In Harlem, a film festival is using cinema to bring Haitians and Dominicans together to talk about deportation, colorism and prejudice.

The fourth Nou Akoma Nou Sinèji Haitian Dominican Transnational Film Festival, organized by the Dominicans Love Haitians Movement, held screenings on October 12 at the Maysles Documentary Center.

“Testigo,” a 17-minute film, follows a Dominican woman who crosses the mountains toward Haiti in search of her deported child. It draws on a 2025 report by the group HaitianosRD on mass deportations. “Melodrama,” the Dominican Republic's official submission for the 2027 Academy Awards, tells of a widowed Dominican woman and a Haitian construction worker whose relationship challenges racial and class prejudice.

“We saw the festival as an opportunity to embed ourselves in history, share stories, build relationships and foster cultural pride,” said founder Clarivel Ruiz.

Wallace Jean, a Bronx native with a Haitian mother and a Dominican father, said the discussion was personal. Historian Ayanna Legros said people can carry racial prejudice from one country to another. Participants suggested learning one another's histories and sharing the films through schools, churches and community groups.