Elisee Junior St Preux On Bringing Haiti To Tribeca With ‘The Tropic Sun And His Eyes’

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has an exclusive first look at the trailer for The Tropic Sun and His Eyes ahead of its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival.

Filmed in Haiti‘s northern Cap-Haïtien region, the movie follows Ruben, a young man (Stevenson Jean) who embarks on a journey to reconnect with his estranged father, accompanied by an inquisitive street kid (Blangue Machiny).

Elisee Junior St Preux’s short film, Aurinko in Adagio, bowed at Tribeca, and ahead of the premiere of The Tropic Sun And His Eyes he told Deadline this is a landmark for Haitian culture and cinema.

“It is an incredible feeling to come back five years later with my debut feature film. But this is more than just feeling seen for me. The entire Haitian culture gets to feel seen. I get to make a real impact with this film by being an official selection. To premiere The Tropic Sun and His Eyes at Tribeca is a direct contribution to history.”

The director said the father-son story, which explores mental health and was filmed entirely in Haiti, seeks to reclaim the narrative around the country. “I am not interested in putting Haitian history in other people’s hands. Haiti is rich and beautiful, yet the media omits this part of the country.

“It was imperative for me to show that you can tell a human story in Haiti about Haitian people because we truly are people just like everyone else. To this notion, we also deal with nuanced feelings that are centered around vulnerability, toxic masculinity, and generational trauma.”

Producer and actor Two Lewis and actress-producer Naturi Naughton-Lewis produced the film through their Take Two Entertainment banner.

The duo told Deadline why they wanted to make the film. “As producers, we’re committed to championing filmmakers with unique voices and helping bring underrepresented stories to wider audiences. We saw an opportunity not only to support a remarkable film, but also to help elevate a narrative about Haiti that audiences rarely get to see—one centered on humanity, beauty, resilience and healing rather than crisis.”