Fabienne Colas Joseph, (born March 18, 1979), is a

Haitian-Canadian Haitian Canadians are Canadian citizens of Haitian descent or Haiti-born people who reside in Canada. As of 2016, more than 86% of Haitian Canadians reside in Quebec. Haitian Migration to Canada Immigration 1960-1980 Immigration from Haiti ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and producer. She is head of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, which is dedicated to the promotion of film, art and culture as it organizes many festivals. Fabienne is also a recipient for the 2018 Canada's 40 under 40 award.

Biography

Fabienne Colas was born in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defin ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. At a very young age, discovered her aptitude for theater, dance and a great sense of leadership. Standing at 5'8" tall, with a slender figure and waist, she became also a model at the age of 16 years. She started modeling with

Academy Perfection An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, one of the largest schools of fashion modeling in

, led by Magalie Racine. Colas is an activist for cultural diversity upon her arrival in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, and she is the guest of many panel discussions, lectures, debates, interviews and consultations on issues of representation of diversity in the

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

media and the labor force. She is among the business women in Quebec and runs her own production company Production Zaza. Colas, former model and

Miss Haiti Miss Haiti is a national Beauty pageant in Haiti. The pageant was founded in 1920, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. History Historically, the most notable contestants were Evelyn Miot and Gerthie David. On July 14, 1962, Evelyn M ...

2000 is fluent in Haitian Creole, French,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

and represented

in several beauty contests abroad. In 2003, she won the

Golden Ticket Award ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...

for Best Actress for the film ''Barikad'' in Haiti (directed by Richard Senecal) and was nominated for the same film Haitian Entertainment Awards in Florida. She plays in several Quebec productions both big on the small screen (Watatatow, Auberge Black Dog, How to Conquer America in One Night, Trauma, Providence). Colas, a member of the Union des artistes (UDA), the Alliance of Canadian Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the ACCT, she participated in several prestigious juries Quebec artistic community, including the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal in ...

and the Letters of Quebec. She created the Montreal International Black Film Festival, and later launched the

Toronto Black Film Festival The Toronto Black Film Festival is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario. Geoff Pevere, "Toronto Black Film Festival". ''The Globe and Mail'', February 14, 2014. Held in February each year as part of Black History Month, the festival progr ...

and the Halifax Black Film Festival. In 2008, she signed her first film, ''Midnight'', long fiction film about voodoo in which she plays a lead role. She is also the winner of Month Black History in 2010 in the category "cultural events". Fabienne Colas holds two licenses since 2011, the ''Canadian Radio-television'' and the ''Telecommunications Commission'' (CRTC); for the creation of two television channels in French, ''Diversity TV 1'' and ''TV Good Taste''. It intends to offer more colors in television programs including Quebec.

Festivals

*2005 - International Black Film Festival of Montreal 2, which showcases films on the realities of Blacks from around the world *2007 - Haiti en Folie Festival in Montreal 3, multidisciplinary event dedicated to Haitian culture outside of Haiti. *2009 - Quebec Film Festival in Haiti, which aims to strengthen cultural relations between Quebec and Haiti. *2009 - Festival Dansomania - Dances of the World in 2009, which showcases dances from various cultural communities. *2009 - 2009 Festival Ririri intended to highlight over black comedians. *2012 - Fade to Black Event 4, which celebrates Month Black History.

Filmography

Cinema

*''Bouki nan Paradi'' - 2001 *''Barikad'' - 2002 *''Protège-moi'' - 2003 *'' Jack Paradise: Montreal by Night (Jack Paradise, les nuits de Montréal)'' - 2004 *''

How to Conquer America in One Night ''How to Conquer America in One Night'' (french: Comment conquérir l'Amérique en une nuit) is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Dany Laferrière and released in 2004. The film centres on the relationship between Fanfan (Maka Kotto), a Haitian ...

(Comment conquérir l’Amérique en une nuit)'' - 2004 *''Convoitises'' - 2005 *''Profonds regrets'' - 2005 *''Amour mensonges et conséquences'' - 2006 *''Minuit'' - 2008 *'' Exit 67 (Sortie 67)'' - 2010

Television

*''Providence'' (2011) *''Trauma I'' and ''Trauma II'' (2009 and 2010) *''Watatatow'' (2004-2005) *''Adéla'' (2004) *''L’Auberge du chien noir'' (2003) *''Pè Toma'' (2000 - 2001) *''Virginie'' (2002) *''Sorry'' (2004) *''Besoin de ça'' (2003)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colas, Fabienne Living people 1979 births People from Port-au-Prince Actresses from Montreal Black Canadian filmmakers Canadian film actresses Haitian emigrants to Canada Film directors from Montreal Haitian Quebecers Black Canadian actresses Canadian women film directors