06/27/2020 | Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
CaribbeanTales International Film Festival celebrating its 15th year anniversary virtually
The coronavirus has interrupted many events this summer and forced organizers to adapt to the new rules of social distancing.
Many events have moved online, and recently the CaribbeanTales Film Festival (CTFF) has also done the same as it will be celebrating 15 years of talented, established and emerging filmmakers of Caribbean heritage…
03/19/2020 | Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
Canadian filmmaker and recently the feature for our Women Empowered section, Frances-Anne Solomon, received an award for her film HERO which showcased at the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) in Los Angeles.
HERO was awarded the newly created Ja’Net Feature Narrative Award, renamed in honor of PAFF co-founder, Ja’Net Dubois.
03/19/2020 | News America
Toronto-based CaribbeanTales Media Group has announced that it has begun work on a feature film based on the award-winning memoir In the Black by one of Canada’s most respected entrepreneurs, Denham Jolly.
The feature development is supported by the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Telefilm Development Program. A short film based on Jolly’s early life is also being produced.
03/16/2020 | KPFK 90.7 | IMpact
Frances-Anne Solomon and Hero Actor Nickolai Salcedo on L.A’s IMpact Radio
While in Los Angeles for the Pan African Film Festival, director Frances-Anne Solomon and actor Nickolai Salcedo dropped by KPFK 90.7’s IMpact show with host Pamela Asobo Anchang to talk about Hero, Racism within the Race and Pan Africanism and the Caribbean.
Listen Here (March 16/20 episode)
03/15/2020 | New York Daily News
Caribbeat: Film On Big Business
“In the Black” — the amazing memoir about Canadian businessman Denham Jolly founding that nation’s first black radio station — is soon to become an amazing film by director Frances-Anne Solomon. Solomon announced recently that she has begun work on a feature film based on Jolly’s award-winning memoir, with support from the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Telefilm Development Program. Solomon is the founder and CEO of the CaribbeanTales Media Group.
read more (scroll down to third article)
03/14/2020 | Caribbean Camera
Denham Jolly’s Story To Be Made Into A Feature Film
Filmmaker and head of the CaribbeanTales Film Festival, Francis Anne Solomon announced this week that she has begun work on a feature film based on the book In the Black, the autobiography of businessman Denham Jolly.
Jolly is best known as the founder of Canada’s first Black radio station, Flow 93.5 and the publisher of the now defunct Contrast newspaper.
03/14/2020 | Caribbean Camera
Hero Takes Top Honours at Pan African Film Festival
HERO, the highly acclaimed feature film inspired by the extraordinary life and times of Trinidad and Tobago citizen, diplomat and judge Ulric Cross, won the newly created Ja’Net Feature Narrative Award at the 28th Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF), held recently in West Hollywood.
03/11/2020 | The Royal Gazette
Historical Tale Opens This Year’s BIFF
Frances-Anne Solomon did not know Ulric Cross’s story but…..the request to make a film about him came from her mother.
And so she started on a quest which ultimately led to Hero. It opens the Bermuda International Film Festival on March 20.
“The story came to me through a family friend,”…
02/28/2020 | LOOP
HERO Wins Newly Created Ja’Net Feature Narrative in LA
Frances Anne Solomon’s film HERO has been awarded the newly created Ja’Net Feature Narrative Award, renamed in honor of PAFF co-founder, Ja’Net Dubois.
The award was bestowed on the film following a sold-out Opening Night of the 28th Pan African Film and Arts Festival, (PAFF) with more than 1000 patrons at the Director’s Guild of America in West Hollywood, and two subsequent packed screenings.
02/27/2020 | Americas News Network
Caribbean Director Frances-Anne Solomon’s HERO Takes Top Honors At LA’s Pan African Film Festival
News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Thurs. Feb. 27, 2020: Following a sold-out Opening Night of the 28th Pan African Film and Arts Festival, (PAFF) with more than 1000 patrons at the Director’s Guild of America in West Hollywood, and two subsequent packed screenings, Frances-Anne Solomon’s HERO was awarded the newly created Ja’Net Feature Narrative Award, renamed in honor of PAFF co-founder, Ja’Net Dubois.
02/26/2020 | The Wave 94.7FM
Frances-Anne Solomon and Nickolai Salcedo Talk Hero, Pan African Film Fest
Ayuko Babu is the heart and soul of the Pan African Film Festival. He made his annual trip to the Wave to talk about this year’s festival and he brought along filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, writer, producer and director of this year’s opening night film “Hero”. Joining our conversation was actor Nickolai Salcedo who portrays Ulric Cross in the film.
