Frances-Anne Solomon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frances-Anne Solomon
Solomon in July 2012
Born	(1966-06-28) 28 June 1966 (age 59) London, England
Nationality	British, Trinidadian, Canadian
Education	Theatre, Television Production, Directing
Alma mater	University of Toronto
Occupation	Filmmaker, producer
Years active	1990–present
Known for	Film, television
Style	Television drama, Film, radio drama.

Frances-Anne Solomon, born on June 28, 1966, is a talented filmmaker, writer, producer, and distributor. She has British, Caribbean, and Canadian roots. Frances-Anne has lived in different countries like Britain, Trinidad & Tobago, and Canada.

About Frances-Anne Solomon

Frances-Anne was born in England. Her parents were from Trinidad and Tobago and had moved to Britain in 1958. She started her career at the BBC in England. There, she became a successful producer for BBC Radio and later for BBC television drama. She also made independent films through her own company, Leda Serene Films.

In 1999, Frances-Anne moved her company to Canada. She continued to write, direct, and produce films, TV shows, plays, and new media projects.

Founding CaribbeanTales

In 2001, she started the CaribbeanTales Media Group. This is a charity that creates, shows, and shares educational projects. These projects are all about stories from the Caribbean heritage.

The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival began in 2006 in Toronto. It includes an annual festival and community screenings. It also has film challenges for young people. The CaribbeanTales Incubator Program helps create new content for both local and international audiences. The festival also holds workshops and events in places like New York, Barbados, and Cuba.

In 2010, Frances-Anne founded CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution Inc. This was the first film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean. It focuses on selling and marketing films with Caribbean themes. In 2014, she launched CaribbeanTales-TV, which is a platform where you can watch videos on demand.

Frances-Anne Solomon is a director member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Her Early Life and Family

Frances-Anne is the granddaughter of Dr. Patrick Solomon. He was an important politician in Trinidad and Tobago who helped the country become independent. When her grandfather became a diplomat, her family lived in many different countries. These included Canada, the United States, Europe, and Venezuela.

She moved back to Trinidad when she was nine years old. She went to Bishop Anstey High School, a well-known girls' school. At 18, she moved to Canada to live with her mother. There, she discovered her love for the arts. She studied theatre at the University of Toronto and poetry with Jay Macpherson. In 1986, she moved to England to work for the BBC.

Her Career in Film and TV

Frances-Anne trained in TV production through a two-year BBC program. She worked on Ebony, which was the BBC's first Black magazine show. Later, she became a Radio Drama producer in London. She helped bring new talent into BBC Radio Drama. Many talented people got their start there, including actors Adjoa Andoh and Clarence Smith. Writers like Tanika Gupta and Jackie Kay also began their careers there.

She returned to television as a Script Editor for ScreenPlay. This was a series of TV dramas. From 1992 to 1998, she worked as a script editor, producer, and executive producer for BBC Single Drama and Films. She helped produce feature films like Speak Like a Child and Love Is The Devil. She believes her time at the BBC taught her the importance of public service broadcasting.

In 1993, Frances-Anne was chosen for the BBC Drama Directors Course. While working for the BBC, she also ran her own company, Leda Serene Films. Through her company, she made films like What My Mother Told Me. This film was a personal story set in Trinidad. She also directed Peggy Su!, which was produced by BBC Films. This film was set in a Chinese laundry in Liverpool in the 1960s. It is one of the few British films to show the lives of Chinese people in Britain.

Frances-Anne found that the British film and TV industry had limitations. Like many others, she decided to move. She returned to Canada in 2000. There, she founded the CaribbeanTales Media Group. She continued to create TV shows, feature films, and new media projects.

Lord Have Mercy! was Canada's first multicultural sitcom. It starred Russell Peters and Caribbean actors like Leonie Forbes. A Winter Tale, made in 2007, shows a Caribbean-Canadian community in Toronto. Frances-Anne is also the director of HERO. This film is about the life of Ulric Cross, a war hero and judge from Trinidad and Tobago.

Frances-Anne Solomon received the Visionary Award from the ReelWorld Film Festival in 2018. On July 1, 2019, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. This group includes many famous people in the film industry.

CaribbeanTales Initiatives

CaribbeanTales Inc.

CaribbeanTales Inc. is a non-profit company started in 2001. It began as an online platform for Caribbean films and arts. Early projects included CaribbeanTales.ca, an online newsletter. Another project was Literature Alive, which featured an educational website and audiobooks. It also had a documentary series about Caribbean authors, many of whom live in Canada. The non-profit company became a registered Canadian charity in 2014.

In 2006, Frances-Anne started the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival in Toronto. This festival is a place for films and filmmakers from the Caribbean and its diaspora. The CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival shows films about African heritage in schools and communities. This happens during Black History Month in Toronto. The Film Festival Group has also held festivals in Barbados and New York.

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution

In 2009, while teaching film at The University of the West Indies, she made strong connections in the Caribbean. This led to the creation of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution. This company is based in Barbados. It is the first film distribution company focused on sharing Caribbean-themed content around the world. The company was co-founded with Dr. Keith Nurse and other filmmakers. Their goal was to help Caribbean films make money and grow the Caribbean Film Industry.

Creators of Colour Incubator

The Creators of Colour Incubator (formerly CaribbeanTales Incubator Program) also started in 2010. This yearly program takes place during the Toronto International Film Festival. It helps filmmakers learn how to create and market their content. It aims to build a strong international presence for Caribbean films.

This program has become a hub for developing and producing content from the region. In 2015, CaribbeanTales received a five-year sponsorship deal with Flow. Flow is a large telecommunications company in the Caribbean. This deal supports the creation of at least three TV series pilots each year from the Incubator Program. In 2016, the first projects were chosen: Caribbean Girl NYC, Battledream Chronicle, and Heat. Production for these projects happened in New York, Martinique, and Barbados. In 2017, Flow and CaribbeanTales expanded their partnership. This gave Flow subscribers access to CaribbeanTales' large collection of films through TV on demand.

CaribbeanTales-TV

CaribbeanTales also created an online video-on-demand platform called CaribbeanTales-TV.

Selected Works

Radio Drama

Film and Television Projects

Community Awards and Recognition

Frances-Anne Solomon has received several awards for her contributions to the community:

• In 2017, she was recognized among the "100 Accomplished Black Women."
• In 2015, the Consulate General for Trinidad and Tobago in Toronto honored her. This was for her "Outstanding Contributions to Caribbean Film and Television."
• She received the "2015 Persistence Award" from the Jackie Robinson Fortitude Awards.
• In 2014, Planet Africa Television gave her the "2014 Heritage Award."
• In 2012, the Tropicana Community Centre presented her with the "2012 Community Builder Award."