We’re excited to feature Emmy Award nominated filmmaker Rachelle Salnave on Episode 2!

Rachelle Salnave has balanced an extensive range of professional experiences. In a 10-year span, her documentary “Harlem’s Mart 125: The American Dream” won Best Documentary at the 2010 African World Documentary Film Festival in St. Louis, Missouri and was featured in the 2011 National Urban League Conference focusing on gentrification.

Salnave’s short documentary “The Haitian Guantanamo Bay Experience: The Legal Journey” was selected for the online exhibit, “Guantanamo Public Memory Project” spearheaded by Columbia University. After completing a Master’s degree in Motion Pictures at the University of Miami in May of 2014, she developed Ayiti Images, which is a film series showcasing Haitian films and its directors, traveling throughout South Florida creating forums to better explore the Haitian experience. In March 2015, The General Consulate of the Republic of Haiti in Miami nominated Salnave with the “Beacon of Hope and Achievement” award. Sundance Institute has selected Salnave as the 2015 Screenwriters Intensive Fellow.

Salnave traveled to Guatemala and created a short documentary, “The Heavenly Nut,” which looks at one family’s mission to save the environment by planting macadamia nut trees. In 2016, her feature documentary, “La Belle Vie: The Good Life,” which examines her Haitian identity was nominated for an EMMY award. Salnave is a 2x Knight Foundation recipient and was named the 2017 “Knight Champion” for her leadership in the film community in Miami. In February 2018, Salnave and her partner Jean H. Marcelin launched Black Lounge Film Series, which brings global black films to Historic Overtown.

Check out the trailer for La Belle Vie: The Good Life. You can find the full film on Amazon Prime Video.

Welcome to Season 5 of Fanm on Films! This week’s guest is actor/producer Bechir Sylvain.

Bechir Sylvain is a Haitian-American actor who plays “EJ” on the TNT’s series CLAWS and “Willy” on the BET streaming series, BIGGER. A lifetime member of The Actors Studio, Bechir studied drama at Southern Methodist University and co-founded Ground Up & Rising Theater Company in Miami where he grew up after immigrating from Haiti as a teenager. Bechir has performed at Arizona Theater Company, Gablestage, American Stage, Summer Shorts, Ground Up & Rising, Gorilla Theater and Theater 68 where he earned a Best Ensemble NAACP Theater Award win for his performance as Malcolm X in the play “The Meeting.” His television credits also include guest-starring on Chicago, PD (NBC), Better Call Saul (AMC), Black-ish (ABC) Grace and Frankie (Netflix), Fuller House (Netflix) and The Mick (FOX). He was supporting lead in the Hallmark drama The Ultimate Life and a had supporting role in American Zeotrope’s Life After Beth. Fluent in French and Haitian Kreyol, Bechir has appeared in over 32 national and regional commercials. He was the inaugural grand prize winner of the ABC Discovers showcase and has won Best Actor at American Black Film Festival.

Check out Bechir’s short film ID and follow him on social media @bechirsylvain.

In our season finale, we chat with actor/producer/humanitarian Jimmy Jean-Louis. He talks about his new film Rattlesnakes and how he got to be The Haitian on the series Heroes. He also talks about the challenges and opportunities of being a Haitian actor in Hollywood. Jimmy is a formable actor as well as a staunch advocate for Haiti, having founded his organization Hollywood Unites for Haiti. We are honored to have him close our 4th season!

Check out the trailer for Rattlesnakes here:

Jongnic Bontemps is a uniquely modern film composer, harmonizing a classical education with his rich tech background. As a maestro of Silicon Valley, he wrote everything from the hip-hop infused score for the Tribeca-favorite documentary United Skates, to rousing additional music for Creed II. In this interview, we cover his roots in music, how he got into the business and the differences in various roles in professional music making.

This week we interview Nadège August, creator and star of the the web series Bougie Dilemma and host of the podcast What the Fockery. Our in depth interview covers topics such as being a working actress in Hollywood, the challenges of creating a webseries and dating in Los Angeles. Nadège continues to be engaged both on and off camera, living her passions and commitments in the world.

Filmmaker Raoul Peck takes 30 pages of writing from James Baldwin and weaves image and audio together to create this masterpiece. Taking a poetic yet striking look at race in America, I Am Not Your Negro is a fitting tribute to the prolific work of Baldwin. We look at both the visual aspects and content of the film, analyzing it’s confrontation head on with some of the most pressing issues of our time.

“Saved By Grace” is a delightful first film by Standup Comedian/Writer/Emcee Nancy Bellany. She wrote and stars in this faith-based comedy. Produced by Jayna Entertainment, the film also showcases a number of comedians in the LA area, making it hard to keep quiet during this look at what happens when a church spirals into crisis.

Follow Nancy at:Facebook: nancybellanycomedyTwitter: @nancybfunnyIG: @nancybellanycomedy

This week we take a deep dive into disaster politics and the non-profit industrial complex with the film Poverty, Inc. Through hundreds of interviews and analysis, they raise questions about the issue of world aid and it’s tendency to cripple rather than bolster the economy of developing countries.

Michael Matheson Miller – Director / ProducerAnielka Munkel – Co-ProducerMark R. Weber – Co-ProducerJonathan Witt – Writer

POVERTY, INC. | Official Trailer from POVERTY, INC. | The Movie on Vimeo.

In our Season 4 premiere, we take a look at the recently completed documentary Cheche Lavi. This film is a portrait of two Haitian migrants, Robens and James, who find themselves stranded at the US-Mexico border with no way forward and no one to depend on but each other. Examining an important issue facing many Haitians today, this film gives an intimate look at what it is like to be Black at the border.

Rachel Cantave (producer) Abraham Ávila (producer) Sam Ellison (director)

In honor of the acclaimed film “Kafou” debuting on Amazon Prime, we’re replaying our review of the movie and interview with producer Gilbert Mirambeau. There are lots of spoilers in this episode but we had a great time chatting with Gilbert about the complexities of making a film in Haiti.

Producers: Gilbert Mirambeau, Bruno Mourral, Jasmuel AndriDirector: Bruno MourralStarring: Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Manfred Marcelin

Check out “Kafou” on Amazon.

Watch the trailer below.