02/18/2020 | USCannenbergmedia.com
The Pan African Film Festival Bring Black Creative Works to The Forefront
The 28th annual Pan African Film Festival — the nation’s largest and most prestigious black film fest — opened its doors for its premiere night with a screening of the film “Hero.” The resounding message from the red carpet by celebrities and community leaders was that of perseverance; to “keep going.”
02/12/2020 | RichGirlNetwork.tv
28th Annual Pan African Film and Art Festival Opening Night
“HERO: Inspired by the Extraordinary Revolutionary Life and Times of Diplomat and Judge Ulric Cross,” directed by Caribbean filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon opened the 28th Annual Pan African Film and Art Festival. Along with the cast, celebrities and VIP guests packed the red carpet ready to experience an exciting evening. Solomon leads a pack of women screening films at PAFF in record numbers – that is, 81 female directors out of 225 films!
02/09/2020 | Fox Soul
Out Loud With Claudia Jordan: Women Behind The Lens
Claudia is joined by three directors who are featured in the Pan African Film Festival. These filmmakers are adamant about making Black films great again.
Fox Soul is a new live and interactive streaming channel dedicated to the African American viewer. The programs aim to celebrate black culture and deal with real topics that impact the everyday lives of the black community through frank and insightful dialogue with local and national influencers.
02/13/2020 | Los Angeles The Wave Newspaper
Stars Shine on Opening Night at Pan African Film Festival
“Art is our voice resonating about who we are and where we stand in the world and how we intend to use ourselves to change the world,” said actor Danny Glover, at the opening night of the 28th annual Pan African Film Festival.
“That’s what films do. That’s what art does.”
02/10/2020 | Breakfast Television Toronto
Frances-Anne Solomon Reacts to the Oscar Results
History was made last night as Parasite became the first foreign language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. We’re checking in with Frances-Anne Solomon, local filmmaker and academy voter, who joins us live from Los Angeles this morning
02/09/2020 | New York Daily News
CARIBBEAT: Film Story of Trinidad and Tobago-born Ulric Cross
Hero: Inspired by The Extraordinary Life and Times of Ulric Cross – a feature film about an amazing man’s connections with World Ward II, African independence, the Black Power movement and international activism – will be screened Tuesday in Los Angeles at the opening night of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival.
02/09/2020 | CBC Radio | Fresh Air with Nana Aba Duncan
Toronto Filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon on the Life of Ulric Cross
The story of Pan-Africanism told through one extraordinary life. Toronto filmmaker Frances Anne Solomon talks about her film Hero, and Ulric Cross, the most decorated West Indian of World War II.
02/06/2020 | Los Angeles Sentinel
Pan African Film Festival Kicks Off With Screening Of Hero
The 28th Annual Pan African Film + Arts Festival, the nation’s largest presentation of movies by Blacks, opens with the internationally acclaimed motion picture, “Hero.”
The gripping production, written and directed by Frances-Anne Solomon, is inspired by the extraordinary and revolutionary life of Ulric Cross, who was a Trinidad Tobago citizen, diplomat and judge.
02/03/2020 | NewsDay/Trinidad and Tobago
Solomon: Oscar diversity impact will take a long time
TRINI-CANADIAN filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon said the new diversity in the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will take a long time to have an impact.
01/30/2020 | Breakfast Television Toronto
Breaking Down The Best Picture Nominees with Frances-Anne Solomon
Writer, producer and director Frances-Anne Solomon is here to talk about becoming a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
01/28/2020 | Your Morning/CTV
Canadian-Caribbean filmmaker will cast an Oscar ballot
Canadian director Frances-Anne Solomon talks about diversity, women directors and heading to Los Angeles for Oscar week.
01/26/2020 | Toronto Caribbean Newspaper
Empowering Black Folks Through Film
In April 2019, she was recognized and awarded the Black Business and Professional Association Harry Jerome Award for Culture, an award given to a black individual who is a change maker when it comes to enhancing Caribbean and African culture in the community.
01/19/2020 | CTV Toronto
Toronto Filmmaker Invited To Join Oscars Academy
Canadian director Frances-Anne Solomon heads to Los Angeles for Oscar Week as she casts her vote for the first time as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
01/15/2020 | Vimooz.com
Caribbean Filmmaker France-Anne Solomon’s Hero Opening Pan African Film Festival
The 28th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) will open with the film “HERO: Inspired by the Extraordinary Revolutionary Life and Times of Diplomat and Judge Ulric Cross,” directed by Caribbean filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon.
