CaribPR Wire » Caribbean films

FILM REVIEW: Capitalism, Colonization and a Caribbean “HERO”

caribpr — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 14:00:27 +0000

“I believe we as Caribbean people are comfortable travelling, even if it’s only in our imaginations. We’re always restless. There’s always that sense of movement and of going somewhere that I think goes back to that first journey from Africa. It explains a lot to me about myself as well, because I definitely see myself as a global citizen.”

A ByBlacks.com Exclusive Interview with Director Frances-Anne Solomon

CaribPR Wire, TORONTO, Canada, Thurs. Feb. 14, 2019: Frances-Anne Solomon is an artistic force to be reckoned with. As the director of CaribbeanTales and the International Film festival of the same name, she has grown the entity into a globally recognized institution that gives voice to filmmakers throughout the Caribbean diaspora.

She has several film, radio, and television credits to her impressive portfolio, and remains as prolific as ever with the release of Hero. The film cleverly weaves narrative voice over, documentary style footage, and cinematic drama to tell the story of Ulric Cross; a decorated Trinidadian WWII veteran who becomes one of the many Caribbean lawyers drafted into the 1960’s African liberation movement.

In an interview with Frances-Anne, she shared her thoughts about the movement, the challenges of making the film, and even though “the ground hard”, mining for truth is essential. Read the full interview here on ByBlacks.com.

The HERO World Tour kicks off at TIFF Bell Lightbox February 28th 7pm. There will be an Encore Screening at Westdale Cinema, Hamilton, on March 6th at 6.30pm, in celebration of Ghana Independence Day.

HERO – A PAN AFRICAN TALE

Filmed in Trinidad, Ghana, the UK and Canada, HERO is the story of Ulric Cross, who in 1941, left his small island to seek his fortune, and became the Royal Air Force’s most decorated West Indian. Then his life took a dramatically different course when he followed the call of history. He joined the African independence movements sweeping the world in the 50s and 60s.

Toronto’s Canadian premiere launches screenings across Canada and a cinematic world tour that includes Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe.

VIew the HERO TRAILER here.

New “HERO” movie takes on Toronto, then the world

caribpr — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 15:00:39 +0000

Canadian Black woman filmmaker presents the acclaimed feature film

CaribPR Wire, Toronto, ON, Mon. Dec. December 10, 2018: Inspired by the life and times of Mr. Ulric Cross, political activist in the 50s and 60s, filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon’s acclaimed feature film, HERO, makes its Canadian theatrical premiere on Thursday, February 28, 2019, at the Royal Cinema, 608 College Street, Toronto.

“Ultimately, the story is about us. About who we are as Caribbean people and as citizens of the world,” says Canadian filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon. “In that spirit, we’re thrilled that Toronto’s Canadian premiere launches screenings across Canada and a cinematic world tour including Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe.”

HERO had its festival launch on home turf at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival in September 2018, where it won the festival’s coveted Audience Choice Award and was met with rave reviews. Earlier that month, a sold-out special preview screening in Toronto had paved the way for HERO’s broader theatrical release to come.. The Toronto Premiere screening presented by Caribbean Tales Inc. will be followed by a Talk Back interactive session with the actors and the official After Party.

About HERO

Shot in Trinidad, Ghana, the UK and Canada, HERO is the story of Ulric Cross, who in 1941, left his small island home in Trinidad to seek his fortune, and become the British Royal Air Force’s most decorated West Indian airman. His life took a dramatically different course when he followed the call of history, and joined the independence movements sweeping Africa in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

The film boasts an all-star, international cast including Peter Williams (Stargate SG1), Joseph Marcell (Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Fraser James (Resident Evil), Pippa Nixon (John Carter), Ghanaian superstar John Dumelo, and Nickolai Salcedo as Ulric Cross.

Watch HERO trailer here

Praise for HERO

“Frances-Anne’s work is heartfelt and powerful. It has and continues to play a vital role in carving out a space for underrepresented voices and important conversations.” – Tonya Williams, Reelworld Film Festival

“Solomon achieves a patina-ed narrative, patchwork quilting vignettes that go from Belmont, Trinidad, to Britain then Ghana, Cameroon and Tanzania…” – Christopher Pineiro, writer, artist, visionary.

