Thursday, November 15, 2007

Ms. Leonie Forbes, a 2004 recipient of the Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award, will add to her collection of honors next Tuesday when she is lauded by the Jamaican Consulate in New York.

An actor and broadcaster and Jamaica’s first lady of theatre and film, she will be honored at a special reception hosted by the Jamaican Consulate in New York on Tuesday November 20, 2007 at 6 p.m. The reception recognizes her work as a film artist who has achieved success in the Jamaican and international film industry. 

Known for her stellar work in the theatre and in broadcasting,Leonie Forbes began her career training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London after graduating from Excelsior.

Her talent, drive, and dynamism have established her as one of the Caribbean's most respected artists. She has received many awards including: the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican government; the silver and bronze Musgrave (top awards of the arts, culture and science in Jamaica); and the Institute of Jamaica's Centenary Medal.

Forbes has graced the silver screen in major Hollywood pictures, performed in dozens of theatrical productions, and has worked as a radio broadcaster and programmer in Jamaica.

Her selected credits include: Old Story Time, Arawak Gold, Champagne and Sky Juice, and Smile Orange. Her film and television credits include: Shattered Image, Milk and Honey, Passion and Paradise, What My Mother Told Me, and Children of Babylon.

Forbes’ latest role is in Frances-Anne Solomon's powerful award-winning feature A Winter Tale, which has been selected to open the 15th annual African Diaspora Film Festival in Manhattan in November.

The film tells the emotional story of Black men's support group that begins to meet at a local Caribbean Takeaway restaurant in Toronto after the shooting death of a young child. It took home the Outstanding Canadian Feature Film Award at the prestigious ReelWorld Film Festival in April. 

In 2003 Forbes starred in the ground-breaking Caribbean-Canadian sitcom Lord Have Mercy for which she was nominated for a Gemini Award - Canada's equivalent of the Emmys - in the category of Best Actress in a Comedy or Drama.

Along with the Hon. Louise "Miss Lou" Bennett-Coverley, another celebrated thespian and cultural icon, Ms.Leonie Forbes was honored by the Excelsior Alumni Association as a Distinguished Alumnus and for her contribution to the cultural heritage of Jamaica.

She will be traveling to New York to attend the reception and screening of her film, which will have its US premiere as the Opening Night Gala at the ADFF on November 23rd, with additional screenings on November 25th and Dec 1st.