Invitation to the Launch of Heart Beat

My dear Friends,
Please join me to celebrate the Launch of our new documentary series "HEART BEAT"

@ Trane Studio, 964 Bathurst Street,
October 30th @ 6pm.
Please RSVP by return

The evening's program will feature a Sneak Peak at some of the episodes
plus special performances by -

Master Drummer MUHTADI & Friends,
DREW GONSALVES of Kaiso Band KOBO TOWN,
& the incomparable BROWNMAN & his ELECTRYC TRIO.

Admission: Free.
Cash bar.

Bring a friend! Spread the word...
See you there,
Frances-Anne

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"Heart Beat" is a 13 x 1/2hr documentary series that profiles Canadian-Caribbean musicians and explores the hearts, minds and worlds of some of Canada's most dynamic musical creators.

Thirteen beautifully crafted point -of-view documentaries profiling artists like: Master drummer Muhtadi, World-beat band Kobo Town, Juno award-winning trumpeter Nick "Brownman" Ali, MOJAH, steel pannist and cultural activist Ian Jones, Cuban singer/songwriter Alex Cuba and Canada's still unbeaten Calypso Queen Macomere Fifi, to name but a few.

The series is created and produced by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, and directed with panache and passion by Lana Lovell, Safiya Randera, Paul Nguyen, Andrea Stewart, Justin Lovell, Mars Horodyski, and Alberto Suarez.

Caribbean Tales and Leda Serene Films are proud to present...
"Heart Beat"
in association with Bravo! and Gayelle The Channel (Trinidad)

"We all have a heart, which is a drum, beating the rhythm of life..."
Muhtadi, Master Drummer.

A Winter Tale: TALK IT OUT in Scarborough

In July, we launched TALK IT OUT, our nationwide anti-violence tour of A Winter Tale. This project uses the film as a tool for community engagement. We invited communities across Canada to work with us to set up screenings of the film, followed by discussions of the issues raised.

I am now delighted to announce our first community-sponsored TALK IT OUT, organised by Ginelle Skerrit (in photo, left), Executive Director of Warden Woods Community Center, and funded by Warden Woods Community Centre, Malvern Family Resource Centre, Tropicana Community Services, Youthlink, West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Services, East Metro Youth Services, Rosalie Hall, Agincourt Community Services, Second Base Youth Shelter, and East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club.

The event is for youth and families in Scarborough and will take place on Monday 29th October from 6-9.30pm, at Eglinton Town Centre Cineplex.

There will be a reception and then the screening/discussion will follow.

Ginelle Skerrit said: "All of the youth workers (who saw the movie) thought it was an important film and are excited about the opportunities it creates to dialogue on the issues. They found the film was REAL".

Stay tuned for future screenings in the following areas: Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, York University/Jane Finch, and Downtown Toronto.


In other newz: Here are some of the online reviews - more to follow - from my September festivals tour. I visited Montreal, Halifax, Trinidad and Bradford, UK. (The photo above was taken after our Closing Night screening in Bradford) The experience of sharing the film with different audiences was great and I'm sure many good things will flow from it. I'd like to thank: Pat Dhillon and Nadine Dominique in Montreal; Sylvia Hamilton, Juanita Peters, Fil Fraser and Lou Gannon in Halifax; Bruce Paddington, Annabelle Alcazar, and Marina Salandy-Brown in Trinidad, and Addy Rudder & everyone in Bradford, for making this an exceptional time for me.

Our next stop is New York City where we will be opening the 15th African Diaspora Film Festival on November 23rd.

Gayelle the Channel's CEO Chris Laird crashes the morning show "Cockadoodaldoo", to talk about A Winter Tale..

Frances-Anne interviewed for Global Voices by Janine Mendez Franco

A Winter Tale in Caribbean Beat Magazine by Donna Yawching

A Wnter Tale reviewed at Now Is Wow multimedia artist Elspeth Duncan's blog

Vaps: Another Trini blog comments on A Winter Tale.

Francomenz Janine Mendes-Franco's blog

Hardbeatnews

Enjoy! And talk soon.
FA

Heart Beat...

