HELLO AMERICA!—We have got to face and understand the effect Hollywood has on millions of people all over the world. When they first view those magic moving images in a theater or on a home screen, something happens and suddenly there is an intense desire to see more. On the magic screen, their dreams come true, the impossible becomes very possible and the world they seemed to be stuck or trapped in fades in a kind of fog slowly extracting hope and a sense good things do and can happen.
Obviously, Romane Simon, a young filmmaker connected with this open door to greater creative possibilities in Haiti where each day of his life was met with a storm of political unrest. He was determined to get to the place where he could paint his own screen stories and images he hungered for the world to know about.
Simon finally arrived in Hollywood and quickly settled in an area where many young people find it economical for survival. He quickly made himself known among others who had a similar passion for film which resulted in a new world of cinematic magic. His dream took root and before he knew it, he was yelling “ACTION!” And his filmmaking dance began.
This was only a few years ago and Romane has continually directed short and feature films making the industry feel his artistic power and passion for story-telling.
His latest feature film is “Life of Gia” based on a true story about a girl who loses her family at the age of eight in a car accident. The driver of the car is an out of control drug addict. The young girl is forced to live with her an aunt who eventually dies of cancer forcing her to live with a grandmother who is also dying. Her need is to survive as well as take care of her grandmother who is the last important person in her life on the island; she is determined to find some kind of job in order to make life plausible.
Gia finds a job but it forces her to be around the lowest of the low, drug addicts, women of ill repute which results in her being raped and beaten. The film paints a graphic picture of her desperate determination to create a life of pride and dignity. She manages eventually to do just that; she discovers her own talents and natural intellectual gifts lifting her head on a level of success and dignity she has always needed and wanted.
Simon stressed the point of his story that one should never give up on one’s dreams. Not only that, it is important to consider the life of others before doing something which might result in tragedy. “When you’re very young,” he offered, “it seldom comes to mind certain realities of how your actions can affect the life of someone else. I just hope that my film will at least make people; especially young people become aware of this. Simple as that.”
The film stars Sarah Barker, Alex Mann, Mariela Garriga, Twon Johnson, Carla Shorts as well as a cast of new talented young actors. The film is written /directed by Romane Simon who is an award winning filmmaker and author of bestselling novel “Red to Black-The Power of Love.”
