Sahndra Fon Dufe
Sahndra Fon Dufe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sandra Kiven Fondufe October 28, 1989 Yaoundé, Cameroon |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Writer, Producer |
| Years active | 2009-present |
Sahndra Fon Dufe (born October 28, 1989) is a Cameroonian actress, writer, and film producer.[1] She is best known for her appearances in several international movies such as Refugee (2000 film), One Night in Vegas, and Black November.[2][3]
Biography
Fon Dufe was born on October 28, 1989, in Bamenda, Cameroon, to a school administrator mother and a military judge father. Along with her brothers, Sahndra was raised in a catholic Christian family with whom she lived in several cities including Duala, Buea, Garoua, Bafoussam, and Yaoundé. By the age of 5, Fon Dufe had written ten novels and was involved in ballet and majorette school clubs. In fact, Fon Dufe was later enrolled into an all-girl Catholic boarding school at the age of 11 where she studied for seven years and was known for her written novels and dance performances at different events.
Education
Prior to acting, Fon Dufe attended PNEU School in Bamenda, Cameroon. She later graduated from from the University of Buea and received a law degree. There again, she was well known for her dancing and was nominated as one of the best dancers at the school’s end-of-year awards. Barely a week after her graduation from law school, Fon Dufe left for the United States where she started training as an actor at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.
Career
Filming
2009–2012: Early work
Fon Dufe’s first film roles were in local Cameroonian films like Standing The Rain (2009) and Two Princes (2010). She subsequently appeared in the Nollywood independent film Lost in Abroad (2012) and performed with Wyclef Jean, Akon, and Hakeem Kae Kazim in Black November (2012).[4] At age 23, Fon Dufe’s performance in the award-winning romantic comedy One Night in Vegas (2013) earned her a lot of attention for her portrayal of Van Vicker’s wife, Mildred, a cancer patient trying to secure guardianship for her children before her passing. Other film roles include Yurika in Frank Rajah’s Refugees (2013) starring Yvonne Nelson, Kwuni in Unconditional Love (2013) with John Dumelo, and Patience in the short film The Successor of Katunga.(2013).
In fact, Fon Dufe started her professional acting career in local Cameroonian movies while she was studying law at the University of Buea in Cameroon. Without her parents’ knowledge, she starred in two local movies as a supporting character. The first movie she appeared in was the Gold Age Productions feature movie Standing The Rain, starring Desmond Whyte and Proxy Buh Melvin. The movie was directed by Enah Johnscott and distributed locally in 2009. Even though this film was not screened internationally, US-based film producer and owner of AkwaStar Studios, Mako Namme, noticed and invited her to a supporting role in the movie Two Princes starring Kelly Azia, Collins Isuma, and Awa Edna. This movie also was never screened out of Cameroon but, again, the young actress was noticed by prolific producers like Agbor Gilbert and director Reginald Ebere. That year was barely over when Sahndra booked the role of Zena in Kelechi Eke’s Lost in Abroad, a Nigerian movie about confused African immigrants which was filmed in Texas, USA, and appeared and modeled for the Los Angeles Fashion Minga.[5]
The following year, Fon Dufe shot an inspirational International PSA in French and English which was directed by the award winning female Chinese director Xandria Anyaene who is the director of IJE, the highest grossing film in Nigeria in 2012. Sahndra’s performance was then featured in Kanye West and Jay Z’s music video Niggas in Paris. When Fon Dufe graduated from NYFA, at an age of 22, she began dabbling with writing her first feature screenplay which was inspirational for women and blew up into an international film project shot in Cameroon with notable Hollywood actors like Hakeem Kae Kazim, Isaiah Washington, Leleti Khumalo, Uti Nwachukwu, and Kelly Price.
2013: Breakthrough
Fon Dufe began the year 2013 by booking a national commercial for the American Cancer Society alongside Body of Proof actress Jeri Ryan. Soon after, Ghanaian producer Koby Maxwell hired her for his all-star, international blockbuster One Night in Vegas starring Jimmy Jean Louis, Sarodj Bertin, Yvonne Nelson, John Dumelo, Van Vicker, and Michael Blackson. Fon Dufe appeared in the movie Doubt where she portrayed Mildred, a cancer patient giving up the guardianship of her kids just before her death to her trifling husband. Fon Dufe’s next work was the lead role of Kwuni in the movie Unconditional Love, a screenplay she personally co-wrote. While the movie was in post-production, Sahndra took on another role which is the biggest in her career so far. James Cameron booked Fon Dufe in his blockbuster movie Refugees which is set for release in 2014. This time, co-starring with Yvonne Nelson, Fon Dufe played the role of Yurika, an African singer struggling in a band to make it amidst issues like race and their illegal immigration status.
2014–present
Fon Dufe began 2014 very strong by signing with a commercial talent agency, Howard Talent West, in January 2014. By the end of the month, she had locked down an endorsement with J, a Nigerian tablet. By early February, not only was Fon Dufe on the GSN show Mind of a Man, hosted by D Ray Davis, she was also featured in Coca Cola’s official World Cup Music Video for the World Cup in Brazil directed by artist David Correy.
Writing
In addition to acting, Fon Dufe is also known for being the brainchild behind the Yefon trilogy which portrays a young African village girl who goes against the discriminatory laws of her tribe, which subjugate women, and becomes the spark for a literary revolution.[6] In fact, in 2013, Fon Dufe took time off and spent the rest of the year writing the first YEFON novel. With the strong support and the guidance of bestselling authors like Delia J Colvin and Melissa Foster, Fon Dufe worked hard to bring this project to fruition. This debut YEFON novel is set to be a film adaptation where Sahndra herself will step into the lead role.[7] Other cast members include Isaiah Washington, Adriana Barazza, Jimmy Jean Louis, Hakeem Kae- Kazim, Leleti Khumalo, Uti Nwachukwu and many others with a sound track by Kelly Price.[8]
Philanthropy
In 2012, Fon Dufe partnered with the American Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to organize training for young actors through a jointly owned International Workshop.[9] Sahndra also actively supports young female entertainers through an annual scholarship program in Lourdes College, Cameroon. She is also a voice for Project New Bamenda, a project launched to support young entrepreneurs from the North West Region of Cameroon.
Awards
Fon Dufe won several awards including a recognition by the Commonwealth of Nations for her poem “Dear mama”.
References
- ^ http://hallpams.blogspot.com/2013/03/photo-of-daysahndra-fon-dufe.html
- ^ http://irokoheritage.com/2013/03/11/young-gifted-and-black-sandra-fon-dufe-the-interview/
- ^ http://belfim.fouye.com/moun/5531/media/13081
- ^ http://fienipamovies.appspot.com/node/4883?utm_campaign=related&utm_source=fienipa&utm_medium=link
- ^ http://jimbolism.com/lost-in-abroad-premieres-at-the-majestic-theater/
- ^ http://loveklinicblog.com/interview-sahndra-fon-dufe-importance-apology/
- ^ http://irepcamer.blogspot.com/2012/08/yefona-sahndra-fondufe-feature-film.html
- ^ http://www.fab-book.com/entertainment/tv/80-tv-top-ten-most-beautiful-entertainers-in-cameroon
- ^ http://www.projectnewbamenda.com/blog/pnb/6-meet-a-pnb-ambassador-sahndra-fon-dufe-actress-writer-and-producer