I sing of a well pulls in Jimmy Jean Louis
By Joy Della OclooFilm/TV Workshop | Fri, 16 Oct 2009
Jimmy Jean Louis
Wow!! How did this piece of information slip me by? Courtesy Ameyaw Debra. His website link below. Kudos to these brand of female filmmakers. Take the world by storm women, take the world by storm!!
Ghana will be the bomb this month!! The industry is going back to its roots.
By Ameyaw Debra
Haitian-born actor and former model, Jimmy Jean-Louis has signed on to narrate the first installation, “I Sing of A Well,” of the slave trade trilogy “Legions of Slaves.”
“It is absolutely great to have Jimmy narrate the film,” said Leila Djansi, the film's director. “Ghanaians love him and they love “Heroes;” so, to have such a prominent character grace their movie is pride indeed.”
Jean-Louis, is best know for his role as The Haitian on NBC's hit drama “Heroes.” His big screen break happened when he nabbed a role in Jean Claude Van Damme's “Derailed”. He went on to play the supporting role of Gideon in “Tears of Sun” starring Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci, directed by Antoine Fuqua. Jean-Louis shared the big screen with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez in New Line Cinema's “Monster-In-Law” in 2005. In 2006, he landed the role of the leading man and love interest of actress and comedian Monique in the romantic comedy “Phat Girlz” . Jean-Louis has also made appearances in hit television shows F/X's “The Shield,” HBO's “Arli$$,” CBS's “The District,” and Fox's “Fastlane.”
Djansi, known for including an American actor in her films, feels Jean-Louis will bring a wide range of appeal and help market the film being that he appeals to such a broad range of people across the world. She explains, “I was not going for an American-born actor, rather a well known actor who has done significant work in Hollywood. Looking at his body of work, Jimmy will bring a whole lot to the table when it comes to audience appeal. He has the voice and also the accent that cuts well for this type of movie.”
“I Sing of A Well” is set in the ancient Ghana Empire, in the time of the Mali kingdom under King Mansa Musa's rule. Prince Wenambe (John Osei Tutu Agyeman) wins the throne from his father when he hands over the kingdom to Mansa Musa for protection from slave raiders. Basking in his glory as King, he seeks tirelessly after the beautiful Soraya (Akofa E Asiedu) who is betrothed to another, Dume (Godwin Kotey), but his glory is short lived as Mansa Musa himself becomes a slave raider.
The narrative feature is jointly produced by Turning Point Pictures and Calabash Images and is expected to strike controversy as it fuses history with drama through exploring Africans as slave traders before the emergence of the trans-African slave trade which involved other races.
The three-year project will have special screenings in Ghana and Nigeria at the end of October 2009, followed by screening on the festival circuit. Distributed by Cinema Librè, in Winter 2010, a theatrical release in select United States cities will be followed by a worldwide release.
The Grand Premiere in Ghana will take place at the National Theatre on October 31.
source
http://www.ameyawdebrah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:i-sing-of-a-well-pulls-in-jimmy-jean-louis&catid=2:entertainment-news&Itemid=3
Story by Joy Della Ocloo
Ghana will be the bomb this month!! The industry is going back to its roots.
By Ameyaw Debra
Haitian-born actor and former model, Jimmy Jean-Louis has signed on to narrate the first installation, “I Sing of A Well,” of the slave trade trilogy “Legions of Slaves.”
“It is absolutely great to have Jimmy narrate the film,” said Leila Djansi, the film's director. “Ghanaians love him and they love “Heroes;” so, to have such a prominent character grace their movie is pride indeed.”
Jean-Louis, is best know for his role as The Haitian on NBC's hit drama “Heroes.” His big screen break happened when he nabbed a role in Jean Claude Van Damme's “Derailed”. He went on to play the supporting role of Gideon in “Tears of Sun” starring Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci, directed by Antoine Fuqua. Jean-Louis shared the big screen with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez in New Line Cinema's “Monster-In-Law” in 2005. In 2006, he landed the role of the leading man and love interest of actress and comedian Monique in the romantic comedy “Phat Girlz” . Jean-Louis has also made appearances in hit television shows F/X's “The Shield,” HBO's “Arli$$,” CBS's “The District,” and Fox's “Fastlane.”
Djansi, known for including an American actor in her films, feels Jean-Louis will bring a wide range of appeal and help market the film being that he appeals to such a broad range of people across the world. She explains, “I was not going for an American-born actor, rather a well known actor who has done significant work in Hollywood. Looking at his body of work, Jimmy will bring a whole lot to the table when it comes to audience appeal. He has the voice and also the accent that cuts well for this type of movie.”
