Haitian-American Genji Jacques, dubbed the “Haitian Denzel Washington,” has been added to the cast of the upcoming film “The Sweetest Girl: A Forbidden Love Story.”
Jacques was born in Brooklyn to Haitian immigrants.
According to Yanatha Desouvre, a Brooklyn-raised, Miami-based Haitian independent film maker and marketing professor, Samuel Ladouceur (“A Great Day in Harlem,” “Power,” “Boardwalk Empire”) is at the helm of “The Sweetest Girl: A Forbidden Love Story”, as the director. Ladouceur was also born in Brooklyn of Haitian parentage.
Desouvre, also a best-selling Amazon author, educator and public speaker, told Caribbean Life that the plot, written by him and prolific screenwriter Haitian American Harry Jeudy (“A Great Day in Harlem”) follows a loving marriage of 25 years that comes to a deadly end when a husband is compelled to tell his wife his most heart-shattering secret while she is on her deathbed.
Desouvre’s “Revelations: Roads to Redemption” is one of the top downloaded e-books in April 2020 in the African American, Mystery Thriller and Suspense Fiction Category on Amazon.com.
Inspired by true events, “The Sweetest Girl: A Forbidden Love Story” is a “compelling and provocative love story,” Desouvre said.
He said the film, which is set in Haiti, is haunted by human trafficking and gun violence.
Desouvre, who also teaches marketing at Miami-Dade College, said Jacques will play Lucias Goodman, “a brilliant, seasoned, yet tormented law enforcement officer, who has his life thrown into disarray when his loving wife, prominent and controversial journalist Margaret Goodman, is shot in broad daylight and ends up in the intensive care unit.”
Overwhelmed with guilt, while his wife is in a coma, Desouvre said Lucias is compelled to confess his most heart-shattering secret.
“As Lucias proceeds to clear his conscience, the underlying threat that simmered in their marriage for decades begins to boil over to the point of no return,” Desouvre said. “Lucias struggles to make peace with his past, which has life-changing consequences in his present day.”
Using familiar characters from the 2018 novel “Revelations: Roads to Redemption”, the second of the Goodman Chronicles series, Desouvre said “The Sweetest Girl: A Forbidden Love Story” explores the characters’ unique emotional journeys.
“The storylines of complex, interwoven characters will navigate through larger themes of human connection: guilt, redemption, love and hope,” he said.
Desouvre said virtual auditions are still being accepted for the roles of Margaret, Young Lucias and Grayson Goodman.
Readers can email Rachel Finley at sweetestgirlshortfilm@gmail.com for more information on auditions.
Desouvre said those with interest in the film can also join the indiegogo campaign.
He said Jacques has “the dynamic talents of an actor, director and playwright.”
As a versatile actor, he said Jacques inhabits his roles with “complete authenticity, making every scene believable and relatable to the audience.
“His impeccable stage presence has garnered roles in films, stage plays and television series, such as ‘The Glades,’ ‘Burn Notice’ and Dwayne Johnson’s HBO series ‘Ballers,’” Desouvre said.
He said Jacques has also written and directed several stage plays, including “Hoztage” and “When Good Men Are Tempted” – both sold-out productions produced by Godz Sun Productions, a production company that Jacques and wife Sandra Justice operate.
Jeudy, who was born in Brooklyn, is also a poet.
Desouvre said Jeudy has more than a decade of experience in English, African and African American literature. He is the founder and principal owner of Backdoor Entertainment LLC.
Ladouceur has worked on countless short films, major films and television shows, such as “Person of Interest,” “Unstoppable,” “Power” and “Boardwalk Empire,” Desouvre said.
In 2018, he said Ladouceur directed and produced the short film, “A Great Day in Harlem,” which is currently airing in major markets nationally on ABC, Fox, CBS and other network affiliates.
Ladouceur is the founder of LA PhiLA Productions and the vice president of Backdoor Entertainment, LLC.
Desouvre’s latest novella, “Revelations: Roads to Redemption,” pays homage to popular Haitian musician and song writer Wyclef Jean’s discography.
Desouvre — who is also the author of the 2016 novella “To Whom Much is Given,” the first of the Goodman Chronicles Series – has been featured in several print publications, including The New York Daily News, Miami Herald, Miami New Times, Haitian Times, Sentinel HT, HuffPost and Black Enterprise, and on television outlets that include South Florida PBS, NBC and ABC.
