About Us: Justine Henzell
Justine Henzell is an independent film producer and oversees the legacy of THE HARDER THEY COME, the award winning movie, co-written, produced and directed by her father, Perry Henzell, which continues to reach a global audience 45 years after its release.
Henzell has directed two feature length documentaries highlighting the history of Jamaica. “OnePeople-The Celebration and “Jamaica Arise”.
She is a founding member of the Jamaica Film & Television Association (JAFTA) and in 2016 initiated JAFTA Propella! which supports the production of 5 short films by Jamaica filmmakers annually.
Henzell is passionate about nuturing emerging talent and so has formed the Creatrix Collective to produce content exclusively directed by Jamaican women.
In addition to her work in film Justine is a Co-Founder and producer of the Calabash International Literary Festival which was first staged in 2001.
About Us: Natalie Thompson
Born in Jamaica, educated at The Convent Of Mercy Academy
Alpha, then the University of Windsor, Canada, Natalie
attained a BA degree in Communication Arts and Dramatics Arts.
An award-winning stage actress, with a festival Gold Medal for Drama, she has spent at least one week doing every job on a film set except catering.
Natalie has been in the advertising, film and television
production business for over forty years and has directed
over 500 commercials, industrial and short videos for
local, regional and international markets. Natalie is the
owner/managing director of Cinecom Productions Ltd.
Her international credits span decades and include Line Producer and Production Manager on Feature Films and TV shows including Cocktail, Cool Runnings, Prelude to a Kiss, Instinct, How Stella Got her Groove Back, Small Island, Knight and Day, Third World Cop and Ghett'a Life while producing, directing and participating in several documentary films including the track and field doc Jus Run.
More recently Natalie was the Jamaican line producer for the latest Bond flick No Time to Die and the Idris Elba helmed Yardie and co-producer for Jamaica's latest feature film Sprinter. She has also co-produced with Roy Anderson Nanny of the Maroons and is presently in production for his definitive documentary on Marcus Garvey.
She has recently directed two short films, the award winning JAFTA Propella sponsored Shoot the Girl and co-directed the yet to be released Sink or Swim.
A Silver Musgrave medalist, Natalie has been awarded a Lifetime achievement award by the Advertising Agencies Association of Jamaica for her contribution to television advertising.
She is a former executive board member of Women in Film and
Television International (WFIT) and is presently developing
several projects for film and television.
About Us: Drew Brennan
Drew Brennan is a passionate film and television development executive with a background in both Jamaican and international physical production. She is a MFA graduate of the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California and has since been working in Hollywood at Middleton Media, where she helped guide multiple projects through the development process.
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, she was the local Jamaican producer for productions by BBC and Vice, as well as part of the team on the Jamaican feature film SPRINTER.
Drew is an incredible advocate for the global appeal of Jamaican stories and is determined to be the bridge that connects LA to JA.