“Uplifting and informative, the film features Nickolai Salcedo, a superb actor who commands attention. HERO is a cinematic juggling act, and director Frances-Anne Solomon pulls it off with aplomb.” – T&T Newsday

HERO Listing:

Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019

Location: Royal Cinema, 608 College Street, Toronto

Schedule:

7:00 pm.	Film Presentation: HERO – Inspired By The Extraordinary Life & Times Of Mr. Ulric Cross
9:15 pm.	Talk Back with the actors
10:00 pm.	After Party

Click here to buy tickets for the February 28 premiere

Social media:

Twitter: @CaribbeanTales_ @Hero_Film

Facebook: @CaribbeanTalesInternationalFilmFestival @HERO-InspiredByTheExtraodinaryLifeandTimesofMr.UlricCross

Instagram: @CaribbeanTales @Hero_Film

Hashtags

#ulriccross

#herofilm

Visit the HERO Website

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About Frances-Anne Solomon

Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, curator and entrepreneur in film, TV, Radio and new media. Following a successful career as a TV Drama Producer and Executive Producer with the BBC in England, she launched the CaribbeanTales Media Group in Canada and Barbados, that now includes production / distribution, and training worldwide. Frances-Anne has just completed her latest feature — long anticipated: HERO Inspired by the Extraordinary Life & Times Of Mr. Ulric Cross, which (while in development) won Best Feature Pitch at DISCOP 2016.

About CaribbeanTales Media Group

CaribbeanTales (CTMG) is a group of media companies that produces, markets, and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for Regional and international distribution, including CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, CaribbeanTales Inc - a registered Charity in Canada. Activities include The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival now in its 14th year; the renowned CaribbeanTales Incubator (CTI) a year-round development and production hub for Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora Producers; Caribbeantales-TV a VOD streaming service for Caribbean films; and CaribbeanTalesFlix, their production arm.

Filmmakers’ Awards Crown A Stellar Festival Showcasing Caribbean Legacy Stories

caribpr — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 12:51:45 +0000

More than 5,000 film enthusiasts enjoy the 12^th Annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival.

For Immediate Release

CaribPR Wire, TORONTO, Canada, Oct. 2, 2017: The 12^th Annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival honoured eight films at the #INTERSECT: Closing Night and Awards on September 21, 2017 at the packed 500-seat Scotiabank Cineplex. The films had all been screened during the Festival to enthralled audiences in Toronto from September 6 to September 21, 2017.

The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival winners are:

1. Caribbean Spirit Award for Best Feature Film

‘Le Gang Des Antillais’

Jean-Claude Barny

2. Best Documentary

‘Traces of Sugar’

Ida Does

3. Best Short Film

‘Viré’

Hugo Rousselin

4. Impact Award

‘Shashamane’

Giulia Amati

5. Innovation Award

‘Kafou’

Bruno Mourral

6. Best Cinematography

‘Cutlass’

Darisha Beresford

7. #Intersect Award for Best LGBT film

‘Play The Devil’

Maria Govan

8. CineFAM Award – Best Woman of Color Creator

‘Traces of Sugar’

Ida Does

“We are thrilled with the really passionate feedback from our audiences in response to this year’s compelling program of films and shorts. Our 2017 goal was to challenge our fans to think about what Legacy means for us, as people of the Caribbean and its Diaspora, and reflect that back through stories told in film,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, Executive Director of the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival. “We knew we had a great Festival while we were creating it, but the feedback and support has been simply amazing! We want to thank the thousands of people who came out in Toronto, through rain and shine. We want them to know we are already looking towards 2018, our lucky 13^th Festival, when we will again bring stories from the Caribbean Diaspora to sell-out audiences.”

On the morning of September 10, 2017, a large audience came out to breakfast and enjoy pitches made by some of the Caribbean Region’s most talented and accomplished filmmakers — they were in Toronto to participate in the CaribbeanTales Incubator Program. The week-long intensive workshop, now in its eighth year, culminated that morning in the Big Pitch, part of the “Breakfast at TIFF” Series held at LUMA. Presented by Flow – the Caribbean Region’s largest telecommunications company - the CTI Breakfast event gave seventeen filmmakers from across Canada and the Caribbean the chance to compete for funding — and to showcase — their original long-running series planned projects.

This year, ‘The Big Pitch’ winners were: 1st Prize “Inframundo” by Leticia Tonos (Dominican Republic) — an unlikely zombie thriller in which a Dominican psychiatrist and a Haitian private investigator join forces to unveil the mysteries of the Caribbean Underworld; 2^nd Prize: Lexo Street by Roger Alexis (Trinidad and Tobago) — developing his wildly popular franchise that explores the scandalous lives of a group of profane and irreverent multi-racial Trinidadian puppets; and 3^rd Prize: TRANScribe by Karen Mafundikwa (Jamaica) — a travel series that explores and celebrates writers of the African Diaspora and their connections to places that have inspired them. The Audience Choice Award went to the Canadian animation series Holy Fables! and the Diamond Dad by Sahle Robinson — a collection of animated fairy tales, fantasies and parables, featuring a live-action family that uses the morality tales to teach their kids how to make wise decisions.

