Leading man for 'Sinking Sands', Jimmy Jean-Louis to be honoured at Cannes

Jimmy Jean-Louis, the male lead in award-winning Ghanaian film maker, Leila Djansi's upcoming movie, 'Sinking Sands' is to be presented with a humanitarian award. The Haitian born actor and founder of Hollywood Unites for Haiti, will receive the Humanitarian Award from Academy Award winning actor Sean Penn during International Luxury Media's 3rd Annual Better World Awards' (BWA) Glitter and Glam Ball. The invitation-only black-tie gala, cocktail reception and dinner will take place at The Lotus VIP Club On Le Goeland Beach during the Cannes Film Festival on May 19.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, who will receive the BWA Fashion Philanthropy Award, will be among the special guests that include Boris Becker, Prince Filliberto de Savoie, Princess Clotilde Courau, Elie Saab, Denise Rich, Hofit Golan, The Al-Rashid family, Troy Bayliss, Baden Cooke, and Ana Cunya.

The exclusive evening includes musical performances by Bryan Ferry and Ky-Mani Marley, a celebrity poker tournament, fashion show by StyleShopUSA, and a live luxury charity auction benefiting Hollywood Unites for Haiti and Fashion Relief for Haiti.

Jimmy was born in Petionville, near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After the powerful 2010 earthquake, Jean-Louis went back to Haiti to search for his elderly parents. Sadly, he learned that a house he had grown up in collapsed, killing several of his relatives.

"Haiti has suffered many set backs in its rich history and yet the Haitian people have never lost the character to face adversity with creativity, resilience, and community," said Jean-Louis. “I want to do everything in my power to comfort those who desperately need help and rebuild the country that I love.”

The tragic events inspired Jean-Louis to change the focus of his charity Hollywood Unites for Haiti, whose original mission was to provide sports and cultural education to underprivileged youth on the island. The group mobilized for disaster relief after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck. The organization allocates 100% of its donations for helping Haitian citizens and raising global awareness of ways in which people can help .

Jimmy will be tackling another humanitarian issue that affects thousands of lives in Ghana and around the world in the psychological thriller, 'Sinking Sands'. The much anticipated Leila Djansi film addresses the all-important issue of domestic abuse in a dramatic and unexpected manner. Jimmy and Leila teamed up on the critically acclaimed, award winning epic, 'I Sing of A Well', which was narrated by Jimmy.