The National Film Board is giving the government of Haiti 212 French-language films as part of a ‘cultural cooperation agreement,’ signed last week between the federal agency and the Caribbean country.

The collection of principally animated and documentary films — many of which are educational titles — will be shown in theaters and on public and private television.

‘We’ve chosen some of the greatest titles in the collection to represent the diversity of our films as well as various points of view on the social and cultural life in our country and elsewhere. We hope this first step will lay the foundation for a fruitful long-term partnership,’ said the acting chair of the NFB, Claude Joli-Coeur, in a statement from Haiti.

Among the animated titles are Des lumières pour Gita, Les amis de Kwan Ming, Venue de loin and Le violon chinois. Le chant de la forêt, La traversée de la nuit and Les Quintuplées Dionne are among the documentaries.

Joli-Coeur is also in Haiti to explore the possibility of setting up training projects in filmmaking that use cinema as a tool to promote social change.