CAST & Crew

Brett Smith is a multi-award winning writer / director, from Bellevue, Washington. A self-taught filmmaker who began his career in short film and commercial work, Brett is quickly becoming known for creating expansive and large scope worlds with micro budgets.

Freedom’s Path marks Smith’s debut feature film, one he has pursued for over twelve years. A common theme among Brett’s early work has been the choice to take on deep and emotionally challenging stories with universal humanity at the core.

He is creating stories where characters who are often sidelined, become the lead stories, stories that can inspire us all.

RJ CYLER

 LEAD ACTOR – “KITCH”             EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Ronald “RJ” Cyler II is best known for his leading role in ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Fox Searchlight. He received a Critic’s Choice Best Young Performer nomination for his performance. It was during the film’s production, which followed a brief period during which RJ and his family were unhoused, that he decided to make acting his full time career.

RJ was most recently seen as the lead in EMERGENCY, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance this year, and will release in theaters and on Amazon in May. He also starred in client Jeymes Samuel’s acclaimed Western THE HARDER THEY FALL, alongside clients Jonathan Majors and Lakeith Stanfield, plus Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz and Regina King.

His film credits also include Netflix’s SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER, opposite client Noah Centineo, and WHITE BOY RICK, a crime drama directed by client Yann Demange. RJ’s emotional portrayal of “Blue Ranger” in Lionsgate’s POWER RANGERS reboot earned him a Choice Scene Stealer nomination at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards.

Gerran Howell is a celebrated Welsh actor, director, and writer of short films who was born and brought up in Barry, Wales, United Kingdom. He is widely known for his role in the CBBC television series ‘Young Dracula’ as ‘Vladimir Dracula’.

In 2011, he appeared as “Ernesto” in an episode of the CBBC drama The Sparticle Mystery and returned in series 2 (which was aired in February 2013). He had also returned for series 3 of The Sparticle Mystery (which aired January 2014). Gerran also guest starred in Casualty in January 2012, as a new character alongside actor Billy Boyd.

He later appeared on CBBC’s Hacker Time and 12 Again, with Young Dracula co-star Clare Thomas, during 2012.

Gerran recently starred as ‘Leo’, a major recurring role on Apple TV+ series SUSPICION. Gerran’s feature film credits include Sam Mendes’ mega-hit 1917 (Universal Pictures) and starring in TIFF favourite THE SONG OF NAMES. On television, Gerran was a series regular appearing as Kid Sampson in the Hulu/ Channel 4 high-profile drama CATCH-22, directed by George Clooney. Gerran was also a series regular on EMERALD CITY (NBC) and shot guest leads on GENIUS: PICASSO (Fox), THIS COUNTRY (BBC) and STRIKE BACK (Sky/HBO).

EWEN BREMNER

ANTAGONIST – “SILAS”

Ewen Bremner is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in Julien Donkey-Boy and Daniel “Spud” Murphy in Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel T2 Trainspotting.

Ewen Bremner made his first big screen appearance in THIS GOSPEL ACCORDING TO VIC. Since then, Ewen has worked with a wide range of both mainstream directors and auteurs such as Mike Leigh (NAKED), Harmony Karine (JULIEN-DONKEY BOY), Michael Winterbottom (FORGET ABOUT ME), Ridley Scott (BLACK HAWK DOWN), Woody Allen (MATCH POINT) and Guy Ritchie (SNATCH).

Other film credits include JUDGE DREDD, MOJO, THE ACID HOUSE, PEARL HARBOUR, HALLAM FOE, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, GET SANTA and WONDER WOMAN 1 & 2. He can currently be seen in the Taika Waititi series OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH on HBO Max, as well as in the feature film CREATION STORIES, directed by Nick Moran and executive produced by Danny Boyle.

Carol Joan Dickerson Sutton’s career has spanned a vast array of acclaimed film, television and theater productions. She made her acting debut in the late 1960s in Dashiki Project Theatre productions in New Orleans. Later on, she directed several Dashiki productions.

Throughout her career, Sutton appeared in over one hundred films and television shows, including playing a policewoman in The Pelican Brief with Denzel Washington, a judge in The Big Easy with Dennis Quaid, and most recently “Aunt Martha” in Ava DuVernay’s hit show Queen Sugar. Sutton was featured in the Alicia Keys video “The Fire We Make” in 2013. She has also graced productions such as Steel Magnolias, Monsters Ball, The Help, Ray, True Detective and the The Last Exorcism. Ms. Sutton’s final role on screen was that of, Caddy, in Freedom’s Path.

In 2012, Ms. Sutton received the New Orleans Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Sutton died from complications of COVID-19 on December 10, 2020, seven days after her 76th birthday, during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Orleans.

AFEMO OMILANI

“Ellis Freeman”

Afemo Omilani is an internationally acclaimed actor, philanthropist, and producer. He has appeared in many films such as Glory (1989), The Firm (1993), Gordy (1995), Remember the Titans (2000), Ray (2004), Hounddog (2007), The Blind Side (2009), and Terminator Genisys (2015). He is perhaps best known for his role as the Drill Sergeant in Forrest Gump (1994).

Omilami has also appeared in TV shows such as Miami Vice, In the Heat of the Night, Law & Order, True Detective, and Saints & Sinners.

In 2013 Mr. Omilami was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award in the category “Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special” for his performance in Lifetime’s Steel Magnolias as Drum Eatenton.

He was longtime friends with fellow Freedom’s Path actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who passed away in 2020. Omilami spoke to 11Alive news on dedicating the film to his friend.

Born in Georgia, Byrd earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Morris Brown College and later received a master of fine arts degree in dance from California Institute of the Arts.

A frequent collaborator with acclaimed director Spike Lee. In addition to film, Mr. Byrd has starred in numerous stage productions including the San Diego Repertory Theater’s award-winning performance of “Spunk”, “Home” by Samm-Art Evans, “Two Trains Running”, “The Piano Lesson” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. Mr. Byrd’s has appeared in films such as Clockers, Set It Off, He Got Game, Ray, Red Hook Summer and Chi-Raq.

In 2003, Mr. Byrd was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Broadway’s revival of Ma Rainy’s Black Bottom. Mr. Byrd was tragically killed in 2020. Freedom’s Path marks his final film role.