Some of the other highlights of the 2017 Festival included:

● An Opening Night Gala featuring Soca Superstar, Trinidad and Tobago’s Machel Montano, St Lucia’s Joseph Marcell (best known as the Butler Geoffrey in Fresh Prince of Belair) and Barbados Soca Queen Alison Hinds.

● The celebrities all attended the premiere of the new animation series BattleDream Chronicles, produced by CaribbeanTales for Flow.

● The Government of Barbados’ Recognition Awards for film legends, Cameron Bailey and Menelik Shabazz, both of Barbadian heritage.

● Fourteen feature films and thirty short films that delighted audiences of more than 5,000 people over nine days.

The next CaribbeanTales International Film Festival is scheduled for September 2018. For information as plans evolve, go to www.caribbeantalesfestival.com.

About the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival

The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) celebrates the talents of established and emerging filmmakers of Caribbean heritage who practise their art across the Caribbean Diaspora worldwide – Canada and the Caribbean, Europe, the Americas, Africa, China, India and the Middle East. CTFF presents a multi-ethnic mix of exciting and dynamic films that showcase diverse, shared stories and cultures.

CTFF is produced by CaribbeanTales Inc., a registered Canadian Charity that aims to connect people through film. The company’s mandate is to foster and encourage intercultural understanding and racial equality, through the creation, marketing and distribution of film programs, events and projects that reflect the diversity and creativity of Caribbean heritage culture.

Media Resources: http://caribbeantalesfestival.com/2017-festival-media-resources/

CaribbeanTales Flow into Production

caribpr — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:00:02 +0000

Leading Film producers begin production on three new pilots

Caribbean Girl NYC

CaribPR Wire, MIAMI, FL, Fri. February 24, 2017: Three of the Caribbean’s leading film producers will now develop pilots for their original TV series projects, via funding from Flow and CaribbeanTales Media Group.

With $40,000 funding for each project, production work will begin on Battledream Chronicle, a sci-fi/drama animated series created by Alain Bidard, which is based on his groundbreaking multi-award winning feature film; Heat, a sweltering crime/drama series filmed in Barbados from iconic filmmaker Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion, The Story of Lover’s Rock and more); and Caribbean Girl NYC, an ensemble female-driven sitcom from NY-based Guadeloupian filmmaker/producer Mariette Monpierre, whose award-winning film Elza won, among others, the prestigious NYT award.

Support for these pilots is part of CaribbeanTales Incubator Program (CTI), a year-round development and production hub for Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora Producers to create of strong, compelling and sustainable regional content for the global market.

Battledream Chronicle, a sci-fi/drama animated series.

“We recognise the significant hurdles that Caribbean Producers face in financing and producing their content, and getting it out to audiences,” said John Reid, CEO of Cable and Wireless, operator of Flow and lead sponsor of CTI. “We are honoured to help support this programme that is enabling the production and monetisation of this exciting emerging cultural industry.”

The pilots will premier at the twelfth annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF), of which Flow is also the lead sponsor. The festival celebrates the talents of established and emerging filmmakers of Caribbean heritage, and will be held in Toronto, Canada in September.

As an added bonus, an eight-part documentary series has been filmed and is currently in post-production. The series follows the ten teams of filmmakers who competed for this prestigious award, and will be shown on Flow1 later this year.

Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of CaribbeanTales, states, “We are delighted that, together with Flow, we are able to provide the Caribbean’s top filmmakers with funding and a platform to produce top quality, local, content with the capacity to reach audiences across the region and the world.”

CTI is now accepting applications for its 2017 programme online.

About CaribbeanTales

The CaribbeanTales Media Group is a group of companies that produces, markets, and sells Caribbean-themed film and television content for global audiences. It includes CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), a full-service distribution entity dedicated to the monetisation of Caribbean content; CaribbeanTales Inc a registered Charity based in Toronto, Canada; the CTFF, CaribbeanTales Flix, our production arm, CaribbeanTales-TV, a video on demand platform, and the CTI.

About C&W Communications

C&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers.

C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network – the most extensive in the region.

Learn more at www.cwc.com, or follow C&W on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.