The festival will kick off festivities with a star-studded Opening Night Gala at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at the Directors Guild of America (DGA), located at 7920 W. Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
07/19/2019 | Screenafrica.com
The Third CineFam Co-Production Accelerator Aims To Develop Female-Led Canada-South Africa Content
CaribbeanTales Media Group (CTMG) and the Durban FilmMart (DFM) have announced the renewal of their partnership to develop films and television content by African women and women of colour from the global Diaspora.
07/04/2019 | CBC.ca
Canadian director calls invitation to join Oscars academy a ‘huge honour’
When Frances-Anne Solomon received an email from filmmaker Ava DuVernay letting her know she was being invited to the Oscars academy, she thought someone was pulling her leg.
“I thought it was a hoax,” she told Matt Galloway with a laugh on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning. “I showed it around my office and everybody thought it was a joke.”
07/02/2019 | newsday.co.tt
Winston Duke, Filmmaker Solomon Join Oscars Academy
Tobago-born actor Winston Duke (Black Panther, Us) and Canada-based filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, who was born to Trinidadian parents, have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation behind the Academy Awards.
06/24/2019 | Welum.com
Women Who Inspire: Talented Producer, Director and Filmmaker
I am a filmmaker, artist, and cultural entrepreneur from Trinidad — and that defines me. But I’ve lived most of my life outside of the Caribbean and so a global perspective is very much a part of who I am. I am a woman of color identifying myself very much like a feminist — or womanist…
read more
06/10/2019 | BBC.com
Turning A Life Story Into Drama Presents Creative Challenges
Filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon has produced and directed both dramas and documentaries. Her latest release, Hero, dramatises the life of Caribbean war hero turned pan-African activist Ulric Cross. Just as no laws govern who can write a biography, any filmmaker is free to turn their attention to a person’s life, Solomon confirms, even if that portrayal is far from flattering. VICE, for example, depicts Cheney cynically seeking excuses to invade Iraq…
04/22/2019 | Alt-Africa.com
SheCan Interview with Director Frances-Anne Solomon
Award-winning filmmaker / writer Frances-Anne Solomon works in film, TV, radio, theatre, and new media. Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she was raised and educated in the Caribbean and Canada before moving to the UK where she built a successful career with the BBC as a TV Drama Producer.
read more
04/16/2019 | Women Entrepreneur Radio
Frances-Anne Solomon: Award-winning Filmmaker, Writer, Producer & Entrepreneur
How she navigated the film industry as a woman of colour, her career path from the BBC to founding the CaribbeanTales Media Group Her advice to women entering the film industry.
03/29/2019 | Toronto.com
Women of colour the missing ingredient in Canadian film industry
Women of colour the missing ingredient in Canadian film industry
‘Our aim is to ensure representation of women of colour in the media industries,’ writes Frances-Anne Solomon
read more
03/14/2019 | Medium
I wish I had known that I would succeed despite all obstacles, that nothing would stop me. It has been surprising to me as a female that opportunities have been hard to come by, yet I kept going. I didn’t know it would be so hard, and that I would be so resilient. Looking back, I’m quite surprised and proud that I did all of this.
read more
03/2019 | CTV News
Frances-Anne Appearance on CTV News Channel – Diversity at The Oscars
Frances-Anne Appearance on CTV News Channel – Diversity at The Oscars
read more
06/04/2018 | The Native Society
Frances-Anne Solomon: Filmmaker & Entrepreneur
Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, curator, and entrepreneur in film, TV, radio, theatre, and new media. Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she was raised and educated in the Caribbean and Canada before moving to Great Britain where she built a successful career with the BBC as a TV Drama Producer… read more
04/10/2018 | Festival Reviews
The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) celebrates the talents of established and emerging filmmakers of Caribbean heritage who practise their art across the Caribbean Diaspora worldwide – including Canada and the Caribbean, Europe, the Americas… read more
03/07/2018 | CaribbeanTales TV
Frances-Anne Solomon is a Caribbean British-Canadian filmmaker, writer, producer, distributor and entrepreneur. From BBC producer to award-winning independent filmmaker, Frances-Anne has left an indelible mark on the international film scene… read more
07/03/2017 | CBC
‘It is not a street party’: 6 important lessons about the true significance of Carnival
The end of July and start of August mark the celebration of Carnival parades across Canada. They go by various names: Caribbean Days Festival in Vancouver, Cariwest in Edmonton, Carifest in Calgary and of course — although it may have a different name officially… read more
02/04/2017 | St Lucia Times
CaribbeanTales Flow into Production
Three of the Caribbean’s leading film producers will now develop pilots for their original TV series projects, via funding from Flow and CaribbeanTales Media Group… read more
