Experiencing Interruptions?

Kidnapping Inc.

The son of a wealthy presidential candidate has just been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a hefty ransom. Doc and Zoe are two amateur gangsters - and soccer freaks - who must deliver the young man to their ruthless boss. Impulsive Zoe accidentally kills the candidate’s son.
Faced with a terrible fate for killing their hostage, Doc and Zoe stumble upon Patrick and his nine-month-pregnant wife, Laura. The young couple must, at all costs, catch a flight out of Haiti to give birth in the US to get citizenship for their baby. Patrick’s great misfortune is that he looks ex- actly like the senator’s dead son.
In the midst of a heated election and a Barça-Real classico match, Doc and Zoe find themselves at the center of a political conspiracy.

  • Bruno Mourral
    Director
    Kafou
  • Jasmuel Andri
    Writer
    Kafou
  • Bruno Mourral
    Writer
    Kafou
  • Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau
    Writer
    Kafou
  • Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau
    Producer
    Kafou, Port of a Prince, Brave
  • Gaethan Chancy
    Producer
    Kafou, Brave
  • Bruno Mourral
    Producer
    Kafou
  • Samuel Chauvin
    Producer
    Sud Express, Solo, Molasses
  • Yanick Létourneau
    Producer
    Night Of The Kings, Lemonade
  • Jasmuel Andri
    Key Cast
    "Doc"
    Kafou
  • Rolaphton Mercure
    Key Cast
    "Zoe"
    Kafou
  • Gessica Généus
    Key Cast
    "Laura"
    Cargo, Cousines
  • Patrick Joseph
    Key Cast
    "Patrick"
    Moloch Tropical
  • Ashley Laraque
    Key Cast
    "Benjamin Perralt"
    Moloch Tropical
  • Manfred Marcelin
    Key Cast
    "Fritz Bama"
    Kafou
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Dark Comedy, Political Thriller, Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 47 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    2,500,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Haiti
  • Country of Filming:
    Haiti
  • Language:
    Haitian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Dark Star
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Bruno Mourral

Bruno Mourral is a writer, director and producer. After completing a degree in economics and management in Bordeaux, he studied film in Paris at EICAR. In 2007, he returned to Haiti and co-founded Muska Group, a leading company specialized in audiovisual production. In 2009, after an intensive course at the New York Film Academy, he created a second production company "Maninhat" based in Soho, Manhattan. Bruno directed more than 50 commercials in the Caribbean and Africa and won several awards for best commercials. In 2015, he co-founded Muska Films to make films and develop the Haitian film industry. In 2017, Bruno wrote, directed and produced Kafou, a mid-length feature which won a few awards and nominations. In 2024, Bruno will present his first feature film, Kidnapping Inc., co-produced by Muska Films, BHM Films, Promenades Films and Peripheria.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Kidnapping Inc. is a dark comedy and a political thriller inspired by the phenomenon of kidnapping in Haiti, nonexistent until the 2000s. The story follows two hapless kidnappers tasked with what appears to be a simple job, only to find out that it’s anything but and end up in the middle of a political conspiracy. Based on real life, the result is a road movie combining the rawness of City of God and the dark humor of Pulp Fiction.

In 2018, despite chronic socio-political and economic crises, Haiti entered one of its darkest chapters with the resurgence of kidnappings and gangs across the country. This made everyday life dangerous for Haitians. In 2021, according to the report “Hegemony of Gangs and Rising Crime”, Haiti had the highest rate of kidnappings per capita in the world. Today, impunity is at an all-time high and kidnappings, violence and massacres have become the new normal. During my research, I found out through interviews that several kidnapping victims emerge unscathed. Others were released under tragic circumstances, raped, or simply murdered. Yet, all these stories were told with humor, even the most difficult one. These stories inspired me to bring this difficult and painful subject to light also through humor.

Kidnapping Inc. seeks to give a voice to the voiceless and raise awareness on this phenomenon destroying our country. Part of Haiti’s tragedy is that its fate and future are not in the hands of its people but in those of corrupt politicians, complicit business elites as well as a self-interested international community. The Haitian people - including the victims of crime, poverty, kidnapping and impunity - have no voice in deciding how they are governed or how they want to rebuild a broken nation.

As the population is left to fend for itself, those with the means leave the country via plane or makeshift boats in search of a better life. I myself had to leave the country. This exodus has a major impact on our barely existent industry, and today, most of the Muska Films family has had to leave the country. As such, the film offers a unique and authentic commentary on the current state of corruption, mismanagement, greed and terror that rule the country, in an entertaining way and understand the complexity of Haitian society.

This film deals with an important issue, given so many – including my own friends and relatives – have been victims of kidnapping, violence and corruption in the country. In cruel irony, three of our crew members were kidnapped during production in 2021, bringing our filming to a halt. In 2022, as a result of gang violence, one of our set designer assistants was shot in the face, and the next year, another was killed. In 2023, one of the actors in the film, Ralphe Théodore, was murdered. On a more personal level, I myself am a victim of the insecurity and violence in Haiti. My father, Paul-Henri Mourral, was brutally killed - shot several times in the abdomen while driving his vehicle near Cité-Soleil - on May 31, 2005. I was 21 years old at the time. I never thought I would receive this type of a phone call from my mom while I was away from home pursuing my studies abroad. I miss our conversations…

Over the years, we have risked everything to make this film. Despite political unrest, production that was stopped 3 times, COVID and the assassination of our President, our team still managed to finish and tell this story. Our story… Kidnapping Inc. is a cross genre film packed with comedy, action, suspense, a cinematic UFO, that is its strength and originality. Its American directing style is likely to attract audiences who are fans of foreign independent films, who love to laugh and who are curious to discover a film from Haiti, a rarity in the cinematic landscape. In the end, the film is not only a tribute to my fellow Haitians’ resilience and courage, but also to their sense of humor, which has the power to heal and perhaps shine a light during this dark chapter.