Before there was the Jump and Fly foundation
Euzhan Palcy has always made it her mission to financially support, encourage and mentor filmmakers globally; especially those in Africa.
With Jump and Fly
She plans to amplify the voices of and support Africans at Home and Aboard in:
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The Arts
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Health
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Education
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Social Justice
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#JumpAndFly
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#JumpNFly
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#AfricansAtHomeAndAbroad
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#AfricansHomeAbroad
Born on the Caribbean island of Martinique in the French West Indies, Euzhan Palcy is the daughter of Leon and Mireille Palcy. A curious and precocious child, young Euzhan would often not take “no” for any answer and oft times challenged or questioned any explanations that were presented to her on the subject at hand. Because of this, her family affectionately labeled her “Mademoiselle Pourquoi” (Miss Why).
One evening during one of her inquisitive sessions, in order to get her out of her hair, a busy and otherwise exasperated Mireille Palcy gave Euzhan the famed Martinican author Joseph Zobel’s novel, La Rue Cases-Nègres, to read.
Sugar Cane Alley, as her movie adaptation of the Joseph Zobel novel is known in English, became the film that jump-started Euzhan Palcy’s filmmaking career and caused veteran actor, producer, director and Sundance Film Festival founder, Robert Redford, to mentor this young, wide-eyed and talented black girl to make history in Hollywood. The movie has since been screened and used in many film schools and lauded as among the gold standard of filmmaking by enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
All the talent, education and curiosity in the world are not enough to garner success. There must be some element of good old-fashioned GUTS. Where did Euzhan Palcy gain the intrepidity to challenge the Hollywood status quo? Her paternal grandmother, Camille Palcy (née Caruge Tismon,) often admonished her, “Si tu sais ce que tu veux faire et où tu veux aller et qu’on dresse une barrière devant toi, saute par dessus et trace.” Translated: “If there is a fence in front of you and your goal, simply jump over it and fly.”
It is in the spirit of Bonne Maman Camille that Jump and Fly was born and to whom it is dedicated.
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