“I Sing of A Well” is set in the ancient Ghana Empire, in the time of the Mali kingdom under King Mansa Musa's rule. Prince Wenambe (John Osei Tutu Agyeman) wins the throne from his father when he hands over the kingdom to Mansa Musa for protection from slave raiders. Basking in his glory as King, he seeks tirelessly after the beautiful Soraya (Akofa E Asiedu) who is betrothed to another, Dume (Godwin Kotey), but his glory is short lived as Mansa Musa himself becomes a slave raider.
The narrative feature is jointly produced by Turning Point Pictures and Calabash Images and is expected to strike controversy as it fuses history with drama through exploring Africans as slave traders before the emergence of the trans-African slave trade which involved other races.
The three-year project will have special screenings in Ghana and Nigeria at the end of October 2009, followed by screening on the festival circuit. Distributed by Cinema Librè, in Winter 2010, a theatrical release in select United States cities will be followed by a worldwide release.
The Grand Premiere in Ghana will take place at the National Theatre on October 31.
source
http://www.ameyawdebrah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:i-sing-of-a-well-pulls-in-jimmy-jean-louis&catid=2:entertainment-news&Itemid=3
Story by Joy Della Ocloo
Comments To This Article
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jimmy louis
Aba | accra-ghana (United States) | 10/16/2009 3:03:00 AM
wonderful!this is what we need in Ghana. now this is a gollywood hollywood film. can't wait
RIGHT ON.....
Jonathan | Accra-Ghana (Ghana) | 10/16/2009 11:25:00 AM
You are right Aba, if what we read of this movie by kind courtesy Joy Della Ocloo (I am not saying she wrote this article) is anything to go by, then I think the Ghanaian movie industry is just about to experience the expected shake up that would yank it off to a very high international standard...........I have not seen this movie and I hope to when it lands at the National Theatre as stated....but from the little synopsis I have read about it so far, I think it will be a great movie which Ghanaians will not forget in a hurry considering its "historical" theme which promises to fully expouse Ghanaian originality..I am all for such a movie.I also admire Leila's promotional strategies.....She is raking in all the celebrity endorsements by Hollywood personalities and this is sure going to put this movie among the international movie kingdom....Why won't it ever sell tons in Ghana? Surely, Ghanaians would love to curiously patronise a Ghanaian movie that Hollywood celebrities have endorsed......However, there has to be more publicity drives in the Ghanaian media about the movie and testimonials of how many Hollywood movie connoisseurs have applauded Leila's latest work.....I, as a media practitioner, am more than willing to help with some write ups and publicity because I love to celebrate Ghanaian creativity garnished with indigenous originality just like this movie.......Joy, please be kind enough to give me updates of where I can get tickets to watch the Ghanaian premier at the National Theatre......or at least a copy of the movie for review...... Take my advise Leila, nothing would thrill Ghanaians more than to read or hear about the Hollywood personalities that have "thumps-upped" this movie, stories of it splashed in major Ghanaian Entertainment newspapers and major selected radio stations is just good enough to send this movie reeling in every home.....I think I share Joy's obsession in promoting this movie in Ghana at least to serve as a good example to Ghanaian producers that we can make a movie with Ghanaian originality or culture and make it sell internationally without adopting foreign culture in our scripts or films.....This is my objective opinion
HOLD UP A SECOND
Jonathan | Accra-Ghana (Ghana) | 10/16/2009 11:48:00 AM
Did I just see Calabash Images listed as part of the producers of this movie? I suspect Akofa Adjeani runs that production house (Calabash Images)... and though I acknowledge her as one of Ghana's renowned actresses, I was a bit disappointed when I watched the first production created by Calabash entitled "f**ls In Love"...No hard feelings but the movie was an apology to the Ghanaian industry....Lighting was poor 9I mean very poor), the sound was just bad, camera angles just did not give you the feel of drama or excitement and most of the actors and actresses sucked!!! The worst part of the movie was the lighting bit...Night scenes were like a total black out and you could hear people talking but virtually no images were visible enough....I just hope they do a better work with "I Sing Of A Well".....Anyways, These words are dispassionate and objective opinions of mine (copyrighted) about the state and development of the Ghanaian movie industry which I will "passionately (note the contrasts) advocate for anywhere I am....It has got nothing to do with my personal banters with Joy or Leila...or anyone for that matter.
