Toronto, ON – November 5, 2014
Award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer and Founder/curator of CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, Frances-Anne Solomon, is the recipient of this year’s Heritage Award from the Planet Africa Group to be presented at the 2014 Planet Africa Awards Gala taking place this Saturday, November 8th, 2014 at the Grand Victorian Convention Centre (175 Derry Road) in Mississauga, Ontario.
The 2014 Planet Africa Awards Gala will bring together notable achievers of African origin and others of goodwill from around the world to celebrate their leadership and excellence in Canadian arts, media, entertainment, business, science and humanitarian efforts. Planet Africa Award recipients this year include CTV’s Canada AM co-host Marci Ien, Sickle Cell Disease Association Of Canada (SCDAC) President Lanre Tunji Ajayi and Ontario Black History Society president Rosemary Sadlier, amongst others.
In addition to pioneering the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, which showcases the best of Caribbean cinema from around the world for Canadian audiences, Frances-Anne Solomon also founded and is the Artistic Director and President of Leda Serene Films, the production company behind the hit Gemini Award nominated sitcom, Lord Have Mercy! airing on Vision TV, Toronto One, Showcase and APTN in 2003.
An internationally acclaimed filmmaker, Frances-Anne previously worked with the BBC as a TV Drama Producer and Executive Producer, producing and directing titles including the romantic-comedy feature film Peggy Su! and the documentary film Reunion: West Indian Women at War. Frances-Anne’s most recent critically-praised drama, A Winter Tale, was recognized on an international scale including at Africa’s prominent Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou Awards (FESPACO) in 2009.
Born in England to parents from Trinidad, Frances-Anne studied Theatre at the University of Toronto and trained as a film director in Bristol University’s Radio, Film and Television Program (RFT). She also studied in the renowned BBC Drama Directors Course.
Coming up, Frances-Anne Solomon will be directing and producing HERO, a feature documentary film sponsored by the Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago on the life and times of Trinidadian war hero, lawyer and diplomat Ulric Cross.
“I could not be more thrilled with the inspiring story and production that is HERO. The acting, camerawork, and design, are all fresh and impressive.” Says Frances-Anne Solomon. “We had the privilege of working with some of the most outstanding established and up and coming actors including: Joseph Marcell as CLR James, Rudolph Walker as Ras Makonnen, Jimmy Akingbola as Kwame Nkrumah, and Fraser James as George Padmore. I cannot wait to share this extraordinary film and story with audiences.”
About CarribeanTales
CaribbeanTales (CT) is a group of media companies that produces, markets, and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for regional and international distribution, including: CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, the first full-service film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean, that aims to become the go-to solution for producers and buyers of Caribbean-themed content. Launched regionally in Barbados in May 2010, and internationally during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, the company now represents over 300 films from the Region and Diaspora. As well as distribution, CTWD aims to provide co-production services to producers of Caribbean-themed content.
CT‘s other activities and brands include: CaribbeanTales Inc. a registered Charity based in Toronto, Canada; CaribbeanTales International Film Festival that produces events around the world; CaribbeanTales Incubator Program, that develops sustainable content for the international market; CaribbeanTalesFlix, our production arm; and CaribbeanTales-TV, a video on demand platform.
For more info about Frances-Anne Solomon, please visit:
http://francesannesolomon.net
For more info about CaribbeanTales, please visit:
http://caribbeantales-worldwide.com
Follow Frances-Anne on Twitter:
@FrancesAnne
For more about The 2014 Planet Africa Awards visit:
http://www.planetafricagroup.com/Awards.html
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Available for Interviews:
Frances-Anne Solomon
For media inquiries please contact:
Pennant Media Group
Kevin Pennant [email protected]
Amira de Vera [email protected]
Toronto 416.596.2978
USA 855.596.2978
