About
Magaly Colimon-Christopher, Festival Director
Actress/playwright/director/producer/Artistic director & Founder of Conch Shell Productions - Magaly is a first-generation Haitian-American. On why she founded Conch Shell Int'l Film Festival:
"Film festivals are a great place to meet like minded, passionate artists and bond with a community of film lovers who share common interests and tastes. Founding Conch Shell International Film Fest is my way of saying “Welcome. We see you. We honor your brilliance.” to talented artists of the Caribbean diaspora and the Caribbean. It’s a means by which to empower, encourage, and celebrate the cultural influences of the 26 Caribbean nations on the creativity of generations of artists. It is a space for us to remind each other our voices are vital and essential."
Magaly’s acting career includes numerous roles in Primetime and Daytime television series as well as in Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre productions. She has been producing theater and film projects for over 25 years. She was a co-founding member of Ron OJ Parson’s Onyx Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois; she founded Brown Rice Productions a short film and theatre production company (productions included short film “Yes, Madame”(NYC) and theatre festival “Ah-Ha Moments”(L.A.); and she co-founded St. Francis College Women’s Film Festival (a platform for student and indie female filmmakers).
A native New Yorker, Magaly received a B.A. from Columbia University, an MBA from Binghamton University, and an MFA in Acting from Yale School of Drama. She is a member of SAG/AFTRA, ART/NY, Fractured Atlas, The Actor’s Studio Playwright and Directors Unit, The Actor’s Center, The Dramatist Guild, and HB Studio’s DEAI Task Force. Magaly currently plays "Antoinette Pierre" in Netflix original series GRAND ARMY.
Marquis Smalls, Festival Coordinator
Marquis Smalls is a creative, inspirational, fun loving, intellectual writer, producer, director and teacher who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School where he played varsity baseball and football before graduating to attend Penn State University where he earned a degree in African/African-American studies and Sociology. Marquis joined Teach for America and taught 8th grade math in Paterson and Maplewood New Jersey, while attending NYU to earn his certificate in screenwriting which launched him into a career transition that has now seen him win multiple awards for writing, producing and directing short films, web-series, and feature documentaries that have premiered on STARZ HBO, and Revolt TV networks as well as being recognized as a 2013 New York Foundation of the Arts Screenwriting fellow. Marquis has an ultimate goal of becoming a showrunner while continuing to create and share incredible stories and characters with audiences while working hard to change the world for the better of all humanity.
Tanya E. Taylor, Festival Coordinator
Tanya E. Taylor is an award winning Jamaican commercial writer, producer, director. in 2019 Tanya wrote, directed and produced her first independent narrative short, WINSTON. Described as "riveting" and "intense", the LGBTQ themed short has garnered a nomination for best screenplay and 2 best actor awards
Kyra Bowie, Program Manager
Kyra Bowie is continuously grateful to be creating during this time! Kyra is a performer, stage manager & theatre maker based in NYC. CEO/Founder of Bowie Enterprises: where the magic of live events are brought to an online platform. Select Credits: Caesar: JULIUS CAESAR (d. Danya Taymor) Bessie Berger: AWAKE & SING! (d. Paul Schnee) Kit Kat Girl: CABARET. NYU Tisch. The Atlantic Acting School. BDC Professional Semester. Social Media: @Kyra Bowie @Bowie.Enterprises www.BowieEnterprises.com www.KyraBowie.com
Raychelle LeBlanc, Marketing Consultant
For information regarding Festival Sponsor opportunities, contact Raychelle at shenotespublicity@gmail.com or conchshelliff@gmail.com.
festival jury
ANSLEM RICHARDSON
KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH
KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH
ACTOR. WRITER. ARTIST. FILMMAKER.
As a writer, Anslem is a writer-producer on Amazon Prime’s series “The Boys'' and wrote on NBC’s “Timeless.” He is a Writers Fellow at HBO Access and a Screenwriting Fellow at Film Independent. His screenplay Bardos earned him the Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award in Screenwriting. He also received the Independent Feature Project's (IFP) Gordon Parks Award for Screenwriting for his script The Subway Story
KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH
KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH
KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH
ACTOR.
Broadway: Jitney; American Psycho; Fences; Come Back Little Sheba; King Hedley II; Salome; Piano Lesson
Off-Broadway: Paradise Blue; Lockdown; Tamburlaine the Great; Intimacy; First Breeze of Summer; Fabulation
TV & Film: The Good Fight; Law and Order; Malcolm
MARQUIS SMALLS
KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH
MARQUIS SMALLS
WRITER. PRODUCER. DIRECTOR.
