CT 2012 : Transcending Cultures And Genres

Sue-Ellen Chitunya  is an emerging filmmaker who splits her time between the U.S. and her native Zimbabwe. The Georgia State University graduate is now in the process of completing a graduate degree at the University of California, her ambition and determination having already earned screenings of her work at the Short Film Corner in Cannes, Atlanta Film Festival and the Action on Film Festival. "It was like a dream come true because I really didn't think that I would go to Cannes that early in my life," Chitunya said in 2010.

As a student ambassador for Women in Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA)  she made a point of pushing more of her fellow female film students to see beyond the obstacles they regularly face. "Most of them just go to class and hope to learn everything there, but in reality you have to be a driven go-getter because it's a tough industry to break into. Experience is really important."

Chitunya is bringing A House of Stone to the 2012 CaribbeanTales Incubator Program. The film's backdrop is seething racial and political unrest as Paul's flashback narrative, at the request of his grandchildren, recalls the war for liberation fought in Zimbabwe. Loosely based on the life of her own grandfather, this journey to personal redemption fits neatly into Chitunya's goal of creating "groundbreaking projects that transcend cultures and genres."

Up-to-the minute details of the CaribbeanTales Film Festival and the Incubator Program are available on Twitter and Facebook. Tickets are available at the Harbourfront website by clicking on the film of your choice.

jph