CaribbeanTales presents Heart Beat, an exciting new Canadian-Caribbean musician profile series, coming to Bravo!

Toronto – October 4, 2007

Music fans will gain a deeper appreciation for the sounds of the Caribbean this November, with the launch of Heart Beat - a unique 13-episode documentary series which showcases Canadian-Caribbean musicians and explores the hearts, minds and worlds of some of Canada’s most dynamic musical creators. Heart Beat will premiere on Bravo! on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m.

The series is created and produced by award winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon and directed with panache and passion by Lana Lovell, Safiya Randera, Paul Nguyen, Justin Lovell, Alberto Suarez and Mars Horodyski.

Each half-hour episode tells the story of a different Caribbean performer, and explores the depth of their artistry. Featured artists include Master Drummer Muhtadi, Kaiso band Kobo Town, Jazz trumpeter Nick “Brownman” Ali, and many many more.

The official Heart Beat series launch event will take place on Tuesday, October 30 at the Trane Studio, when guests will be treated to live musical performances, as well as an advance screening of a couple of episodes from Heart Beat.

EP 1 : Muhtadi:
‘Muhtadi’ profiles one of Canada’s premier percussionists. A celebrity in his own right, Master Drummer Muhtadi plays djembe, bongos, congas, timbales, steel pan, has been performing professionally for over 30 years, and is the force behind the Muhtadi International Drumming festival, now in its 7th year. He has worked with a host of renowned performers, including Mary Wilson from The Supremes. Each year Muhtadi returns to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival to perform with the world famous Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.

EP 2: Kobo Town:
Singer/songwriter Drew Gonsalves and the members of Kobo Town are one of Toronto’s most exciting contemporary calypso bands. In ‘Storytelling’, these talented musicians invite us into the dazzling world of wordplay and images that define calypso tradition and Trinidadian culture, reflecting on their ten-year musical journey to Kobo Town and sharing the musical styles and legends that continue to shape it.

Creator & Producer Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer whose recent credits include the feature film A Winter Tale (2007), documentary series Literature Alive (2005-6), and the sitcom Lord Have Mercy! (VisionTV, 2003). She is the president and artistic director of the two companies she founded: Leda Serene Films and CaribbeanTales, and has also worked as a radio, film and television drama producer for the BBC.

Leda Serene Films is a film, television and new media production company that has produced an impressive range of award-winning programs—from feature films to more innovative multi-media projects—and has made its name as a producer of high-quality dramas and documentaries that celebrate diversity- strong personal stories from different cultural perspectives in the global diaspora.

CaribbeanTales is a not-for-profit multimedia company committed to producing educational films, videos, and new media projects that celebrate the rich tradition of Caribbean-heritage storytelling, using any and all types of media and state of the art technology. Projects include Literature Alive, a multi-facetted multimedia project including documentaries audio books, and an educational website about Caribbean-Canadian authors, and our Annual CaribbeanTales Film festival.

SCREENING TODAY AT THE NFB

Hi Everyone!
Thanks for coming out on Monday for the ReelWorld Case Study of A Winter Tale. We had a very interesting discussion and it was great to see you all ...

Don't forget: This morning THURSDAY 13th @ 10.30am is our special screening at the NFB!!!

On Friday I am heading off to Atlantic Canada - my first time - and on Tuesday, heading home.... to TRINIDAD where A Winter Tale will be screening at the TTFC.

Please check out these festival websites, they look really nice, and I am proud of them:

A Winter Tale @ Atlantic film festival:

A Winter Tale @ Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival : OPENING NIGHT FILM

A Winter Tale @ Bite The Mango FIlm Festival : CLOSING NIGHT GALA -

Have I mentioned that A Winter Tale will be screening at the Abuja Film Festival in Nigeria? Our Nollywood premiere!...

I'll continue to send you updates from my travels...

Love, FA

Tonya Lee Williams' Indie Film Lounge

The reception for the Indie Film Lounge was for me the place to be at TIFF last night. It was good to see so many well-heeled, well-spoken folks of color come together in this city to celebrate the next generation, "The Emerging 20". It was also fantastic to recognise that there are now a number of us doing significant work and being recognised for it... something like a critical mass of creative and business individuals of color in Canada.... creating great shows, sustaining our careers...


