reality," Backer said. "I knew what was going on, but seeing it happen visually — it made it more real somehow."
For others the story depicted was a crude realization that hit home. Such is the case of Christian-Michel Domond, 21, who is in his fourth year at UF and said the film brought him back to his native country, a home he had not visited in three years.
"My uncle got kidnapped twice. My aunt got kidnapped once," Domond said. My family was involved in Haitian politics, so I understood why it happened. There was a list that ended up coming out with a few of the names of people that they kidnapped, and our family's name was on there."
Domond recounted how kidnappers sometimes treat their captives well, inserting a new perspective to their motivation for committing such a crime.
"They told my uncle the reason they kidnapped him was because they had families to take care of and the system failed them," Domond said. "It's still kidnapping, but it makes you think."
“Kidnapping Inc.,” directed by Bruno Mourral, who was born and raised in the capital Port-au-Prince, was the first Haitian film to be shown at Sundance, an annual film festival that aims to promote independent films from around the world.
The film is set in the capital and takes a unique but authentic Haitian approach blending thriller and dark comedy to convey a powerful message about the high rate of kidnappings in the country.
"In 2005 I was interviewing people who got kidnapped," Mourral said. "And while I was doing this, they would tell their stories with spice, making jokes about it. I found myself uncomfortably laughing, about their stories. We kind of turn it around not making fun of it but just a way to make light of the situation."
For Mourral, the film was deeply personal. He poured his experiences and the anecdotes of others into the script.
The journey to complete the film was a tumultuous one. The six-year production, beginning in 2019, was riddled with funding issues, political unrest, and a real-life kidnapping of three members of Mourral's crew.
"We had a convoy of 19 cars, police in the front, police in the back. Then, in the middle of the convoy, four guys with heavy weapons came out and took three of my guys," Mourral said. "They were asking for $3 million — $1 million per person."
Movie-goers take their seats at the Hippodrome Cinema in Gainesville, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, before the start of the film "Kidnapping Inc." (Martine Joseph/WUFT News) (3685x2111, AR: 1.7456181904310752)
As a result of the abduction of his three crew members, several of his international workers refused to continue filming and returned home. Even after the production resumed, Haiti's unrest continued to interfere with production. Just weeks before they were set to film again in 2021, Haiti's president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his home.
Despite these obstacles, Mourral and his crew never lost sight of their goal, and the abduction of one of their own solidified their message.
"Kidnapping is something that kind of relates to everyone in Haiti," Mourral said. "Wherever you are in society, it affects you."
The film screening attracted a diverse audience, including students and children, some of whom had personal connections.
Devlin Yorker, 29, a digital marketer who attended the screening at the invitation of Mourral's brother, described the film as culturally shocking.
"I thought it did a good job of balancing the intensity and the comedy," Yorker said. "It's crazy how common kidnapping is in Haiti. In the U.S., that would be unheard of. It's unfortunate."
While culturally shocking for some, Daniel Monsento, 28, a relative of Mourral's, said the film reflected the country he grew up in.
"Growing up in Haiti, you see so much more than the average American," Monsento said. "You almost become numb to things like killings and kidnappings. That's why with this humor some may think it's very dark, but we relate to it. This is a different reality."
Carl Henri Backer, 20, a University of Florida pre-med student and vice president of Club Creole, an organization that promotes Haitian culture in the Gainesville area, was struck by the film's closeness to real life.
"The president was in on it, the police chief was in on it. That's really reality," Backer said. "I knew what was going on, but seeing it happen visually — it made it more real somehow."
For others the story depicted was a crude realization that hit home. Such is the case of Christian-Michel Domond, 21, who is in his fourth year at UF and said the film brought him back to his native country, a home he had not visited in three years.
"My uncle got kidnapped twice. My aunt got kidnapped once," Domond said. My family was involved in Haitian politics, so I understood why it happened. There was a list that ended up coming out with a few of the names of people that they kidnapped, and our family's name was on there."
Domond recounted how kidnappers sometimes treat their captives well, inserting a new perspective to their motivation for committing such a crime.
"They told my uncle the reason they kidnapped him was because they had families to take care of and the system failed them," Domond said. "It's still kidnapping, but it makes you think."