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Coming off of the success of her documentary, Douvan Jou Ka Leve, Gessica Geneus has informed Woy Magazine that she recently wrapped up shooting her new film, Freda. Freda “is a portrait of a woman, of a family, in the context of the current sociopolitical crisis in Haiti.”

Geneus took a detour into the world of music with her album “Ase”. Although this was a deviation from her directing and acting we’ve grown to know and love, the themes in that work remained the same: a commitment to storytelling, exploring different facets of womanhood, of relationships. Freda continues with this same pattern, “the film opens the door into the story of a family.” And while this is a work of fiction, Geneus says that she was inspired by her personal life. “It’s as if I took my relationship with my mother which I touched on in my documentary, and I delved deeper into the exploration of her rapport with me, her rapport with my older sister, and her rapport with my brother in Freda.”

Geneus planned on playing the principle role of Freda, but after attending Festiavl 4 Chemins, she discovered new talent which convinced her to step back and give the spotlight to. This film which wrapped up shooting in January in Haiti was made by a mostly Haitian cast and crew, and features new and old talent that Geneus is excited for a larger audience to discover. Gaelle Bien-Aimé, Nehemie Bastien in the role of Freda, Cantave Kervens, Paula Peant, Bertrand Roy, Djanaina François, and many more.

Freda has gone into post production, and Geneus expects to release it at some point this year. We can’t wait.