History



Macumba International Inc. is an independent production company created in 1995 by three tireless globetrotters: Robert Cornellier, Patricio Henriquez and Raymonde Provencher. After working together on the Nord-Sud television series produced by Télé-Québec in the 1980’s, the three decided to join forces to develop and produce television documentaries with an international focus.

From the very beginning, some of Macumba’s greatest and most stimulating challenges have been expanding viewers’ perceptions of the world beyond national borders, giving a voice to the oppressed, uncovering the ties that bind people on all continents, showing new ways of seeing the world, and, revisiting familiar perspectives and concepts. By seeking out the men, women and children who quietly shape the world in their daily life, Macumba always provides a unique and truly fascinating view of the world today.

One of Macumba’s initial projects is Living in the City, a 13-part documentary series on major cities around the world. Broadcast on Télé-Québec and TV5, the series received no less than four Gémeaux awards.

In 1998, Patricio Henriquez directed and coproduced what would become a milestone project: The Last Stand of Salvador Allende. Using original footage and exclusive eyewitness testimony, the film recounts the hours leading to the tragic death of Chile’s president. The following year, Patricio’s Images of a Dictatorship offered a unique perspective and a haunting look at life under the heel of Augusto Pinochet, one of the twentieth century’s most oppressive dictators.

Broadcast in Quebec and in over twenty countries, The Last Stand of Salvador Allende was showcased by several festivals and rewarded with 17 prizes, including Best Documentary at the International Film Festival of Mumbai in 2000 and Documentary of the Year (1998 SCAM Award), in Paris, France. As for Images of a Dictatorship, which premiered at the 1999 Montreal International Film Festival and was later broadcast on Radio-Canada, it was chosen Best Political documentary at the Hot Docs! Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto in 2000. It also garnered a Special Jury’s Award at the DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival in Tel Aviv (2000), the International Award for Independent Films at the North-South Media Encounters in Geneva, Switzerland (2000), and the M. Joan Chalmers Award for Best Documentary Video, in Toronto (2000).

In 2002, Patricio directed and co-produced Juchitan, Queer Paradise, a film on a homosexual community at the southern tip of Mexico. The following year, it was Raymonde Provencher’s turn to direct and co-produce her own documentary. War babies… nés de la haine, a feature-length film on children of wartime rape, subsequently won four Gémeaux awards and international acclaim.

In the fall of 2003, Macumba produced Public Enemy Number One: The Life and Times of Jacques Parizeau, a documentary film directed by Francine Pelletier.

In addition to these award-winning films, Macumba has been producing the Extremis documentary series, which focuses on the resilience of the human spirit in extreme situations. To date, eight one-hour episodes have been produced. The Extremis series has been rewarded by four Gémeaux Awards in the past two years.

As a supplement to the television series, Macumba has developed a companion website, eXtremis.tv, which also won a Gémeaux for Best Website in 2003.