{ CNY WOMEN IN FILM }
TONI FERNANDEZ BY TAMMY REESE
Born in Boston Massachusetts Toni Fernandez discovered writing and filming as a tool to express her emotions. The reaction she would receive from writing and filming music videos would soon lead her to writing and directing her most anticipated project to date “Still Got The Juice” . A Film Series based in the 90s when fashion and music told the stories of our lives . Toni released a visual teaser of “Still Got The Juice” in September of 2017 accumulating almost 70,000 NON PAID views in one month . Toni realized the buzz she created needed guidance. She then took her talents to New York where she met C R CAPERS the CEO and Founder of the Hip Hop Film Festival NYC in Harlem. C R Capers took Toni under her wing and continues to guide her to create the best quality project to present to the world. Toni’s accomplishments include winning the Bosschick Competition in June of 2018 at the Harlem Film House.
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Being selected as a semifinalist in the Hip Hop Film Festival NYC 2018 for the Screen Writers Competition. Also being selected as a finalist in the 2019 Hip Hop Film Festival NYC Screen Writers Competition. With Toni Fernandez impressing all the judges with a performance she’d written and performed with her
cast, she walked away with countless opportunities. “Still Got The Juice” was featured on BET.com with a write up on the Hip Hop Festival NYC in August 2019 as the Top 3 Best of the Fest Nominees for the Screen Writers competition . Not only does Toni spend most of her time writing and filming her
CENTRAL NY WOMAN ONLINE ::DECEMBER/JANUARY EDITION 2019-2020
first love has always been music. Winning Best Rap Female at the New England Urban Music Awards in Boston ,under the rap stage name Krystal Blayke back in 2008 . Toni’s love for music ceased when her sister died in 2015 . However she has found new inspiration to compose music for “Still Got The Juice”. The inspiration to be a filmmaker came from Toni’s Aunt who passed away this year . One day in 2009 s h e s a t To n i down and said, “Toni I’ve never met anyone who writes the way you do with your songs perhaps you should make visuals to really bring out your story”. To n i w a s s o against it however the more she was against it, the more Toni found herself losing interest in music and gaining interest in filming . The first film was an animation film called “One Cruel Summer The Gillette Murders” which received honorable mention at the Machinima Film Festival . The most current project is “Still Got The Juice” an upcoming film series about losing yourself only to