You don't have to look too deeply into the short film Papa Machete to see the ethos of the Miami-based film collective Borscht. The short is both poetic and absurd; observant and human.
For a short film no longer than nine minutes long, it offers a layered view of a fascinating aspect of Haitian culture. It's a beautiful tribute to one of the island nation's last remaining masters of tire machèt, a Haitian farmer named Alfred Avril, who passed away only a few weeks ago. Tire machèt or "Machete Fencing" has a fascinating history, the art grew out of the slave revolt that led to Haiti's independence in 1804.
