Frantz Casseus to appear in "Living with Funny"!

Comedian Frantz Casseus will appear in Oxygen's latest original program titled "Living with Funny". The show will feature the likes of Marlon Wayans, Micheal Blackson, Brandon T. Jackson, Deray Davis and many more! 

 

"Living with Funny" is a docu-series exploring the lives of comedians and their significant others. Of note is Deray Davis' "three-lationship" with his two girlfriends! The show began on April 12th and Casseus' episodes start airing on Tuesday May 3rd at 9pm (EST). Set your DVRs! 

"Pélé: Birth of a Legend" Bande d'Annonce

Pou jan nou renmen Pélé, real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Bon, non misyé Edson, ou kwè'l pa Ayisien?

Blagues a part, here's the trailer for "Pélé: Birth of a Legend" a film about this legendary soccer player turned politician, from his humble beginnings in São Paulo to his rise as an international icon. The trailer looks exciting and I, for one, can't wait for the movie! Peep the trailer below!

Festival fim

If you manage or direct a Black Film Festival, Shadow and Act wants to hear from you. By now you've heard that Indiewire was sold and the network of Indiewire websites, including Shadow and Act, have to fend for themselves. While we await the verdict on S&A's new direction, Tambay wants to put together a comprehensive list of Black film festivals around the world. So, festival fim Jakmel, Okap, Potoprens, New York, tout koté ala ronbadé, voyé enfomasyon ou bay Shadow and Act rapido présto. Men lenk pou plis détay. 

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/calling-all-black-film-festival-directors-for-an-upcoming-s-a-database-20160404

"An Untamed State" movie announced

I read Roxane Gay's "An Untamed State" about a year ago. It was a difficult read. Without giving away the entire plot, "An Untamed State" recounts the nightmare of an affluent Haitian-American woman kidnapped in Haiti and the days she spends being tortured and raped repeatedly to the point that her reproductive organs have to be surgically repaired. It ends on a positive note but I do fear how Haitians and Black folks in general will be represented in this film. For one, in the novel, all the ruthless "bad guys" (down to the victim's own father) are Black folks (Haitians) and the knights in shining armor who nurse her back to wholeness are White. 

I am happy to see Gina Prince-Bythewood in the director's chair for this project and am elated to see her team up with Gugu Mbatha-Raw again. Both are phenomenal. I'm a big fan of Roxane Gay as well. "Bad Feminist" is one of my favorite pieces of literature. "An Untamed State" is more about the protagonist's grit and unflinching resolve and less about Haitians and Haiti. Still, it left me reeling for a number of reasons. Read it for yourself before the movie is shot and released. Let me know what you think. 

Dokiman Enpòtan

If you're a producer, you know the importance of paperwork in the filmmaking business! Kidonk, fòk tout bagay a lékri pou pa gen problem pi dévan. Lagè avèti pa tiyé kokobé. Here is a link with all kinds of great documents and contracts that you can use as a template for your project, from call sheets to budgets and location agreements. Get into it!

Check it out  HERE

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/