Dudley Alexis
Directing
Biography
Dudley Alexis’ mission is deeply rooted in uncovering hidden details that give meaning to the lives of those often overlooked. Through his lens, he captures the stories of individuals, revealing tales of tragedy and triumph, all while emphasizing their drive for dignity and equality in a world that frequently marginalizes them. His artistic journey began in Miami, where he studied multimedia art in high school and college. Early in his career, he worked for Miccosukee Magazine, creating short documentaries that shed light on the First Nation Miccosukee Tribe of Florida and their intersection with the everyday lives of Miami residents. This experience laid the foundation for his subsequent work, including his first full-length documentary, “Liberty in a Soup,” (2016) exploring Soup Joumou and commemorating Haiti as the first independent Black Republic. In 2021, “Liberty in a Soup” earned recognition from Haiti’s UNESCO delegation which designated Soup Joumou as an intangible cultural heritage.
Known For
An in-depth analysis on the 40th Anniversary of the life and untimely death of Arthur Lee McDuffie at the hands of Miami Dade police officers.
When Liberty Burns
Every New Year, and in celebration of their Independence, Haitian families gather together to feast in honor of a line of ancestors that fought for their freedom. The centerpiece of the festivity is the joumou soup—a traditional soup dating back centuries ago. The joumou soup is a concretization of war and victory, oppression and emancipation, and the deeply rooted celebratory traditions of the Haitian culture.
Liberty in a Soup
In the 1980s, a swine flu crossed the Haitian-Dominican border and started to affect the Creole pig, an important commodity in Haiti. The flu also threatened livestock in the United States. As a preemptive measure, the USAID in conjunction with the Haitian government proceeded to exterminate all Creole pigs from the island, leading to a crushing economic blow for an already impoverished country.