DuVernay, a two-time Emmy Award winner, Academy Award nominee, and founder of ARRAY – a multi-facetted film and social impact organization that includes ARRAY Releasing, ARRAY Filmworks, and the ARRAY Creative Campus – will join the Forum for the Opening Night and will close out the CCF with a Masterclass open to the public. The Selma director will also serve as a celebrity jury member for the event’s final Pitching event. DuVernay has helmed a long list of television and film productions including the Oscar-nominated documentary 13th and Middle of Nowhere for which she won Best Director at Sundance. Trinidad-born Toussaint – also a producer and teacher, will offer her expertise as a mentor and will be at the Forum from beginning to end to support the participants. Known for her roles in Orange is The New Black for which she earned a Critics Choice TV Award for Best Supporting Actress, and recurring roles on Law and Order, Saving Grace and Fosters, she currently stars as Aunt Vi on the CBS hit drama, The Equalizer.James is an award-winning author, he was the first Jamaican to take home the U.K’s most prestigious literary award, the 2015 Man Booker Prize for his novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings. He is the author of five novels and currently teaches literature at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and is a faculty lecturer at St. Francis College. He most recently wrote the screenplay for the HBO/Channel 4 series “Get Millie Black” that was shot in Jamaica. James will be a panelist at the forum, amplifying and sharing his insights, work and network with attendees.  Hollywood actor CCH Pounder, with participants at CCF2024.CCF 2025 is currently accepting submissions from experienced Global Majority producers , including Documentary, Feature Film, and TV Series producers from the UK, Canada, Africa, EU, and the Caribbean eager to participate in this transformative experience. Bursaries: A number of full bursaries are available to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) filmmakers from the UK, Canada, South Africa and the Caribbean.Discounted Rate: If you apply as a co-producer with a BIPOC producer who is accepted, you may be elligible to attend at a discounted rate. The BIPOC producer must own at least 51% of the applying company and project. Submit your application HERE by March 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST. For inquiries and additional information, please contact: [email protected] |
“CCF is a crucial hub for global film and television collaborations, and I am delighted to welcome Ava, Lorraine, and Marlon to join us for the this landmark event,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of CTMG and award-winning director, as well as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Each of them brings an extraordinary and unique perspective from our worldwide diaspora, enriching this platform with their talent and vision.”
