Trinidad-Born ‘Equalizer’ Star To Champion Black Filmmakers At 2025 Cross Continental Forum 

News Americas, New York, NY, March 26, 2025: Trinidad-born actress Lorraine Toussaint, best known for her commanding role as Aunt Vi on CBS’s hit series The Equalizer, is set to bring her star power, mentorship, and Caribbean pride to the 2nd Annual Cross Continental Forum (CCF) in Barbados, taking place from June 14-18, 2025.

Toussaint joins an elite lineup of Black creatives, including acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay and Booker Prize-winning Jamaican author Marlon James, at the pioneering event which focuses on Decolonizing Co-Production for Black Filmmakers. The Forum, spearheaded by the Canada-based CaribbeanTales Media Group (CTMG), is becoming a key platform for reshaping the global media landscape through the lens of Black storytelling and collaboration.

Toussaint, an award-winning actress, producer and teacher, will serve as a mentor throughout the five-day forum, supporting and guiding participants across the Caribbean and diaspora. She will also lend her voice as a celebrity juror for the forum’s “Big Pitch” alongside DuVernay.

From Orange is the New Black, for which she won a Critics Choice TV Award, to her standout roles in Law & Order, Saving Grace, and The Fosters, Toussaint has become a fierce presence on screen. Her return to the Caribbean for this forum underscores her deep commitment to nurturing Black talent and giving back to the region that shaped her.

“Lorraine brings a unique blend of brilliance, authenticity and generosity that will deeply enrich this platform,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of CaribbeanTales Media Group and founder of the CCF. “Having her at the Forum from beginning to end will be a powerful gift for all participants.”

CCF 2025 is supported by a wide range of global partners, including the Canada Media Fund, British Film Institute (BFI), Invest Barbados, the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill), and the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados. The forum aims to stimulate meaningful co-productions between Black and global majority creatives from Canada, the Caribbean, the UK, Africa, and beyond.

Guyanese-born actress and activist CCH Pounder, known for Avatar and NCIS: New Orleans, will also attend the forum in her role as head of the CCF Steering Committee. Meanwhile, James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings and co-creator of the Jamaica-shot Netflix series Get Millie Black, will participate as a panelist, sharing his expertise and creative insights.

Applications for producers interested in participating in the 2025 Cross Continental Forum are open until March 31, 2025. For more information, visit ccf2025.com or contact [email protected].