The Indie Film Lounge Case Studies are at the Pilot Tavern - I will be there tomorrow Sept 10th, with "A Winter Tale", and on Tuesday 11th reps from the NFB will discuss their diversity program.

Also: Don't miss the special screening of A Winter Tale on Thursday 13th at 10.30 am at the NFB, 140 John Street. Space is limited so make sure you RSVP to awintertale@gmail.com.

Photos: Reelworld's CEO Tonya Lee Williams with filmmaker Clement Virgo; Reelworld Programmer Hayet Benkara and actor Rupinder Nagra, First Fridays Warren Salmon & friends, Indie Film Lounge Co-ordinator Gloria Kim amid the Emerging 20, Director Sudz Sutherland and his wife and Producer Jennifer Holness with Clement Virgo; Global's Production Executive Karen King.

September Screenings of A Winter Tale

ReelWorld Indie Film Lounge - Case Study
September 10th, 12pm - 1.30pm @ Pilot Tavern, 22 Cumberland St, Toronto
This event will take the form of a Case Study of the film from development through to distribution. I'll be joined by Anne Frank and Indira Guha of Telefilm Canada; the moderator is award-winning filmmaker Lalita Krishna.

Special Toronto Screening @ NFB Mediatheque
September 13th, 10.30am. @ 140, John Street, Toronto
Join me for this special Toronto screening of A Winter Tale... Space is limited so if you'd like to come, RSVP to: awintertale@gmail.com.


Atlantic Film Festival
September 16, 7pm @ Empire 8, Park Lane, Halifax, Nova ScotiaWe're heading east and look forward to meeting up with potential community partners from Canada's largest Black community, in anticipation of the Halifax leg of TALK IT OUT – our nationwide anti-violence tour of the film - scheduled for next year.

Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival
September 19, 8pm & September 23, 5pm @ MovieTowne Cinema, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Our Caribbean premiere, in my home town. I am especially proud that A Winter Tale will be opening the festival on Wednesday September 19th, with an added screening on Sunday September 23rd.

Bite The Mango Film Festival, UK
September 27, 7pm @ National Media Museum, Bradford, UK
A Winter Tale will be crossing the pond to premiere in the UK at this important European festival of World Cinema...
A Winter Tale will be the Closing Night film !

4th Annual Abuja International Film and Video Festival
25th - 28th of September 2007 @ the Shehu Musa Yardua Centre Abuja. Date TBA. Our African premiere!

A Winter Tale @ The 13th Bite The Mango Film Festival

Friends:
Please join me for the UK Premiere of my film A Winter Tale @ The 13th Bite The Mango Film Festival. A Winter Tale will be the Closing Night Gala!

September 27th - 8.00pm
@ National Media Museum, Bradford

Invite your friends. Spread the word!

See you there,
Frances-Anne Solomon
Director.
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About "A WINTER TALE" (Canada, 2007)

Frances-Anne Solomon's award-winning feature A Winter Tale tells the emotional story of a Black men's support group that begins to meet at a Caribbean restaurant, following the shooting death of a young child. It features a talented ensemble cast led by Canadian stars Peter Williams and Michael Miller, and Caribbean icons Leonie Forbes and Dennis "Sprangalang" Hall.

The movie opened this year's ReelWorld Film Festival, and took home the Tonya Lee Williams Award for Outstanding Canadian Feature.

"A Winter Tale is an intensely powerful story about the reinstallation of moral responsibility in Toronto's black male community. Its prime movers walk it in real life like they talk it in this must-see fiction feature... - The Montreal Gazette

"...violence is not a spectator sport, and nowhere in this film could you simply watch — you felt the call to action, and even discussion." Expose Entertainment Magazine.

The Bite The Mango Film Festival is one of Europe's most important showcases of World Cinema, presenting an eclectic mix of award-winning feature films, inspirational short films, masterclasses, seminars and star guests.

For more information about the film, please visit AWinterTale.ca
For festival Info please visit The Bite The Mango Film Festival