Filmmaker Ryan Singh Presents H.E.N.R.I and MEMENTO on Festival Tour

South Florida Caribbean NewsMay 11, 2021

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[TORONTO, ON] – Award-winning Guyanese-Canadian filmmaker, Ryan Singh’s science fiction short film “H.E.N.R.I.” continues its successful Canadian festival run with screenings at the inaugural Hamilton Black Film Festival and Calgary Black Film Festival in late May. The film recently won a Platinum Award at the Directors Screen Awards in Indonesia. Additionally, the film will have its USA premiere at New York City Independent Film Festival in June.

H.E.N.R.I.

“H.E.N.R.I.” follows a grieving 7-year-old Simon after the loss of his father, as he seeks answers from his Artificial Intelligence (AI) communicator while his mother and twin sister try to adjust to their new reality.

A family affair, “H.E.N.R.I.” was co-written by Singh and his six-year-old twins. Ava (Tall Boyz, Handmaid’s Tale) and Sebastian (Suits, Handmaid’s Tale, Silent) who also appear in the film.

100% of the cast of “H.E.N.R.I.” was BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and more than 80% of the crew was BIPOC or women, including DGC director Katarzyna Kochany, producer/actor Andrea Grant (Get Rich or Die Tryin’, The Listener), and composer Aaron Manswell. The entire VFX crew is BIPOC, including VFX artists Adrian Bobb, Colin Walcott, Cait Salmon, as well as Akash Singh and his team at Akash Productions.

A long-time proponent of amplifying underrepresented voices, Singh continues to take seriously the responsibility of telling stories within the BIPOC community. He said, “2020 has brought a heightened awareness to these changing and challenging times. But more importantly, it has highlighted the need for all persons of color to take ownership of their stories.”

Memento

This notion is exemplified in his insightful documentary “Memento: A South African Artventure”. The documentary won Best Canadian Documentary at the Toronto International Nollywood FiIm Festival. And, will also play at Hamilton Black Film Festival. Seven years in the making, “Memento: A South African ArtVenture” follows spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan and a group of his friends who take their first trip to South Africa. They are guided by Ramie Veerappan, a 79-year-old South Asian woman who lived through the Apartheid era and was happy to share the country and its new-found freedom that she had dreamed of as a child.