Back to School Mom

We talked about Garcelle's new project filming in South Africa a while ago HERE. Now we have all the details courtesy of Shadow and Act! 

The project titled is "Back To School Mom" and stars Garcelle, Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, Denzel Whitaker and Rick Fox. Per Shadow and Act, the film is about "a 41-year-old woman who goes back to college to finish her last year of school. While there, she becomes good friends with a classmate, who turns out to be the son she gave up 20 years earlier." 

Check out full details --- HERE

"Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti."

I love this documentary. It's raw and unapologetic. Too often Vodou is demonized, but here, the filmmaker doesn't seek to explain, excuse or justify. 'Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti" is a classic, shot in the late 40s by Maya Deren. Shadow and Act unearthed it today and it was a nice little surprise for me. Initially, the filmmaker set out to make a movie about music in Haiti, but ended up with a documentary about Vodou. Some of the scenes Deren captured show unprecedented access to Vodou and its rituals, specifically Rada and Petro ceremonies.

 

Check out Tambay's thoughts on "Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti." Then watch the  film which is embedded on Shadow and Act. 

Vladimir Versailles in 'Evolution of a Criminal'

Vladimir Versailles wears a mask as Pierre the gunman in 'Evolution of a Criminal.'

 

'Evolution of a Criminal' a fascinating documentary directed by Darius Clark Monroe. The film centers on Monroe's experience as a 16 year old who robs a bank and goes to jail for 3 years. The film explores the impact of his crime on his family, his community and the victims. 

'Evolution of a Criminal' is a blend of documentary footage and re-enactments. The director skillfully mixes the two to tell a griping and revealing story. Actor Vladimir Versailles plays the role of Pierre in one of the re-enactments. Pierre was the gunman, one of Monroe's co-conspirators. They were all teens whose life trajectories changed within a few seconds. Monroe interviews everyone from his co-conspirators to the District Attorney who prosecuted his case, the bank tellers and his own family. 'Evolution of a Criminal' presents a comprehensive picture of what happened on that day and the subsequent fallout. Versailles is stellar in the role of Paul. We hear there is a distribution deal in place for the film (details emerging). 

Jimmy Jean-Louis appears opposite Halle Berry in Extant

Jimmy Jean-Louis. Image via Haiti1653.

Halle Berry stars in a new tv show titled 'Extant' which premieres on July 9th on CBS. Appearing in the show with Halle is none other than our beloved Jimmy Jean-Louis who plays a character named Pierre Lyon. For now, it seems Jimmy only appears in one episode, but perhaps there is room to bring his character back, depending on the storyline. 

Extant's synopsis is as follows: " An astronaut (Halle Berry) returns home from a year long solo mission in space. She tries to reconnect with her husband and son in their everyday lives. Her experiences in space and home lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history." (Source: IMDB). CBS has been running promos which show the astronaut played by Halle Berry being told she is pregnant after spending a year alone in space. 

Trippy!!

More info on Jimmy's casting HERE

Women Filmmakers

idiva. witf.

Si ou se yon fanm ki ap fe fim, Fox anonse yon gwo pwoje pou ede fanm ki se direkte fim. Yo genyen pou chwazi kelke moun ki pou vini Los Angeles pou pran bon jan training nan fim avek tout atis ak mete an sen ki ap travay nan Fox. Pou plis enfomasyon, ale sou paj Fox la. ------ HERE

Introducing Vicky Jeudy

Vicky Jeudy as Janae Watson on Orange Is The New Black.

If you’re addicted to “Orange Is The New Black” like I am than you know they’ve had multiple Haitian story lines. In season 1, not only was one of the O.Gs Haitian but her entire storyline revolved around trafficking of Haitian children. We were introduced to Haitian actors Vladimir Versailles who played a young Haitian man who brings children to the U.S. to work. Then came the beautiful and talented Vicki Jeudy. Vicky played the role of Janae Waston, a young track star who ends up incarcerated at Litchfield Penitentiary. Janae is a hot head and often ends up in solitary confinement quite often.

So it was a wonderful surprise when one of my favorite websites published an interview with Vicky. Kreyolicious.com, a website for all kinds of wonderful Haitian news, interviews, history etc., interviewed Vicky recently and asked her the questions she would not get from mainstream media.

Check out the delightful interview on Kreyolicious ----->HERE

Mozayik

Hope. When you have nothing left, you cling to every tiny morsel of hope available. Mozayik is a short documentary that follows a group of people as they are evicted from their makeshift homes and tents in Port-au-Prince after the January 2010 earthquake. The tents were to be destroyed to make way for shiny new office buildings. The people were offered $125 US each and were given a deadline to vacate the land.

This is the story about a community coming together to fight against inequity. Augustin Mona, the leader of the group is tested by the authorities and the people alike. There's a powerful moment in this film where it seems Mona has to detach himself from the brutal reality surrounding him just so he can function. As he looks on at a dead body covered in flies exposed in the streets, a surreal scene with a mother's deafening screams for a soundtrack, Mona says: "Once the body is removed then we can get back to discussing the logistics of relocation." It's not that he doesn't care, bu he must find a way to cope in order to function. 

Eviction day arrives. The makeshift homes are unceremoniously destroyed. The group must create a new community in an area known as Canaan. The town takes its name from the old testament and its new residents' faith is prominently displayed in the film. 

Mozayik deftly and subtly explores issues of leadership, religion, adverse possession and yes, hope. As with nearly everything in Haiti, religion and uncertainty are sprinkled throughout. A great little documentary! (Directed by Jon Bougher, Associate Producer Frantz Pierre). 

Watch Mozayik ------>  HERE