Guyanese-born Canadian film maker, Ryan Singh makes its’ world premiere at the Toronto Black Film Festival, February 10-21, 2021. H.E.N.R.I. is a science fiction film from the award-winning film maker, and member of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color).
Singh made H.E.N.R.I. a family affair by including his six-year-old twins Ava (Tall Boyz, Handmaid’s Tale) and Sebastian (Suits, Handmaid’s Tale, Silent) who helped write the film while they appeared with their father. The filmmaker says “empowering my children to have a voice was a blessing.”
H.E.N.R.I. comes on the heels of Singh’s 2020 award-winning documentary “Memento,” a South African Art-venture. Like for many of his fellow filmmakers, 2021 brings a heightened awareness of our changing times and the urgency of empower the voices of all persons of color to take ownership of their stories.
Singh takes the responsibility of this journey seriously. 100% of the cast was BIPOC and more than 80% of the crew was BIPOC or women including DGC director Katarzyna Kochany and producer / actor Andrea Grant (Get Rich or Die Tryin’, The Listener). 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.
The idea for H.E.N.R.I. was formed from Singh’s observation of his children’s reactions and relationship with Google Home and Alexa. The short film follows 7-year-old Simon after the tragic loss of his father. A grieving Simon looks for answers from his artificial intelligence communicator while his mother and sister try to adjust to their new reality.
Singh’s upcoming projects include feature films and a slate of television projects, including a children’s program developed through the BIPOC KIDS TV WRITING BOOTCAMP.
Follow Ryan on Instagram @twinpapa321
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