EP 153: Reprieve with Director/Writer/Producer Hans Augustave

This episode of Visual Intonation Podcast sits with Haitian American filmmaker and DJ Hans Augustave and listens closely to what happens in the quiet. Best known for shorts like I Held Him , Before I Knew , and the recent Nwa (Black) , Augustave makes work that slows the room down and asks you to stay. His films are short, but they linger, circling tenderness, masculinity, and the complicated inheritance of Black identity. Nwa , which means Black in Haitian Creole, grounds the conversation. Set largely in a Brooklyn barbershop, the film explores cultural conflict, father and son dynamics, and the uneasy process of belonging. Augustave talks about growing up Haitian, French born, and New York raised, moving between languages, neighborhoods, and expectations. That layered upbringing becomes the engine of his storytelling, where no single version of Blackness is allowed to stand alone. The discussion turns intimate as Augustave recounts the personal origins of I Held Him , a seven minute short born from heartbreak, longing, and the simple human need to be held. He reflects on silence as a creative choice, on stillness as a kind of truth telling, and on why tenderness between men is so rarely shown without explanation or apology. Influenced by filmmakers like Steve McQueen, he trusts the audience enough to let discomfort do some of the work. Across film, music, and his sober curious dance party Reprieve, Augustave sees creativity as a tool for healing and connection. He speaks about collaboration, about directing as a form of listening, and about showing Black men as soft, loving, and whole. This conversation is less an interview than an invitation to breathe, to feel, and to reconsider what strength can look like when it is allowed to be gentle. Hans Augustave's Website and Socials: https://www.hansaugustave.com/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6091891/ https://www.instagram.com/hanzifilms/?hl=en https://vimeo.com/hansaugustave Support the show Visual Intonation Website : https://www.visualintonations.com/ Visual Intonation Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/visualintonation/ Vante Gregory's Website : vantegregory.com Vante Gregory's Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/directedbyvante/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): patreon.com/visualintonations Tiktok : www.tiktok.com/@visualintonation Tiktok : www.tiktok.com/@directedbyvante