Cicely Tyson and HBO’s Frank E. Flowers to be honored at Caribbean Heritage Salute to Hollywood

Caribbean Heritage Organization (CHO) and the Institute of Caribbean Studies, DC (ICS-DC) are pleased to announce that stage and screen actress Cicely Tyson and writer and director Frank E. Flowers will be honored at its 2008 Salute to Hollywood & the Arts during National Caribbean-American Heritage Month.

The daughter of immigrants from the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis, Cicely Tyson is one of America’s most talented, prolific and versatile actresses of stage, screen, and television. In 1972, Tyson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her sensational breakthrough performance in the critically acclaimed film Sounder. In 1974, she went on to portray a 110-year-old former slave in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a TV role which earned her two Emmys – making her the first Black actress to win an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress.

Frank E. Flowers hails from Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. At 17 years old, he left home to pursue screenwriting at the University of Southern California. Passionate to explore the characters and prevalent social issues of the West Indies, he made his debut in 2003 at the Sundance Film Festival with the award winning short Swallow. In 2004, Flowers made his leap to feature films when he debut in Haven at the Toronto Film Festival and features a prestigious ensemble cast including Orlando Bloom, Bill Paxton and Zoe Saldana. Haven is the first feature film to be shot entirely in Grand Cayman.

The star-studded blue-carpet event will be held on Saturday, June 21 at the Marriott Marina del Rey, in Marina del Rey, California.

The Caribbean Heritage Organization (CHO) was formed in January 2007 to celebrate the rich and diverse contributions of Caribbeans and Caribbean-Americans to international society through conservation and education of Caribbean arts and culture. Additionally, CHO aims to chronicle the experiences of the expatriated Caribbean people from the most recently arrived immigrants to leaders in American society, from life on the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., London, and Toronto, to the deal making in the halls of power.

The Institute of Caribbean Studies is a non-partisan, non-profit organization, established in 1993, that is dedicated to policy analysis, education, advocacy and action on issues that impact the Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora.