Yor-El Francis is a

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n–

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

filmmaker and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. He is most notable as the director of critically acclaimed award-winning film, ''Murder in the Cassava Patch'' (2012).

Personal life

He was born in Monrovia, Liberia to a prominent Liberian family; the Martins of Grand Bassa County and the Francis from Marshall. He first attended the Hilton Van Ee School and then American Cooperative School for primary education. Later he attended the Sierra Leone Grammar School in Freetown, Sierra Leone to complete his secondary education. His father owned companies in Ghana, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone, California and Miami and meanwhile, his mother owned a boutique in Monrovia.

Career

After secondary education, he moved to USA with his family and settled in New York City. Then he attended to Hunter College, a liberal arts school on Manhattan's Upper East and studied film and interned at MTV Networks. Later, he obtained a Master of Arts in Film Directing from the City University of New York. In 2003, he was included into the two-year Directors Guild of America's Producer Training Plan. First he joined as an intern at MTV Networks, then moved to BET, before landing a job at FOX. He started film career as an Assistant Director on motion pictures, television and commercials. He was the second assistant director for many television series and films, including '' The West Wing'' (1999), ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'' (2003), '' The Closer'' (2005), ''Crank'' (2006), '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006), and '' Zeke and Luther'' (2009). In 2005, he won the African Film Commission's top prize for screen-writing for his screenplay ''Piankhi, the Prince of Egypt''. In 2012, he made his maiden feature film, ''Murder in the Cassava Patch'', which is based on his native Liberia. During his visit to Liberia for the film, he met Peter Ballah, with whom he started to produce the film. Later in the film, his entire cast became the children of Ballah.

Filmography

* ''Never Too Late'' (second assistant director) 2020 * ''The House Next Door'' (second assistant director) (post-production) 2016 * ''New Day, Same Time'' (Short) (first assistant director) (completed) 2020 * ''American Soul'' (TV Series) (second assistant director - 2 episodes) 2019 * ''Dolly Parton's Heartstrings'' (TV Series) (second assistant director - 1 episode) * ''The Best of Enemies'' (first assistant director) 2017-2018 * ''The Quad'' (TV Series) (Key Second Assistant Director - 8 episodes) * ''All Eyez on Me'' (second second assistant director) 2016 * ''Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love'' (TV Movie) (second assistant director) 2016 * ''Barbershop: The Next Cut'' (second second assistant director) 2015 * ''Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors'' (TV Movie) (second second assistant director) 2013-2015 * ''Love Thy Neighbor'' (TV Series) (second assistant director - 4 episodes) * ''If Loving You Is Wrong'' (TV Series) (additional second assistant director - 20 episodes) 2015 * ''Hindsight'' (TV Series) (second assistant director - 10 episodes) 2014 * ''David Blaine: Real or Magic'' (TV Movie documentary) (additional camera operator) 2013 * ''Constantine'' (TV Series) (second second assistant director - 3 episodes) 2011-2012 * ''

Murder in the Cassava Patch ''Murder in the Cassava Patch'' (1968) is a novella by Liberian Bai T. Moore. It is required reading for every Liberian high school student, and is widely regarded as a Liberian literary classic in what is a developing literary tradition. It is ...

'' (Film) (Director, producer, writer) 2012 * ''Zeke and Luther'' (TV Series) (second assistant director - 26 episodes) 2011 * ''Porn for Dinner'' (Short) (first assistant director) * ''Brothers & Sisters'' (TV Series) (second second assistant director - 40 episodes, 2006 - 2009) * ''My Name Is Earl'' (TV Series) (additional second assistant director - 1 episode) 2006 * ''Dreamgirls'' (additional second second assistant director) 2006 * ''Crank'' (second second assistant director) 2005 * ''Close to Home'' (TV Series) (trainee assistant director) 2005 * ''Night Stalker'' (TV Series) (trainee assistant director) 2005 * ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (trainee assistant director - uncredited) 2005 * ''Numb3rs'' (TV Series) (trainee assistant director - pilot) 2004 * ''Century City'' (TV Series) (dga trainee) 2003 * ''Cold Case'' (TV Series) (day player DGA trainee) 2003 * ''Joan of Arcadia'' (TV Series) (day player DGA trainee) 2003 * ''NCIS'' (TV Series) (DGA trainee) 1996 * ''7th Heaven'' (TV Series) (trainee assistant director) 1995 * ''JAG'' (TV Series) (DGA trainee day player - 1 episode)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Yor-El Living people American film directors American film producers California State University, Fresno alumni Year of birth missing (living people)