News

 

Three films are currently in production in Jamaica. Two are short films (under 40 minutes).

 

The first short is Grave Digger which is the brainchild of Gabrielle Blackwood – a Jamaican graduate of University of Auckland, New Zealand and University of the West Indies, Mona. The short follows the lives of two adolescent boys who make a living selling the valuables from graves they pillage. They then discover a grave laden with illegal firearms which forces a conflict between the two on how to deal with their discovery.

 

The second short, Sunday, is written by Kyle Chin, a member of a promising new film group known as New Caribbean Cinema. This short follows the story of a gunman who flees to a church to escape law enforcement.

 

The feature film is Ghett’a Life, written and directed by Chris Browne. The screenplay won the Grand Prize at the 2006 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Ghett’a Life tells the story of a boy who wants to use boxing as a way out of his polarised inner-city community during an election year.

 

Additionally, there are two completed local films awaiting release. These are expected to be  released in theatres in October.

 

Rise Up by Luciano Blotta is a feature length documentary that has won numerous accolades at twelve film festivals including Camden, Kapu and SilverDocs. The documentary highlights stories of musicians trying to make it in the Jamaican music industry. It was made over a five year production period. Interestingly, two of the three artistes are now making significant strides in the Jamaican music industry.

 

The other completed film is Better Mus’ Come by Storm Saulter. Better Mus\' Come, set in the 1970’s¸ traces the origins of the use of street gangs by political parties in their violent struggle to win the national election.