The Agronomist

For other uses, see agronomist.

2003 American film

The Agronomist

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Jonathan Demme
Written by| Jonathan Demme
Produced by| Jonathan Demme
Edwidge Danticat
Bevin McNamara
Peter Saraf
Starring| Jean Dominique
Michèle Montas
Cinematography| Aboudja
Jonathan Demme
Bevin McNamara
Peter Saraf
Edited by| Lizzie Gelber
Bevin McNamara
Music by| Wyclef Jean
Distributed by| THINKFilm

Release dates

* February 23, 2003 (2003-02-23) (Miami International Film Festival)
* April 23, 2004 (2004-04-23) (US)

Running time

| 90 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| English, French, Haitian Creole
Box office| $226,189 (US Domestic)

The Agronomist is a 2003 American documentary written and directed by Jonathan Demme about Jean Dominique.[1] The documentary follows the life of Dominique, who ran Haiti's first independent radio station, Radio Haiti-Inter, during multiple repressive regimes.

## Summary

[edit]

The titular Agronomist is Jean Leopold Dominique, owner of Radio Haiti-Inter, Haiti's first independent radio station. The documentary consists of historical footage and personal interviews director Jonathan Demme conducted years earlier with Dominique.

The film follows Dominique's career as a broadcaster from the founding of Radio Haiti-Inter in 1960 focusing on injustice and promoting democracy for the masses, resulting in clashes with the ruling regimes and Dominique's eventual assassination. Following his death, his wife and fellow journalist, Michèle Montas, broadcast from the station for another three years. Radio Haiti-Inter ceased operations in 2003.

## Reception

[edit]

The Agronomist was shown on May 3, 2004, at the UN Headquarters in NYC while observing World Press Freedom Day. There were no seats vacant for the showing at noon.[2]

The film received favorable reviews by critics. It received a 96% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes[3] Praise focused on the use of historical footage combined with interviews.

Box office receipts totaled $226,189 in 21 theaters in the U.S.[4]

## Home media

[edit]

The film was released on DVD on June 7, 2005, with English and French spoken language tracks and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.[5]

## See also

[edit]

* Reporters Without Borders

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Roger Ebert
2. ^ The Life and Work of Jean Dominique UN Chronicle.
3. ^ Critic Reviews Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
4. ^ Agronomist Box Office Results Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
5. ^ DVD Release Date Amazon.com

## External links

[edit]

* Radio Caraibes FM 94.5 live from Port au Prince Haiti, Haitian Radio stations[usurped] Find all Haitian radio Stations.
* The Agronomist at IMDb
* Official trailer

* v
* t
* e

Jonathan Demme

* Filmography
* Unrealized projects

Feature films|

* Caged Heat (1974)
* Crazy Mama (1975)
* Fighting Mad (1976)
* Handle with Care (1977)
* Last Embrace (1979)
* Melvin and Howard (1980)
* Swing Shift (1984)
* Something Wild (1986)
* Married to the Mob (1988)
* The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
* Philadelphia (1993)
* Beloved (1998)
* The Truth About Charlie (2002)
* The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
* Rachel Getting Married (2008)
* A Master Builder (2013)
* Ricki and the Flash (2015)

Concert and
documentary films|

* Stop Making Sense (1984)
* Swimming to Cambodia (1987)
* Cousin Bobby (1992)
* Storefront Hitchcock (1998)
* The Agronomist (2003)
* Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)
* Man from Plains (2007)
* Neil Young Trunk Show (2009)
* Neil Young Journeys (2011)
* Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016)

Television|

* Who Am I This Time? (1982)

* v
* t
* e

Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary

* The Agronomist (2004)
* Murderball (2005)
* Iraq in Fragments (2006)
* Sicko (2007)
* Trouble the Water (2008)
* Food, Inc. (2009)
* The Oath (2010)
* Better This World (2011)
* How to Survive a Plague (2012)
* The Act of Killing (2013)
* Citizenfour (2014)
* The Look of Silence (2015)
* O.J.: Made in America (2016)
* Strong Island (2017)
* Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)
* American Factory (2019)
* A Thousand Cuts / Time (2020)
* Flee (2021)
* All That Breathes (2022)
* Four Daughters (2023)
* No Other Land (2024)

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