Gessica Généus (born 1985) is a Haitian actor, singer, documentary maker, film director, screen writer and author.

Early life

Généus was born on 23 December 1985 in

Port au Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defined by the IHSI ...

, the capital of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

, in a precarious neighbourhood. Although she knew who her father was, he was not involved with her upbringing. She grew up with her mother and cousins. Her mother, an activist, was diagnosed as bi-polar and

schizophrenic Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

when Généus was fourteen. Généus is listed among the famous alumni of the College Saint-Louis de Bourdon.

Acting career and awards

In 2002, at the age of 17, Généus financially supported her final years at school by acting in ''Barikad'' (Barricade) a popular film directed by Richard Sénécal. For her role, she received the Ticket d'Or (Golden Ticket) for best actress at the Haitian Entertainment Awards. In 2006, she won the best female actress award at the

Brooklyn International Film Festival The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film festival held every June in New York City. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, Abe Schrager, and Mario Pegoraro in ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

for her role in ''Cousine.'' (Cousin). In 2007, she won the Grand Prix de la Diaspora at

FESPACO The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (, or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It accepts for competition only films by African filmmakers and chief ...

(Pan-African Cinema Festival of Ouagadougou). After the

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

in 2010, Généus worked for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

before moving to Paris in 2011, on a scholarship to study acting from Acting International in Paris. In 2012, she played Vertueuse in a historical, French TV mini-series broadcast in two parts and titled

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (, ) also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louvertu ...

6. It was produced by

France 2 France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...

Writing and music

In 2014, Généus published her first book: ''Yon ti koze ak se m'' (Conversations with my sister). In March 2018, she released her first music album ''ASE''.

Directing career and awards

After moving back to Haiti from Paris, Généus set up her own production company called Azizian Productions. From 2014-2016, she directed ''Vizaj Nou'' (Our faces), a series of fifteen-minute films, made in collaboration with Caribbean Television. They focused on leading figures in Haiti such as

Viviane Gauthier Viviane (or Vivianne) Gauthier (March 17, 1918 – June 1, 2017) was a Haitian dancer and teacher of Haitian folkloric dance who studied Haitian folklore with Katherine Dunham-trained Lavinia Williams of which she is considered the heir. She even ...

Frankétienne Jean-Pierre Basilic Dantor Franck Étienne d'Argent (; 12 April 1936 – 20 February 2025), known by his pen name Frankétienne, was a Haitian writer, poet, playwright, and painter. He is recognized as one of Haiti's leading writers and playwrig ...

, Konpè Filo, and

Odette Roy Fombrun Odette Roy Fombrun (13 June 1917 – 23 December 2022) was a Haitian writer and intellectual. Biography Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, she graduated in 1935 from the teacher's training college, École Normale d'Institutrices, and in 1945 went to ...

. In 2019, Généus made ''Douvan Jou Ka Leve'' (The Sun will Rise) in collaboration with

France TV France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The film, about religion and mental health issues, won several awards. In 2021, ''Freda'', directed by Généus, was released. The film is about a single mother and her three offspring. It is set and was made in Port au Prince, Haiti, in extremely difficult conditions after the 2010 earthquake, the pandemic lockdowns, and amidst violent anti-corruption demonstrations, kidnapping and insecurity in the capital.

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

supported the film project by acting as executive director. It was the first Haitian film to be screened at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

since 1993. It won second prize at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival. It is also the second Haitian film in history to be entered for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

within the category for Best International Feature Film.

Filmography

As actor * 2002: ''Barikad'' (Barricade) * 2006: ''Cousine'' (Cousin) * 2006: ''Le Président a-t-il le Sida ?'' (Does the President have AIDS?) (Director Arnold Antonin) * 2009: ''Les amours d’un zombi'' (The Loves of a Zombie) (Director Arnold Antonin) * 2012: ''Toussaint Louverture'' * 2016: ''The empty box'' * 2016: ''Everything but a man'' * 2017: ''Cargo'' * 2024: ''

Kidnapping Inc. ''Kidnapping Inc.'' is a 2024 crime comedy thriller film co-written and directed by Bruno Mourral in his directorial debut.Siddhant Adlakha"‘Kidnapping Inc.’ Review: A Haitian Comedy-Thriller That Crashes and Burns" '' IndieWire'', January 24, ...

'' As director * 2012: ''Vizaj Nou'' (Our Faces) * 2017: ''Douvan Jou Ka Leve'' (The Sun will Rise) * 2021: ''Freda''

References

External links

Gessica Généus at IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geneus, Gessica Living people 1985 births People from Port-au-Prince Haitian film directors Haitian women film directors Haitian writers Haitian women writers Haitian women singers 21st-century Haitian actresses