FILM: Fuego ( February 25 Launch )

An original short film by Christine Rodríguez

Poster design - Nalo Soyini Bruce

SYNOPSIS:

Lonely, isolated and disconnected from his roots, Manolo is an Afro-Cuban man who has reached a low point in his life. While his boss denigrates him constantly, Manolo finds hope after a chance meeting in the community centre where he works.

Seul, isolé et déconnecté de ses racines, Manolo est un homme Afro-cubain qui a touché le fond dans sa vie. Alors que son patron cherche à constamment l’humilier, Manolo retrouve espoir suite à une rencontre au centre communautaire dans lequel il travaille.

Solo, aislado y desconectado de sus raíces, Manolo es un hombre afrocubano que tocó fondo en su vida. Aunque su jefe lo denigra constantemente, Manolo halla la esperanza después de un encuentro inesperado en el centro comunitario en el que trabaja.

“Cambia, porque se te va, se te va la vida.”

Fuego is part of the Black Ink mentorship program of Black Wealth Media who will house the film on their website alongside other Black created content.

Fuego fait partie du programme de mentorat de Black Wealth Media qui présentera le film sur leur site web au côté d’autres créations afrocentriques.

Fuego hace parte de un programa de Black Wealth Media que promueve la creación de películas sobre la diáspora africana.

Here are samples of the costume designs:

Visit the facebook page to keep up to date with the production and additional info!

Written, directed and produced by Christine Rodriguez

Starring:

​Danny Blanco-Hall

Daniel Loyer

Davide Chiazzese

Katherine Sideris

Abena Bentley

Director of Photography: Laura Torres

Sound Director, Mixing and Editing: Rob Denton

Art Direction and Design, Poster Design: Nalo Soyini Bruce

Film Editor: Juliette Crytes

Directing Mentor: Ivy Yukiko Ishihara Oldford

Musical Director and Original Music: Giovany Arteaga Valdes

Prodution Manager and Assistant Director: Kiki Dranias

Production Assistant: Imtiyaz Bandali

Co-produced and developed  under the mentorship of Black Ink/Encre Noire by Black Wealth Media.

THEATRE: 11:11

A Theatre Passe Muraille digital production

Written & Performed by Samson Bonkeabantu Brown

Directed by Tsholo Khalema

Where the spirit world and the real-world meet, lies a world unapologetically crafted and performed by critically acclaimed trans identified artist, Samson Bonkeabantu Brown. 11:11 explores the other side of fear through the eyes of a young, Black transman struggling to understand the ancestral messages saturating his dreams.

Poster credit: photo by Dahlia Katz and design by Louis Duarte

Some pages from the design presentation below:

"Wardrobe will be rich with colourful and textured fabrics layered with neutral basics. Costume changes will happen on stage during scene and character transitions. Other costume elements will include masks to illustrate the dialogues between Amandla and the ancestors Gogo and Avo."

Quick change solution: 2 costumes in one!

Silumko transforms into Mum

Behind the scenes look at the building of the ancestral masks:

Materials - recycled brown paper bags, glass beads, rope and burlap

Credits:

Playwright & Performer Samson Bonkeabantu Brown Director Tsholo Khalema

Original Producer Brett Haynes Set & Costume Design by Nalo Soyini Bruce Assistant to Set & Costume Design Lucy Wong Choreographed by Mafa Makhubalo

Lighting Design by Sharmylae Taffe-Fletcher Music by Waleed Abdulahmid Sound Design by River Oliveira Stage Manager Laura Baxter

Digital Producer & Editor Ulla Laidlaw TPM Production Manager Eric Read Technicians Joey Morin, John Cabanela Camera Operators Rinchen Dolma, Shavo Dorjee

DANCE: Papillon

A Danse-Cité & Créations Interdisciplinaires We All Fall Down coproduction

What can we expect from the unexpected? What can we recognize in the chaotic, in a world governed by unpredictability? Drawing on the aesthetics of street and contemporary dance, PAPILLON juxtaposes three solos and a live experimental soundtrack in a complex trio that explores the delicate balance between order and disorder.

" How do we create under confinement?  How are we together while alone? How can we generate empathy, not images? How can we travel through time while being in the present moment? How will we grieve what we've lost while moving towards the future? How can we learn to sit comfortably in friction? How can we be three dimensional in a two dimensional frame? "

— Helen Simard

in collaboration with the performers Nindy Banks, Mecdy Jean-Pierre, Victoria Mackenzie, Rémy Saminadin, Roger White, Ted Yates

Roger White musical director

Jody Burkholder sound engineer

Robin Fisher set design

Stéphanie Fromentin rehearsal direction

Hannah Kirby technical direction and lighting design

Alexandra Landé artistic consultant

Mathieu Leroux dramaturgy

Nalo Soyini Bruce costume design + Courtney Orbin Moses design assistance

Do Phan Hoi photographer