Inspired By The Extraordinary Life & Times Of Mr. Ulric Cross
Opening Night @ AFI DC Caribbean Film Festival
on Thursday, June 6, 2019
AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301.495.6700
Director: Frances-Anne Solomon
Run Time: 110 min
Country: Canada/Trinidad & Tobago
HERO is the story of Ulric Cross, who in 1941, left his small island home in Trinidad to seek his fortune, and became the RAF’s most decorated West Indian airman of WWII. His life took a dramatically different course when he followed the call of history and joined the Pan African and independence movements sweeping the world in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The film is not just about his life but about the dynamic and transformative times in which he lived. It is the hitherto untold story of those Caribbean professionals who helped to liberate Africa from colonialism.
Praise for HERO
“HERO is an electrifying, dramatic motion picture, filled with twists and turns that will thrill audiences across the globe.”
” Uplifting and informative, the film features Nickolai Salcedo, a superb actor who commands attention.
“HERO is a cinematic juggling act, and director Frances-Anne Solomon pulls it off with aplomb.”
“Filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon who wrote, directed and produced this outstanding docu-drama, deserves lavish praise for showcasing an historical legend, and for helping to change the negative stereotypical portrayal of people of African descent on the screen.”
“An epic achievement…”
“Hero is a must-see film”
“Timely and riveting”
“I was blown away by Hero”
“Frances-Anne’s work Ulric Cross HeroforallTimel is heartfelt and powerful. It has and continues to play a vital role in carving out space for underrepresented voices and important conversations.” Tonya Lee Williams, Reelworld Film Festival
An International Cast and Production
Shot in Trinidad, Ghana, the UK, and Canada, the film features a host of celebrated British actors including Joseph Marcell of Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame, playing the role of writer CLR James; Fraser James, of Terminator Salvation, playing the role of George Padmore and British-Nigerian actor Jimmy Akingbola, of BBC’s Holby City, playing Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah. Meet the cast here
For more information: [email protected]
Director: Frances-Anne Solomon
Frances-Anne Solomon
“Frances-Anne’s work is heartfelt and powerful. It has and continues to play a vital role in carving out a space for underrepresented voices and important conversations.” – Tonya Williams, Reelworld Film Festival.
A trailblazer in the film and television industry, Frances-Anne Solomon is a Toronto-based award-winning writer, producer, director, curator and distributor in film, television, and radio.
Frances-Anne started her professional life at the BBC where she built a successful career with the BBC as a TV Drama Producer and Executive Producer. Productions included Love is the Devil by John Maybury, and Speak Like A Child by John Akomfrah, which she executive produced for the BBC. She then moved to Canada where she is the founder and CEO of the CaribbeanTales Media Group — based in Barbados the UK and Toronto — that creates, produces, markets, and sells Caribbean-themed film and television content for global audiences. It includes the CaribbeanTales Incubator Program, a development hub for original content; CaribbeanTalesFlix – the production arm; the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, now in its 14th year; CaribbeanTales-TV, an SVOD platform; and CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, the first-of-its-kind film distribution company in the English speaking Caribbean.
A pioneer in television, in 2003 Frances-Anne co-created, produced and directed Lord Have Mercy! -a groundbreaking hit Caribbean sitcom that aired in Canada on Vision TV, Toronto One, Showcase, and APTN. In 2016 she founded CineFAM Inc, which supports bold, original film stories by Women of Colour creators worldwide. She began her television career at Banyan Productions in Trinidad and is an alumnus of the prestigious BBC Drama Directors Program.
Filmography
- HERO – Feature Film – 2019 – Writer/Director/Producer – Trinidad and Tobago/Canada Kingston Paradise – Feature Film – 2013- Producer/ Executive Producer – Jamaica
- Heartbeat – Documentary Series – 2008 – Creator/ Producer/ Director – Bravo! Canada A Winter Tale – Feature Film – 2008 – Writer/Director – Telefilm Canada / City TV
- Literature Alive – Doc. Series – 2006 – Creator/ Producer/ Director – Bravo! Canada Lord Have Mercy! – Sitcom – 2001-2003 – Co-Creator/ Director – Showcase/APTN Speak
- Like A Child – Feature Film – 1998 – Executive Producer – BCC/BFI
- Peggy Su! – Feature Film – 1998 – Director – BBC Films
- Sixth Happiness – Feature Film – 1997 – Executive Producer- BBC/BFI Love Is The Devil Feature Film – 1997 – Executive Producer – BBC/BFI Bideshi – Short Film – 1995 – Director – BBC/BFI
- Flight – Television Drama – 1995 – Executive Producer – BBC Single Drama Siren Spirits – Short Film Series – 1994 – Writer/ Director/ Producer – BBC/BFI
- What My Mother Told Me – Feature Film – 1994 – Writer/ Director/ Producer – Channel 4 Reunion – Documentary – 1992 – Writer/ Director/ Producer – BBC
- I Is A Long Memoried Woman – Doc Feature – 1991 – Director/ Producer – Arts Council of England
By TCC Editorial Staff
