A debut feature, Ludi, will premiere on the opening night of the 38th Miami Film Festival, followed by a Texan premiere at SXSW two weeks later. We have supported this production as part of the US in Progress event.
Edson Jean is an emerging Miami filmmaker who also starred in A24’s Moonlight, Warner Bros. Pictures’ War Dogs, HBO’s Ballers and Netflix’s Bloodline, and has directed short films and the dramedy series Grown (Complex Networks). Ludi is his debut feature and follows a hardworking Haitian immigrant nurse (Shein Mompremier), whose half-truths lead to a string of mishaps and exacerbate her homesickness. The screenplay, written by Edson Jean and Joshua Jean-Baptiste, was inspired by the experiences of Jean’s mother after she emigrated from Haiti.
“Growing up, I never saw the Haitian culture represented authentically on film,” Jean said. “This film is a step toward reclaiming our stories and reframing the narratives around our existence.”
The film was shot entirely in South Florida with a local cast and crew, and with support from Oolite Arts, a programme helping Miami filmmakers create micro-budget films. Thanks to its participation in US in Progress, an event accompanying the American Film Festival in Wroclaw and linking American indie filmmakers with Polish postproduction studios, Ludi was given a final touch by Fixafilm, which contributed to finishing the film – we were responsible for the VFX, preparing the credits, and delivering final masters.
“I’m glad that we could support Ludi and offer our finishing services” – said Wojtek Janio, Fixafilm’s CEO. “The project caught our attention because it sketches an intimate story that becomes a part of a larger narrative being currently told at both sides of the Atlantic.”
The film was produced by Fabiola Rodriguez, with whom Jean has teamed up to launch Bantufy Films, a production company focused on creating low- and micro-budget films featuring stories from perspectives traditionally absent or misrepresented in usual industry fare.
Ludi will premiere at Miami Film Festival at the beginning of March and will be presented at SXSW in Texas two weeks later.
