From The South Of France To Dallas, Texas Diversity in Film is Alive

DALLAS - Aug. 30, 2013 - PRLog -- Yolonda Brinkley, CEO of YRB International Exposure is pleased to announce the programming for the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase at the first International Faith and Family Film Festival during Bishop T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest.  Created to celebrate the work of globally diverse filmmakers, the Showcase will feature four dynamic short films and takes place Friday, August 30, 2013 10:00 AM in the Trinity Theater Room at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas.
1. Welcome Yankee by Benoit Desjardins of Canada
2. Shame and Glasses  by Alessandro Riconda of Italy
3. Dios poe el Cuello (God by the Neck) by Jose´ Trigueiros of Spain
4. Colored My Mind by Nia T. Hill of the USA

Originally submitted to the independent Beyond Borders Diversity movement at the Festival de Cannes, these short films are a direct reflection of the mission to ensure the preservation of the underrepresented story at the Cannes Film Festival and beyond and will be screened at the first International Faith and Family Film Festival.

“Great storytelling transcends cultural and geographic boundaries, and the short films selected for the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase at MegaFest are no exception,” comments Yolonda Brinkley, the Showcase’s producer. “Embodying the core elements of the inaugural International Faith and Family Film Festival, these uniquely-themed films from the US, Canada, Italy and Spain, give life to globally diverse characters and stories to which we all can relate.”

While this is the first partnership with MegaFest, Yolonda Brinkley has been independently fueling the diversity movement at the Cannes Film Festival since 2010, the year in which she produced the inaugural Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes Filmmaker Symposium. Since its inception, the movement has hosted panelists from Ghana, Congo, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States including award winning directors Michael Rowe, Alrick Brown and Annemarie Jacir, Palestine’s first female feature filmmaker and two times Cannes Film Festival alum. In May 2013, she introduced the first Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase to the delight of filmmakers from around the world.

“Yolonda should be commended for her work with Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes,” states Alessandro Riconda.  “As an Italian director, I appreciate the platform she’s created to increase the exposure of talented filmmakers globally. I am honored that my film Shame and Glasses is an official selection of the Diversity in Cannaes Short Film Showcase at the first International Faith and Family Film Festival during MegaFest.”

The Showcase is Friday, August 30, 2013 10:00 AM in the Trinity Theater Room at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas and open to all MegaFest registrants. For more information about MegaFest visit http://tdjakes.org/allaccess or Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes visit https://www.facebook.com/diversityincannes, www.diversityincannes.com, www.twitter.com/diversencannes. Email us at diversityincannes@hotmail.com to request an interview.