Kidnapping Inc. film premieres in Port-au-Prince, blending satire and realism to expose Haiti’s security crisis

PORT-AU-PRINCE — The big screen lights up, and a cemetery-like silence fills the room as Kidnapping Inc., a feature film by Haitian director Bruno Mourral, made its local debut on May 17, 2025.  The film, which fused black comedy with chilling realism, drew over a thousand spectators to its grand premiere at the Karibe Convention Center in Pétion-Ville, just under six miles southeast of downtown Port-au-Prince.

Set in the shadow of Haiti’s ongoing crisis of insecurity, the film weaves fiction and reality to portray kidnapping as a booming, disorganized economy. The story opens with two kidnappers transporting the son of a senator turned presidential candidate. What seems like a chaotic criminal act soon reveals deeper layers—corruption, political manipulation and a broken state where everyone is vulnerable.

“Kidnapping Inc. is a mirror film, a work that lays Haitian society bare in no uncertain terms,” said Mourral, co-founder of Muska Films— the movie’s production company.  “It doesn’t sugarcoat the reality. It’s a direct confrontation with the dysfunction of our society.”

The film, featured in the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah from Jan. 18 to 28, 2024, had already screened in Cap-Haïtien but had yet to premiere in the Haitian capital. The 1-hour-and-43-minute comedy-thriller was co-written by Gilbert Mirambeau Jr., Jasmuel Andri and Mourral. Andri is also the lead actor alongside Rolapthon Mercure. Some other actors starring in the film are Gessica Geneus, the writer and director of Freda, Anabel Lopez and Patrick Joseph.

Haiti’s kidnapping epidemic has evolved into a self-sustaining criminal industry, one deeply linked to the country’s prolonged instability, weak institutions and cycles of impunity. In Kidnapping Inc., Mourral does more than dramatize this crisis—he critiques the complicity that allows it to thrive, from the highest levels of power to the neighborhoods most affected. His choice of satire reflects a broader cultural truth: in Haiti, humor is often employed to navigate the absurdity of daily life.

Mourral dedicates the film to his father, who was killed in 2005 during a gunfight between a gang and U.N. peacekeepers from MINUSTAH.

A satirical take rooted in true events and political theater in the age of crime

The film’s satirical tone belies its deeply personal connection to real suffering. Actor Rolaphton Mercure, who plays one of the main characters, shared how life imitated art during production.

“During the day [while shooting the movie], I was playing a gang member,” Mercure told The Haitian Times. “At night, I was negotiating with real kidnappers to free my girlfriend.”

Mercure wasn’t alone. Several members of the cast and crew had firsthand experience with kidnapping. Three were abducted during production. Others had family members or friends who had been taken. Ralph “Sexy” Théodore, a cast member who played a weapons dealer, was killed in gang-related violence in March 2023.

Indeed, the Muska Film’s feature was produced under challenging conditions, reflecting the insecurity it portrays. While the movie aimed to depict abductions, the three cast members were kidnapped by Grande Ravine gangs located a few miles south of downtown Port-au-Prince. On their way back from Jacmel, about 50 miles from Port-au-Prince, they were kidnapped—victims of the very violence their film aimed to expose.

Some, like actor Marcus Boereau, experienced the kidnapping phenomenon before the film, as his brother was kidnapped. Also, actor Manfred Marcelin’s brother was kidnapped. Caëlle Jean Baptiste, who plays the presenter in the movie, as well as Ashley Laraque, acting as the presidential candidate, were also kidnapped.

One of the film’s most disturbing—and revealing—plot points is the staged kidnapping of the senator’s son. It’s a cynical political ploy to gain sympathy and votes. The candidate pledges to fight crime, even as he enables it.

This plot device, while fictionalized, mirrors real concerns in Haiti. Figures linked to political circles have faced international sanctions over alleged gang affiliations. The line between crime and politics is often paper-thin, and Kidnapping Inc. leans into that reality with unflinching clarity.

A scene highlights Haiti’s political instability, where pèyi lòk, Haitian Creole for country lock, has fueled widespread protests, halting elections. This unrest disrupted the film’s production, causing delays. Lead actress Annabelle couldn’t return to finish her scenes due to the demonstrations’ intensity.

“Absurdity is the truest reflection of our reality,” Mourral said. “Even in the gravest moments, humor remains omnipresent in Haiti.”

Numbers that underscore the film’s narrative amid the public response

Haiti’s kidnapping crisis is not new. The first high-profile case dated back to 1973, when U.S. Ambassador Clinton Knox was abducted under the Duvalier regime. The problem escalated between 2004 and 2006, with over 1,000 cases documented. In 2021 alone, the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH) reported 1,002 kidnappings. By 2025, the number had surged by nearly 300 percent.

Today, gangs control over 80% of Port-au-Prince. “This autonomous criminal enterprise, operating in nearly 60% of gang-controlled territories, reflects the dysfunction of the state and the persistent insecurity,” the CARDH notes. Most ransoms are paid without police involvement, further illustrating the collapse of state authority.

The CARDH revealed that nearly 70% of ransom payments made in 2024 were conducted without any official mediation, reinforcing the notion that kidnapping has evolved into a self-sustaining system in the country beyond governmental control.

“Kidnapping has become a system in itself,” said CARDH in a 2021 report. “It’s no longer just extortion—it’s a self-sustaining financial model.”

Following its premiere, the film sparked strong reactions. While not everyone agreed with its comedic tone, many praised its authenticity and technical quality.

“It’s not the film of the century,” said viewer Vanessa Bien-Aimé, “but for our film industry, it’s a leap forward—in sound, visuals, and coherence.”

Another viewer, Josué Midy, critiqued one of the film’s more surreal scenes, in which Laura—played by Gessica Généus—escapes her captors, then calls them back with a new scheme. 

“It reminded me of the woman who praised her abductors after being released. In Haiti, reality is often stranger than fiction,” he said.

For Johnny Jean, a former hostage, bringing this reality to the screen reveals a complex aspect of the issue. “Anyone living in Haiti, especially in the west or Artibonite regions, is at risk of being kidnapped,” Jean said, linking his remarks to his own abduction in October 2021. “People often believe that the visible actors are the main culprits, when in fact, those who should be providing solutions are also part of the problem.”

“Watching the film did not immediately remind me of my own kidnapping, but it reinforced my belief that the issue of kidnapping in Haiti is far more complex than it seems,” he added.

Looking ahead

Kidnapping Inc. is Muska Film’s first feature-length project, but more are on the way. The team is currently working on Knox, a film based on the 1973 kidnapping of the U.S. ambassador in Haiti. Another project, Lòt bò (‘Abroad’), directed by Samuel Suffren, will explore immigration, said producer Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.

Meanwhile, attention is turning to July 7: Who Killed the President of Haiti?, a film about the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which has attracted large audiences in the diaspora. As the first Haitian feature-length film to gain wide distribution in the United States, it aims to raise international awareness of the country’s security and political issues. 

Despite the progress made, Bruno Mourral hopes to see an increase in high-quality Haitian productions and urges filmmakers to fully commit to their craft.

“Cinema is more than entertainment,” Mourral said. “It’s a tool for education. If we improve quality, Haitian films can travel far.”

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