BOARD MEMBERS & CREATIVE TEAM
Co-Founder and Creative Director — Billy Gérard Frank, born in Grenada, West Indies, is a multi-media artist and filmmaker. His research-driven practices delve into personal issues related to race, exile, memory, global politics, and post-colonial and queer decoloniality. Frank challenges conventional narratives and creates counter-histories through his work, which is showcased in solo and group exhibitions at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum (2020) and the Butler Institute of American Art. His art is also part of several private collections and institutions, such as the National Academy Museum of Fine Arts and Design, Farnsworth Art Museum, Osher Map Library, and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, among others.
Frank represented Grenada at the 59th La Biennale di Venezia (2022) and was also part of the collective representing the island at the 58th La Biennale di Venezia (2019), and (2024) Smithsonian Design Triennial. He is a 2024 Creative Capital Awardee and has received numerous grants, including the Ford Foundation Grant for his 2022 La Biennale project.
As a co-founder and creative director of the Nova Frontier Film Festival & Lab, Frank has played a key role in promoting and nurturing the work of filmmakers and artists from the Global African Diaspora, the Middle East, and Latin America. He has also participated as a keynote speaker in global symposiums and lectured at institutions like Yale Drama School, New York University, and York University.
Frank moved to London as a teenager, where he began his artistic journey in painting, experimental video art, and installation. He later relocated to New York to further his studies in studio art at places like The Art Students League of New York and The National Academy of Fine Arts. He earned his MA in filmmaking and media arts from The New School for Social Research.
Co-Founder and Managing Director (CFO) — Lydia Darly, a French-American award-winning powerhouse of talent, writer, and director, emerges from the vibrant Guadeloupe Islands. Her artistic journey ignited in Paris, where she joined experimental theater companies as a teenager, fueling her passion for the stage. Venturing to Rome, Italy, Lydia showcased her acting prowess in "The Exorcist: The Beginning" alongside Stellan Skarsgard, leaving an indelible mark on various TV series. Driven by an insatiable love for American cinema, Lydia honed her craft in New York City at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and the Susan Batson Studio. Recently, Lydia's star power shone as she portrayed Molly Bloom in "The Ulysses Project," opposite Aiden Gillen and John Turturro, revealing her depth and versatility as an actress.
As a sought-after model, Lydia has collaborated with industry giants such as Timberland, Shopify, Optimum, Nokia, Kroll, and Workhuman, infusing each project with her unique talent and creativity.
Beyond her acting and modeling career, Lydia is the co-founder of The NOVA Frontier Film Festival & Lab, passionately championing diverse voices and emerging talent. She commands the stage as an esteemed guest speaker, sharing her wisdom at NYWIFT, Agence culturelle Africaine, and Filmshop, inspiring audiences worldwide.
James Powell
Director of Development and Artistic Production — James Powell is a strategist, editor, producer and storyteller. For over 6 years, he was the Arts + Culture Editor and Head of Production for The Tenth, a global and independent media company that documents the history, ideas and aesthetics of the African diaspora through an LGBTQ lens. Over the years, The Tenth has collaborated with hundreds of the world’s most talented black artists and intellectuals to explore ideas from Romanticism to Technology moving underrepresented stories from the margins to the center through film, special events and an annual print publication, Before working at The Tenth, James spent seven years at The Clinton Foundation helping to manage operations and the quarterly college internship program which hosted undergraduate/graduate students and mid-career professionals from all over the globe. James has served on young patron boards for VH1 Save the Music Foundation, the former Children’s Storefront School in Harlem, a tuition-free private school that has expanded to become Storefront Academy Charter Schools and volunteered as a special projects advisor for the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art.
Rendah Haj
Director of Programming — Rendah Haj — is an Egyptian-Australian documentary filmmaker and programmer. Rendah’s film work focuses on highlighting under-represented social issues through intimate portraits, with a strong emphasis on the experiences of young women, ethnic families and mental health. Her graduate short Hayat, screened internationally including at DOC NYC, Slamdance, and the New York African Film Festival, winning several awards. As a programmer, Rendah leads the festival selections for Nova and the documentary shorts programming at Slamdance. She has also assisted at TIFF and IDA. Currently based in Toronto, Rendah is finalizing her first feature film for CBC, which centres the story of Soleiman Faqiri.