2017 | WIDC
Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, curator, and entrepreneur in film, TV, radio, theatre, and new media. Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she was raised and educated in the Caribbean and Canada before moving to Great Britain where she… read more
12/2015 | The Caribbean: On Screen
The Caribbean, On Screen: A Conversation with Frances-Anne Solomon
For the past decade, Toronto has played host to the annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, an important milestone marking the global emergence of a rich and vibrant Caribbean film and television industry… read more
2015 | Alchetron
Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she began her professional life at the BBC in England, where she built a successful career as a producer, first with BBC Radio then with BBC television drama. She also produced and directed independent films through her company Leda Serene Films… read more
2/6/2015 | dbpedia.org
profile: Frances-Anne Solomon
Frances-Anne Solomon (born 28 June 1966) is a Trinidadian filmmaker, writer, producer, distributor and entrepreneur. Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she began her professional life at the BBC in England, where she built a successful career as a producer, first with BBC Radio then… read more
2/2/2015 | Women Make Movies
profile: Frances-Anne Solomon
Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, curator, distributor and entrepreneur in film, TV, radio, theatre, and new media. Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she was raised and educated in the Caribbean and Canada before moving to Great Britain where… read more
12/9/2014 | Wikipedia
Born in England of Trinidadian parents, Frances-Anne Solomon began her professional life at the BBC in England, where she built a successful career as a producer, first with BBC Radio then with BBC television drama.[1] She also produced and directed independent films through her company… read more
11/6/2014 | Jamaica Observer
Shot in arm for Caribbean films
REGIONAL film distributor, CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), has received a shot in the arm through a major funding grant from the European Union. Founder of the CTWD, producer and film-maker Frances-Anne Solomon is pleased with this latest development which she sees… read more
11/5/2014 | Pennant Media Group
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… read more
11/4/2014 | RJR News
Big boost for Caribbean film distribution
CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), a Barbados-based film distribution company, has received a funding grant from the ACPCultures+ Program, financed by the European Union and implemented by the ACP Group of States for ‘The 3D Distribution Project’ (3D) that will… read more
2014 | Mixcloud channel: Myles Marcus
Caribbean Tales Film Festival with Frances-Anne Solomon
Please visit link for audio
10/13/2013 | Trinidad and Tobago Guardian
New Opening for Caribbean Filmmakers
Sharp-tongued comic Rachel Price gave a small audience a glimpse of her vulnerable side recently, exchanging a long, tight hug with Caribbean filmmaker and distributor Frances-Anne Solomon. Price recalled how Solomon gave her the career-boosting chance a decade ago to star alongside… read more
9/12/2013 | The Hollywood Reporter
Toronto: Caribbean Filmmakers Launch SVOD Service
Caribbean film and TV series now have their own online VOD channel. The Toronto-based CaribbeanTales Group on Thursday launched CaribbeanTales-TV, a subscription video streaming service, while attending the Toronto International Film Festival… read more
9/9/2013 | The Harriet Tubman Institute
The 8th Annual CaribbeanTales Toronto Film Showcase
Celebrate films from the Caribbean diaspora with screenings and networking sessions at the 8th annual CaribbeanTales Toronto Film Showcase (September 4-14, 2013). Check out films such as Kingston Paradise by Director, Mary Wells, about a street hustler stuck in the violent ghettos of Kingston… read more
9/3/2013 | Repeating Islands
Frances-Anne Solomon…telling strong stories through film
Who is this Trinidadian international award-winning filmmaker? A recent Sunday Newsday story told more of Cross, the retired legal luminary, whose life as a “Trinidadian hero for all times” has inspired Solomon’s vision for the 75-minute feature documentary, to be released in 2014… read more
8/31/2013 | Urban Hero Magazine
8th Annual Caribbean Tales – Toronto Film Showcase – An Interview with Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO and founder… read more
8/30/2013 | Swept
Canadian Caribbean-themed web channel launches
Caribbean Tales Group, a Canadian multimedia company, has officially announced the launch of its online Caribbean-themed channel, which is aiming to create space for more cultural representation and to educate young people on their cultural roots… read more
8/21/2013 | T-Mak World
CaribbeanTales Toronto Film Festival 2013 – Tales of a Cocktail Kick Off Event
In conjunction with the start of the Canadian National Exhibition, the CaribbeanTales Toronto Film Festival held their Tales of a Cocktail event kickoff on Saturday August 17th at the Direct Energy Centre and TMAK World was there. In the run up to this years festival… read more
08/12/2013 | ’83 To Infinity
Artsy Fartsy: Caribbean Film Screening with gems of the Caribbean