Marquis' award-winning short films, web-series, and feature documentaries that have premiered on STARZ HBO, and Revolt TV networks. He has been recognized as a 2013 New York Foundation of the Arts Screenwriting fellow.
MARTIN MAJESKE
MARTIN MAJESKE
MARQUIS SMALLS
PRODUCER. MANAGING DIRECTOR.
A native of Chicago, Martin is the Managing Director and Film Program Director at the Act Now Foundation, producer of the annual New Voices in Black Cinema Festival (NVIBC) in Brooklyn, NY. In addition to the annual festival, Martin and his team produce regular film screenings, workshops, readings, educational panels, and seminars for underserved artists committed to careers in film, TV, and theater arts. Martin is also a long-time arts lawyer who has represented various media companies in New York City such as Solve Innovation Group and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) since first arriving from Washington, DC in 1996.
ODLEY JEAN
MARTIN MAJESKE
REGINA TAYLOR
ACTRESS.
Odley was born, raised and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. She attended Clara Barton High School and performed Off-Broadway with the non-profit theater program, Opening Act. Jean also studied and performed in the plays: A DAY IN THE LIFE, DEKA’S STORY UNCUT, DEAR JAHA and ONE CLICK written by Katie Cappiello. She has toured the country shedding light on social justice issues with theater company GoodCapp Arts. Her television debut is "Dominique" on GRAND ARMY.
REGINA TAYLOR
MARTIN MAJESKE
REGINA TAYLOR
ACTRESS. PLAYWRIGHT. DIRECTOR.
Regina is featured in Netflix’ All Day and a Night starring Jeffrey Wright, Ashton Saunders and directed/written by Joe Robert Cole (writer: Black Panther), guest stars on Council of Dads (NBC) and Love Craft Country (Jordan Peele, J J Abrams, Mischa Green) Red Line (Producer Ava DuVernay CBS) and The Good Fight (CBS). Ms. Taylor is the Andrew Mellon Grant Writer in Residence for Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Ms Taylor’s Oo-Bla-Dee is being presented for Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Theatre Three for 2020-‘21. She is writing a new play for Audible.
Taylor in her TV role as Lily Harper in "I'll Fly Away” received a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress, 3
NAACP Image Awards and two Emmy Award nominations. Taylor was also the first Black woman to play Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" on Broadway.
TANYA E. TAYLOR
TANYA E. TAYLOR
TANYA E. TAYLOR
DIRECTOR.WRITER.
Tanya is a multi-genre writer-director who has won awards for her commercial and narrative work. She creates nuanced multicultural content representing her world view. The New York based Jamaican also maintains a commitment to working with diverse crews, much like one of her heroes, Ava DuVernay.
FILM screenING JURY
LISA RENÉ PEGUES
LISA RENÉ PEGUES
LISA RENÉ PEGUES
Lisa René is a native of the Washington, DC. She was a broadcast producer for BET and later relocated to NYC to pursue acting. Lisa currently resides in LA where she works for ViacomCBS while focusing on Film & TV.
ANDRES PINA
LISA RENÉ PEGUES
LISA RENÉ PEGUES
Andres is an actor and writer as well the Co-founder, and Co-Artistic Director of the Dominican Artists Collective. He is a graduate of the Columbia University M.F.A Acting Program and a proud member of the American Theatre Group Play lab.
ALI (AL) POUR ISSA
ALI (AL) POUR ISSA
ALI (AL) POUR ISSA
Al is an award-winning storyteller who has expertise in various professions such as film and theater directing, producing, scriptwriting, script development management, and dramaturgy, and has worked in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East. He holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama.
JOHNNY SÁNCHEZ
ALI (AL) POUR ISSA
ALI (AL) POUR ISSA
Johnny has over 30 years of experience in the film industry as an actor+writer+producer. He co-produced FIND ME GUILTY directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage; and EVEN MONEY starring Academy Award Winners Kim Basinger, Forest Whitaker.
festival intern
NATASHA MEHRA (Production Intern)
Natasha is a South Asian artist born and raised in New Jersey. She believes art is therapeutic and inspiring to both create and witness. Natasha trained in Kathak (classical Indian dance) from an early age and expanded her creative journey to the photography, film, acting, and theatre world in her adult life. She is very excited to delve into the world of film-making/makers and collaborate with incredible artists to bring you the Conch Shell International Film Festival.