The documentary "Born to Dance, Forced to Run" is scheduled to premiere in New York on Saturday, July 25, at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Directed by Haitian activist Pascale Solages, the film follows the life of Steeven Labady, a queer Haitian dancer seeking asylum and refugee status across multiple countries including the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Germany.
The film documents Labady’s 20-year pursuit of a professional dance career alongside his experiences with displacement and the threat of deportation. Solages, the co-founder of the feminist organization Nègès Mawon, stated that the film uses an intersectional lens to examine how migration policies affect individuals based on race, sexual orientation, and economic status.
The premiere arrives amid ongoing discussions regarding the treatment of Haitian migrants in the United States and abroad. According to United Nations data, approximately 1.3 million people were internally displaced in Haiti as of mid-2025 due to regional violence. The film's narrative focuses on the individual human impact of these broader migration patterns through Labady's personal testimony and dance performances.