Frances-Anne Solomon will take the Big Apple by storm this November with the US premiere of her emotional feature film A Winter Tale. After opening the 2007 ReelWorld Film Festival and traveling the international film festival circuit, A Winter Tale has been invited to kick off the 15th anniversary celebration of New York's annual African Diaspora Film Festival (ADFF), the largest showcase of Black cinema on the east coast. The opening night screening will take place on Friday, November 23, 2007 at 8:30 p.m.

Two additional screenings are scheduled for Sunday November 25 and Saturday December 1, 2007. These screenings are the culmination of a week of special events recognizing Solomon's work and accomplishments.

On November 19 the Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Harold Robertson, will host a reception for A Winter Tale, recognizing Solomon's achievements in film, and the success of A Winter Tale which among several other international awards, most recently won the People's Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival. The TTFC is one of the most important showcases of film from the Caribbean region and its diaspora, and this year screened over 150 films including works from Europe, the US, Canada and Cuba.

Leonie Forbes, who also stars in the movie, will then be honoured for her achievements in the arts at a special reception at the Jamaican Consulate on November 20. Known as Jamaica's First Lady of Theatre and Film, her talent, drive, and dynamism have established her as one of the Caribbean's most respected artists. Forbes, who will be traveling to NY to attend the reception, will be recognized for her work as a Jamaican artist who has achieved success in both the local and international creative industries.

A Winter Tale tells the emotional story of a Black men's support group that forms in a local Caribbean take out restaurant, after a young boy is killed by a stray bullet. Bitter and tragic, funny and hopeful, the film not only tells a uniquely Canadian story that features Toronto as a central character, it also tells the universal story of Black men looking to assert their humanity in this world.

A Winter Tale "is one of the rare films that has been made in recent years that focuses on the humanity of Black men and their struggle to be able to express their inner feelings," said Diarah N'Daw-Spech, General Manager of ArtMattan Productions and a curator of ADFF.

This year's festival will boast a selection of world, North American, US, and New York premieres from more than 40 countries, including a rich offering coming from many parts of the African continent.

Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, director and producer whose credits include Lord Have Mercy! (VisionTV, 2003), Peggy Su! (BBC Films, 1997), What My Mother Told Me (Channel 4, 1995) and Bideshi (British Film Institute, 1994). She is the president and artistic director of the two companies she founded: Leda Serene Films and CaribbeanTales and has also worked as a film and television drama producer for the BBC.

The African Diaspora Film Festival presents an eclectic mix of foreign, independent, classic and urban films representing the global Black experience through an extraordinary range of subjects and artistic approaches. This 17 day event showcases 70 to 90 films every year, including numerous U.S. and N.Y. premieres.

Created in 1993 by ArtMattan Productions, a company that produces a collection of programs and events promoting Afrocentric theme cultures, ADFF has long been delighting audiences with U.S. and world premieres of independent films, including features, documentaries, animation, and shorts.

For more information, please visit:
www.ledaserene.ca
www.awintertale.ca
www.caribbeantales.ca