About

Known credits:
26
Birthday:
1958-01-13
Place of birth:
Martinique, French West Indies
Website:
Click here

Euzhan Palcy

Overview

Born January 13, 1958, in Martinique, French West Indies, Euzhan Palcy is a leader for black people, especially black women, in cinema. She is a screenwriter, producer and director. After studying the likes of Billy Wilder and Orson Welles and receiving a few degrees, including one from Louis Lumière College, she directed her first feature, Sugar Cane Alley (1983), in Paris for less than a million dollars. The film is about an impoverished black family making sacrifices for a young boy on a plantation in Martinique during the 1930s. It won numerous awards internationally, among them the César Award and the Venice Film Festival Silver Lion. Palcy's second feature, A Dry White Season (1989), explored the politics of South African apartheid, beckoning actor Marlon Brando to end his nine-year retirement to portray lawyer Ian McKenzie in it. With A Dry White Season, Palcy became the first black woman director produced by a major Hollywood studio. The film was banned in South Africa for a period of time. Brando's direction by Palcy earned him his final Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. This made Palcy the first director who is black to direct an actor to such an honor. Palcy has continued to produce and make films all the way into the 2010s.

Known for

Acting
2014 Reel Herstory: The Real Story of Reel Women Actor Self 58
Average
2008 Screenwriters on Screenwriting Actor N/A
N/A
2003 Sisters in Cinema Actor Self N/A
N/A
1994 In Darkest Hollywood: Cinema and Apartheid Actor Self N/A
N/A
1988 Calling the Shots Actor Self N/A
N/A
The Producer/Director Relationship Actor N/A
N/A

Directing
2006 Journey of the Dissidents Directing Director N/A
N/A
2001 The Killing Yard Directing Director 59
Average
1998 Ruby Bridges Directing Director 59
Average
1995 Aimé Césaire, Une voix pour l'histoire Directing Director 59
Average
1993 How Are The Kids? Directing Director N/A
N/A
1992 Siméon Directing Director 58
Average
1989 A Dry White Season Directing Director 60
Fair
1983 Sugar Cane Alley Directing Director 59
Average
1981 The Devil's Workshop Directing Director N/A
N/A
1975 The Messenger Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
2006 Journey of the Dissidents Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1995 Aimé Césaire, Une voix pour l'histoire Writing Writer 59
Average
1992 Siméon Writing Writer 58
Average
1989 A Dry White Season Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1983 Sugar Cane Alley Writing Writer 59
Average
1975 The Messenger Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1975 The Messenger Writing Story N/A
N/A

Production
1998 Ruby Bridges Production Co-Producer 59
Average
1992 Siméon Production Producer 58
Average

Editing
1975 The Messenger Editing Editor N/A
N/A