Film Biz Chat: One on One with Filmmaker, Charysse Tia Harper

Being a dual citizen of the United States and Trinidad & Tobago, Charysse Tia Harper has focused projects on her Trinidad culture: award-winning film, The Other Side of Carnival; T&T 50 in Fifteen and Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan and Part 2: Pan Worldwide; and on her American identity: award-winning documentary, 12 Months, First Weekend February and Insurance: Putting Newark on the Map. She created Xplore the World in 2010 to further this mission.

Charysse holds BA degrees in Cinema and Journalism, an MA in Management & Leadership, MA International Relations and MSc in International Diplomacy and Security. Under Xplore the World, she has worked with various organizations, including the American Red Cross, British Film Institute, National Health System (NHS) and CNC 3 (national news network of Trinidad & Tobago). This coincides with her love of experiencing new cultures and meeting new people as she has lived in Trinidad & Tobago, the United States and United Kingdom.

Her most recent short documentary, The Jill of the Trade (2021), highlights women from around the world who work in male-dominated industries, won Best Documentary at Conch Shell International Film Festival and received an honorable mention at Fem Film Festival and I Will Tell Film Festival (2022). Charysse is the producer of a short horror-drama, Public Housing Z (post-production), about a young girl living in public housing development trying to uncover why her neighbors are turning into zombies. Currently, Charysse is in development for her latest feature-length documentary about three female bullfighters in Spain, México and Perú.