Acclaimed film director Frances-Anne Solomon and her team are one step closer to making their film based on the life of the woman who was responsible for a Caribbean carnival that was a precursor to the Notting hill festival”, activist Claudia Jones.
After years in the pipeline and an intensive development programme at this year’s European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE), the team are excited about getting this film finally made.
EAVE, established over 30 years ago, is one of the leading training and development providers for producers in Europe. It brings film producers in direct contact with other producers as well as financiers to generate highly successful projects. This year alone EAVE alums and participants were recipients of several accolades across Cannes, The Academy and other awards.
Joining Frances-Anne at EAVE this year was Omari McCarthy, scriptwriter and Lisa Wickham, co-producer of ‘CLAUDIA’. She said the experience was truly heart-warming.
“It was fascinating to see how our work resonated with people from different parts of the world. They may never have even heard of Claudia Jones, but they immediately connected with the story of how this diminutive yet powerful, joyful and determined woman brought Blacks and whites together during the riots in 1955 London.” Lisa Wickham, co-producer of CLAUDIA.
Set in London in 1958 as violent race riots ravaged the country, CLAUDIA tells the story of Jones, a Trinidad-born communist deported to England from McCarthyite USA, who comes up with an ingenious plan to unite Britain’s Black and white working classes. From those humble beginnings in 1959, Notting Hill carnival is now described as Europe’ largest street festival.
The film will be produced in partnership with BAFTA award winner Nadine Marsh-Edwards’ UK-Based Greenacre Films, Lisa Wickham’s Trinidad and Tobago-based Imagine Media International Limited and Solomon’s Canada-based CaribbeanTales Media Group (CTMG).
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