Actress and former radio and television broadcaster Leonie Forbes is to be honored for her contribution to the film industry, at an all day festival at the Medgar Evers College in New York on Saturday, May 5.
The event is part of the Jamaica 50 celebrations.
The festival will feature four films highlighting her career.
When the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) started in 1955, Ms. Forbes became an announcer. She was one of the first voices on the radio along with Dennis Hall, Desmond Chambers, Erica Allen and Beverly Anderson.
She later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in England on a scholarship. There she pursued a Diploma Course in Radio Television and Stage.
She also worked on scripts for the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) Caribbean service where she did works on Jamaican lifestyle.
On her return to Jamaica in 1970 she went back to JBC where she worked as a producer/presenter for television.
In 1972, she spearheaded the development of Radio Two JBC FM Stereo Service
As an actress, Ms. Forbes has played leading roles in twelve pantomimes.
She has also appeared in films such as "Children of Babylon" (1980), "Club Paradise" (1986), "The Orchid House" (1991), "Milk and Honey" (1995), "What My Mother Told Me" (1995) and "Soul Survivor" (1995).
Ms. Forbes also authored a book called "The Re-Entry Into Sound", along with Alma Mock Yen, a standard text used to train broadcasters all over the Caribbean.
She has received a number of awards for her work including a Musgrave gold medal from the Institute of Jamaica, and an Order of Distinction (OD) from the Jamaican Government.