Last summer, I heard about a Caribbean film festival that was going to be taking place in Toronto. My love of the arts and my unyielding Caribbean pride pushed me to send an email to the media contact, asking if there was any way I – a small, local blogger – could get involved… read more
7/16/2013 | Pride News
Caribbean Film Festival Raises The Bar For Filmmakers
It took filmmaker, Frances-Anne Solomon’s, dogged determination to put on the first CaribbeanTales film festival and now in its eighth year the festival has expanded the possibilities of Caribbean film. Solomon, chief executive officer of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, recalled that when… read more
7/14/2012 | City News
Toronto-based filmmaker takes Caribbean culture global
For years, veteran Toronto-based filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon had to justify to Canadian buyers and distributors the niche filled by her independent, non-commercial work, specifically film and television content that mined the Caribbean diasporic experience… read more
7/11/2012 | Yonge Street Media
Building a better brand: Frances-Anne Solomon’s efforts to take Caribbean culture global
For years, veteran Toronto-based filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon had to justify to Canadian buyers and distributors the niche filled by her independent, non-commercial work, specifically film and television content that mined the Caribbean diasporic experience… read more
4/12/2012 | Black in Canada
Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer in film, television, radio, theatre, and new media. Born in London, England to Trinidadian parents and raised in the Caribbean and Canada, Frances-Anne began her television career at Banyan Productions in Trinidad… read more
9/13/2011 | The Dr Vibe Show
Dr.Vibe with Frances-Anne Solomon (CEO – CaribbeantTales Worldwide Distribution
Dr. Vibe with Frances-Anne Solomon, Chief Executive Officer – CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution at the Caribbean Tales event at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2011… read more
7/29/2011 | Anguilla News
Caribbean Filmmakers Scholarship Fund Launched
Filmmakers across the Caribbean region can apply for scholarships to attend this September’s CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution Toronto Film Showcase and Market Access Program in Toronto. Announcing the CaribbeanTales Scholarship Fund at a Toronto press conference last week… read more
5/1/2011 | Pan Caribbean
Eye to Eye – Conversations: Frances-Anne Solomon
Frances-Anne Solomon is one of the most prolific of contemporary Caribbean filmmakers. Among her feature films are: What My Mother Told me, Peggy Su! and A Winter Tale. She has produced documentaries such as Reunion (about women from the West Indies serving in the armed forces during WWII)… read more
4/10/2010 | Jamaica Gleaner
CaribbeanTales Goes To NYU, Cannes
Over a year ago Frances-Anne Solomon received an e-mail from cultural icon Dr Kamau Brathwaite, congratulating and thanking her for her contribution to Caribbean film through the annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival, held in Toronto, Canada, each July… read more
3/16/2010 | The Bajan Reporter
Sound and Vision in the Caribbean Imaginary
Filmmaking, perhaps more than any other art form, complicates the question of national or regional affiliation. Film needs a director, scriptwriter, cinematographer, sound mixer, gaffer, producer amongst others and these may come from very different places and cultural backgrounds… read more
4/1/2010 | Journal of West Indian Literature
Casting Call for Frances-Anne Solomon’s new film “Break Out“. Written by Oonya Kempadoo and Frances-Anne Solomon. Produced by Lisa Wickham. Production is slated for July-August 2010. The film will be shot entirely in Trinidad… read more
9/30/2007 | Global Voices Online
Trinidad & Tobago: Talking with Filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon
Trinidad-born Frances-Anne Solomon is a blogger and award winning filmmaker who has just completed her most recent project, A Winter Tale. Set in the violent downtown Toronto community of Parkdale, the story begins with the gathering of a black men’s support group… read more
4/1/2007 | Geoffrey Philp Blog
blog: In my Own words – Frances-Anne Solomon
A cluster of thoughts are crisscrossing my mind tonight. My new film, A Winter Tale, will be in front of an audience for the first time on Wednesday, and with that a long creative journey from concept to print finds closure.I was asked by Geoffrey Philp to write “In My Own Words” for his blog… read more
4/1/2003 | Jamaicans .com
Frances Anne Solomon Director of Lord Have Mercy
Frances-Anne Solomon (Co-Creator/Team Story Writer/Director/Producer) studied Theatre and English Literature at the University of Toronto before moving to the UK. There, she spent 15 years working as a producer, director and writer in film, television and radio… read more
4/1/1999 | Caribbean Airlines: Caribbean Beat
Frances Anne Solomon: Beating the System
When she directed Peggy Su in 1996, Frances-Anne Solomon became one of the few Trinidadians to have directed or produced a feature film. She joins a select group of pioneers that includes Horace Ové, Anthony Maharaj, Kamalo Deen, Horace Wilson, Michael New, Gerald Joseph and Mary-Jane Gomes… read more