Ingrid Jean-Baptiste on playing Carmen in Nénéb’s short film Goyave

Ingrid Jean Baptiste apart from being the founder of The Chelsea Film Festival, Ingrid is also an actress. Ingrid stars in ‘GOYAVE‘ a 22 Minute musical Short Film telling the story of  Guava Béké, seeking its place in Martinique society in the context of the 2009 general strike.

Goyave stars Ingrid Jean-Baptiste, Mehdi Giguet, Bernard Domergue, and Zeline Setham. Nénéb doubles at the co-writer with Christophe Agelan and director of Goyave

indieactivity: How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Ingrid: I met the producer and director of the film a few years ago, and from the start they told me they had a project in the works that I would be great for. I did not audition the formal way, however I sent a lot of different videos of myself playing the character.

indieactivity: As one of the main cast on the project, how did this ‘choice’ work for you?
Ingrid: I was much honored to accept this role and everything worked perfectly well on set.

indieactivity: What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Ingrid: I really wanted to be authentic in my speech and behavior. The character is from Martinique, she speaks creole French and I wanted to make sure I perfected the accent. This was kind of a challenge.
The story was the first reason I accepted to be a part of it. You don’t get to read or watch a lot of stories about this particular event that happened in the French Caribbean at that time.

Ingrid Jean-Baptiste, and Mehdi Giguet

indieactivity: You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Ingrid: Indie filmmakers are full of passion and drive, which is a very different energy on set. They put their heart and soul into every single minute that passes by. You also learn all the different jobs on a production and live and breathe the project. It’s just so much fun, I’m grateful to do what I love!

indieactivity: Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
Ingrid: Oops, I honestly don’t remember. I am usually is such a zone when I’ve acting, that I can’t recall anything specific.

indieactivity: How did you create your character from ground up?
Ingrid: I had to do a lot of research about the period, the location and then dig deep into my personal experiences to understand the character better and match her feelings, speech and behavior.

indieactivity: As main cast on the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Were you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
Ingrid: I wasn’t scared, however the challenge was to get the character right, make sure I find an authenticity in playing her. I wanted to please the expectations of the director. The difficult scenes were the singing parts in creole.

indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you made on set during production?
Ingrid: I usually listen to music before a scene in order to feel the moment.

indieactivity: What did you take away from the film production?
Ingrid: I learned a lot from my acting partner and one thing that I took away was the collaborative effort that came out of this production. It was very special, not like any productions I have been involved in.

indieactivity: What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Ingrid: It was actually 2 directors, they were both very easy to work with and did not feel so stressed which helped the actors on set. Lovely to work with!

indieactivity: What is next for you?
Ingrid: I have been cast as a principal character in a feature film that will be shooting in France. Very exciting about that project, that will involve a lot of wild animals.

indieactivity: What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Ingrid: To enjoy the moment. We are given special opportunities as actors, we have to remember that these moments don’t last. So make sure you serve the role to the fullest!

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