Rachelle Salnave wins Best Director!

Major kudos to director Rachelle Salnave who won Best Director for her documentary "La Belle Vie" at the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora film festival in New York over the weekend. "La Belle Vie: The Good Life" has been quite successful on the festival circuit, earning Salnave a Best Director nod at the BlackStar Film Festival. The film also aired on local television in South Florida. Again, big ups to Rachelle! You make us proud!

Photo from Ms. Salnave's social media page. 

A treasure trove of Haitian short films!

Filmmaker Michele Stephenson has a treasure trove of brilliant short films that I absolutely love. Most relevant today is "Delmas 54" which looks into Haitian-Dominican relations through the eyes of volunteers. 

Stephenson is 1/2 of the filmmaking team behind "American Promise" a documentary on the state of the educational system in the U.S. "American Promise" screened at the Sundance Film Festival, was picked up by PBS and was nominated for 3 Emmys. 

Check out the shorts on Black Public Media's site here ---- http://blackpublicmedia.org/haiti/

AFM is fast approaching!

It's almost that time of the year again. The American Film Market kicks off in about three weeks in Santa Monica, CA. AFM is a marketplace where movie buyers and sellers from all over the globe converge to buy/pre-sell/sell movies. As usual, I will be with South Africa's delegation to the market. Of course, I will have my fellow Haitians filmmakers with me. 

Be sure to stop by Room 316 (SOUTH AFRICAN INDIES) and say hello!

"Papa Machete" wins best short documentary at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival

Jason Fitzroy Jeffers at TTFF. (Source:FB)

"Papa Machete" has been cleaning up on the festival circuit. The latest award comes courtesy of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival where the film won best short documentary. Producer Jason Fitzroy Jeffers was on hand to accept the award.

The film first screened at the Sundance film festival and has been very well received on the circuit since then. ""Papa Machete" explores the esoteric martial art that evolved through this victory [Haitian Revolution] through the practice and life of a farmer named Alfred Avril. The short film documents his proud devotion to his heritage in the face of bitter poverty, and his efforts to keep this mysterious art alive" (Source: www.papamachete.com).

The filmmakers are working on a possible feature version of "Papa Machete". We will keep you posted as we get more information. In the meantime, check out the film's trailer below.

Haitian films and the Iphone revolution

Lotre jou mwen tap pale de sineas ki fè fim sou iPhone. Mwen pale de yon fim ki rélé "Tangerine" koté ké sineas yo fé fim la Los Angeles avèk yon IPhone é bon jan lens profésyonèl (read the article again HERE.)

And now we have "The Painter of Jalouzi", a new film shot entirely on the iPhone 6s plus which focuses on Duval, the man who painted bright colors on the homes we see in the hills of Petion-Ville when we land in Haiti. The filmmakers at RYOTT worked with Apple and used the iPhone 6s Plus (which shoots in 4K). It's a short film shot in less than a week and it is available on YouTube already. Kidonk, nenpòt moun, nenpòt koté ka fè yon fim. Watch the film below!

Numa Perrier does it again!

Numa Perrier in "Ella", a film written and directed by Martine Jean.

Numa Perrier does it again! The Haitian-American actress and co-founder of Black and Sexy Tv just announced a new partnership with BET. 

BET has picked up three of Black & Sexy’s original digital series: RoomieLoverFriends, Sexless (a personal favorite) and Hello Cupid. The partnership kicks off with RoomieLoverFriends airing on Wednesday September 16^th (Today!) at 11pm E.T. RoomieLoverFriends explores the "situationship" between two roommates and is created and directed by co-founder Dennis Dortch. Blackandsexy.tv has a variety of original programming and the founders have built a strong fan base over the past few years. 

Black & Sexy Tv co-founders (from left to right): Jeanine Daniels, Brian Ali Harding, Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier.

I’m an avid Black & Sexy tv supporter and am elated to see their programming reach even more consumers. Not to mention this is a big score for BET! Catch RoomieLoverFriends tonight on BET then let us know what you think! Chapo ba pou Numa!

Follow up on that "Haitian Sitcom"

We have more details on the potential ABC show we mentioned HERE

Turns out it really is not an Haitian sitcom. The show is a semi-autobiographical family comedy and focuses on Kat Coiro’s and her family as they live in an apartment above Tap-Tap restaurant in South Beach. Her parents own Tap-Tap (I was surprised to learn this tidbit). Most intriguing from Deadline’s announcement is the following:

“Her parents both are of the (sic) European descent but have strong ties to the Caribbean country and had previously taken in six Haitian refugees into their home in Key Largo.”

I’m not sure what role those "Haitian refugees" will play in the show, if any. As I’ve said before, I will reserve judgment until I see a script or the pilot episode. I do hope that this is not some White savior show.  That trope has been regurgitated countless times in the past and personally, I have no interest in it. And while this is a comedy, Haitians should not be the butt of the jokes. I would go on about representation etc. but I said I’d reserve judgment, so I will stop here.

A Haitian sitcom on ABC?

Well, this is big news! The television landscape is shifting constantly. Now comes news that ABC has ordered a pilot for a sitcom about a Haitian restaurant in South Beach. I read about this bombshell on The Hollywood Reporter. While I am a little apprehensive, I am keeping an open mind and look forward to seeing the show, if it gets picked up. For now, ABC has ordered a script so we're a long way from seeing the show on the small screen.

Kat Coiro, who has appeared in a number of TV shows and short films, will write and executive produce. Coiro has produced several projects including "And While We Were Here" which she directed. This is not Coiro's first tango with the major networks. In 2014, she wrote a pilot for NBC based on Sally Koslow's 'Slouching Towards Adulthood.' This year, already she's written a pilot based on Tre Miller Rodriguez' 'Splitting the Distance' for   ABC. 

Veteran TV director Julie Anne Robinson is attached as an executive producer. Julie Anne has worked with Shonda Rhimes on 'Private Practice' and most recently on 'The Catch'. She will direct the pilot if the project moves beyond the script order.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show is a "comedy about a three-generation family who own and run a Haitian restaurant in South Beach". I've scoured the internet and have found no additional details. It remains to be seen whether any Haitians will be on board as consultants or whether any Haitian writers will be part of the staff. Again, we're in the VERY BEGINNING stages of the process. A script commitment is just the start! I will keep you posted as things develop.  

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"La Belle Vie: The Good Life" heads to TV

Set your DVRs! Filmmaker Rachelle Salnave's documentary "La Belle Vie: The Good Life" will have its broadcast premiere on September 21st, 2015 at 10pm on WPBT2 in South Florida. Check your local listings for specific channels.

"La Belle Vie: The Good Life" chronicles Salnave's journey "to discover her Haitian roots by examining the complexities of the Haitian society as it pertains to the overall political and economic dichotomy in Haiti" (La Belle Vie website). The film has been on the festival circuit since the beginning of the year and most recently screened at the esteemed BlackStar Film Festival where it won a "Special Recognition in Directing."

Check out the these clips from 'La Belle Vie: The Good Life' below!

 

RIP Jacques Edmond AKA Gracié

 

La Vi Nan Bouk

Une etoile s'est eteinte. Jacques Edmond star of "La Vie Nan Bouk" passed away in Florida today. Best known for his role as Gracie in "La Vie Nan Bouk", Mr. Edmond always kept audiences laughing with his trademark 'fro and hilarious pranks on Bos Masel and Frederic.

Jacques Edmond as Gracie in 'La Vi Nan Bouk'.

"La Vi Nan Bouk" was a revolutionary Haitian TV show that put rural Haiti front and center and confronted social issues with humor and dignity. Mr. Edmond was 70 years old. 

Check out one of our favorite episode of "La Vi Nan Bouk" titled "Fifty fifty". This is part 2. Part 1 is available on Youtube as well.

 

The Silent Treatment is back on television!

I shot this film almost 3 years ago. It had a great festival run followed by another great run on Aspire Tv's short film showcase hosted by Omari Hardwick. Thanks to Badami Tv's African American Short Films, 'The Silent Treatment' is getting a second wind! It will air as part of a short film series on different television stations across the U.S. This morning, friends and family sat in their homes and watched "The Silent Treatment" on CBS in Los Angeles. How cool is that! It was a lot of fun making the film and it's so rewarding to watch it on the small screen. 

Below is a link with updated cities and air dates every Thursday. 'The Silent Treatment' will air in different cities and stations every week until September. It stars Emayatzy Corinealdi ('Middle of Nowhere', 'Miles Ahead', 'Hand of God'), C. Malik Whitfield ('The Temptations', 'Tyler Perry's If Loving You is Wrong') and newcomers Jacoby Mosby and Mo. E. (I'll be sure to keep you posted as much as possible. This week's remaining air dates and cities are below.

Check dates and cities every Thursday --------> HERE

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Make a movie with your phone

Sundance hit "Tangerine" was shot on an iPhone. Not just any iPhone. An iPhone camera "enhanced" with anamorphic lenses. This reinforces the notion that you can make a movie anywhere you are even with very limited resources. Filming in the mountains or in rural parts of Haiti could be less of a challenge with the iPhone and the correct accoutrements. 

"Tangerine" is about two Trans women prostitutes in Los Angeles on a mission to get to the bottom of a rumor. It's a colorful story both in tone and on screen. The colors pop on the big screen (it was released theatrically!). So if you're a Haitian filmmaker in Haiti or anywhere in the world for that matter, how do you accomplish the same feat? 

First, Tangerine was shot widescreen, 2:35:1 aspect ratio. Second, the filmmakers used a steadicam to minimize shakiness. Third, they used an app to control the focus and color temperature. There are a few apps out there but the Tangerine filmmakers used Filmic Pro. And last but not least lenses. Even with DSLR cameras, there is a dizzying array of lenses: macro, zooms, super telephoto, primes, tilt-shift etc. Your choice of lenses depends on what you're shooting, how you want to capture it and your location. Tangerine filmmaker Sean Baker says he used a set of anamorphic adapter lenses from Moondog labs to create the look for the film.

All of that being said, you'll need a solid team of pros for post production. You'd need one anyway, but when using a camera phone you have to make sure you get the same quality you'd get from professional cameras. 

More details on Moondog Labs website. http://www.moondoglabs.com/blog/sundance-premiere.html

WATCH THE TANGERINE TRAILER BELOW.