“Hero: Inspired by The Extraordinary Life and Times of Ulric Cross” — a feature film about an amazing man’s connections with World War II, African independence, the Black Power movement and international activism — will be screened Tuesday in Los Angeles at the opening night of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival.
Amazing is actually an understatement regarding the real-life exploits of Cross, a Trinidad and Tobago citizen who had a stint as a highly-decorated combat pilot flying for United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force during World War II.
Cross performed “an active and important role in the Pan African Movement, which led to the creation of the 28 modern Caribbean and 54 modern African nations.”
Canadian-Caribbean filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, the director of “Hero.”
“We are very excited to screen HERO and share the triumphs and victories of Judge Ulric Cross and his Pan African brothers, which led to the creation of our modern world. It is truly an honor for me personally, as well as the Pan African Film Festival to present and create awareness about this great, important, enriching and entertaining story,” said Ayuko Babu, executive director of PAFF. END TRIM FOR PRINT
The cast includes Trinidad and Tobago’s Nickolai Salcedo as Cross. Other cast members, and their performing credits), include "Canada’s Peter Williams (Stargate SG1), UK actors Joseph Marcell (Fresh Prince of Bel Air ), Fraser James (Resident Evil), and Pippa Nixon (John Carter). The film also stars "Ghanaian actors John Dumelo, Adjetey Anang and Prince David Oseia.
Funded by Canada’s Telefilm and Trinidad’s Republic Bank, the film is a production of CaribbeanTales Media Group, California Pictures and Imagine Media International.
For more on the film, visit heroulriccross.com.
AfroPop films on World Channel
The World Channel is presenting “Amina and Daddy” and the “Warlord,” premiering at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. tomorrow , respectively as part of the “AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange.”
“Amina and Daddy,” by director Kivilcim Akay, is a look at “29-year-old Senegalese immigrant living in Turkey striving to reconcile her dreams of a career in high fashion with the reality of her life in a foreign land and struggles to provide for her daughter back home,” according for a spokesman for the film.
The other film, “Warlord,” from filmmakers Shamira Raphaëla and Clarice Gargard, explores Gargard’s family ties and family secrets connections to postwar Liberia, as she attempts to connect with her father and learn the truth about his work and involvement with dictatorial President Charles Taylor.
The AfroPoP series is produced by Black Public Media and co-presented by American Public Television.
For more information on AfroPoP, visit www.blackpublicmedia.org.