Trinidadian ‘Hero’ stops into Manhattan
TT “Hero” director, Frances-Anne Solomon (center) with
cast and crewmembers.
Caribbean Life, M BQ ay 31–June 6, 2019 11
Trinidadian filmmaker
Frances-Anne Solomon is hoping
Caribbean nationals will
turn out in droves to the US
premiere screening of “Hero”
on May 30 at the Walter Reade
Theater where the 26th annual
New York African Film Festival
will spotlight the unheralded
contribution of Ulric Cross, a
trailblazer and worthy Caribbean
national.
Now making the rounds in
London to promote the film, the
Canadian resident said she particularly
wants fellow TT nationals
to attend the film’s outing
because she believes they will be
proudly enlightened by revelations
of the 110 minute feature.
“We are honored to be opening
this important festival,”
Solomon said. “This is a story
that resonates with audiences
around the world. From his
career in the Air Force, to his
time as a lawyer and judge working
behind the scenes in the
independence movements of
Ghana, Cameroon and Tanzania,
Ulric’s life blazed a trail that
inspires us all.”
Solomon first introduced the
film to audiences in Canada, the
UK and Trinidad and Tobago.
All screening played to sold
out crowds receiving critical
acclaim in each market.
Now arriving in the USA, the
film is slated to headline New
York African Film Fest on May
30.
Included as a major entry to
this year’s recognition of the
100th anniversary of the first
Pan-African Congress with a
showcase of films about Pan-
Africanism and global game
changers, Cross’s untold contribution
adds to the storied legacy
of Caribbean contributors to the
decolonization of Africa.
Cross left Trinidad in 1941 to
become the Royal Air Force’s ’s
most decorated then described
West Indian navigator. But his
life took a different course when,
along with a number of other
notable Caribbean nationals, he
followed the call of history and
joined the Pan-African and independence
movements sweeping
the world in the ’50s and ’60s.
“As we celebrate 50 years of
FESPACO, which paralleled the
independence movements of
Africa, we have to remember
that achieving our liberation
was integrally tied to the diaspora.
In Hero, we get a slice of
how our diasporan counterparts
advocated for the liberation of
the continent,” Mahen Bonetti,
African Film Festival, Inc.,
Executive Director and NYAFF
Founder said.
“I want to thank Frances-
Anne for shedding light on such
a pivotal moment in our history.”
Since the HERO World tour
began in February, the film has
received rave reviews from audiences
and critics alike in Toronto,
Trinidad and the UK:
How Solomon happened onto
this revealing history could
probably provide fodder for a
second feature. As she told this
insider, it was at her mother’s
urging that she was prompted
to attempt the project. The benefit
of having close family ties
helped.
With assurances given, she
was able to complete the project
and also satisfy her mother’s
desire to ensure that Cross
received a proper place in the
archives that is reserved for
trailblazers to TT history.
“Come! Please come,” Solomon
said.
“I am sure Hero will make
you proud.”
The docudrama boasts an
all-star international cast that
includes Trinidad and Tobago’s
Nicolai Salcedo, in the lead
role of Ulric Cross, alongside
British stars Joseph Marcell
(Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Fraser
James (Resident Evil), Pippa
Nixon (John Carter), Canada’s
Peter Williams (Stargate SG1),
and Ghanaian superstars John
Dumelo, Adjetey Anang and
Prince David Oseia.
A second screening will take
place on June 4 at 4:15 at the
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film
Center,144 West 65th St. where
the Trinidadian director will
entertain a Q&A session.
Catch You On The Inside!
Inside Life
By Vinette K. Pryce
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