IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Mento Makes News

2010-06-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Photo: Bounty Killer and Summerfest Promotions Johnny Gourzong

Kingston, JA: June 26, 2010
Reggae Sumfest 2010 was launched this week in a high-profile event attended by a Who's Who of entertainment industry stars, who were exited to hear that American R&B superstar Usher will be the event's star attraction. But by far the biggest entertainment news this week was the surprising revival and media launch of the Jolly Boys, a Jamaican mento band from Port Antonio that used to play for Hollywood movie star Errol Flynn's celebrity parties half a century ago.

First, Sumfest news. The announcement that Usher was coming to Sumfest was greeted by shrieks of delight from the women and nods of approval from the men. An announcement weeks ago that Chris Brown, was on the list of performers, caused a Facebook page to be started by those who felt he should not be invited because of his domestic violence conviction. But Brown's fans buy tickets, and are looking forward to seeing and hearing him. So with two American superstars on the line-up, the Jamaican stars had to be equal in stature. Sumfest did not disappoint and there was a roar of approval when it was announced that Summerfest Promotions would be specially honouring ace deejay Bounty Killer this year.

Sumfest week begins Saturday July 17 with a beach party, and continues with Dancehall Night July 22, and International Nights on July 23 and 24. Other acts on the 3-night reggae extravanganza include Shaggy, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley, Gyptian, Ce'Cile, Queen Ifriica, Etana, Elephant Man, Movado, Gramps Morgan and Tony Rebel, plus a host of others and prom.ises to be another excellent showcase of the best of Jamaican reggae

JOLLY BOYS REVIVE MENTO
Mento was the original Jamaican music, a mix of Caribbean calypso – and with it, a love of double-meaning sexy lyrics – along with a special beat provided by a rhumba box, maracas, guitar and banjo, an instrument hardly played in today's Jamaican bands.

Until the advent of reggae, mento was the holiday tourist music, heard in every North Coast hotel bar, beach and dance floor in the early days of the hotel industry. “Yellow Bird”, “Jamaica Farewell” and ”The Big Bamboo” were popular favourites and the bands in their ubiquitous tourist shirts, straw hats and sandals became the image of Jamaican entertainment. In Port Antonio, where Hollywood movie star Errol Flynn had purchased the small offshore Navy Island, the Jolly Boys regularly provided the music at his wild parties.

But musical fashions changed in the reggae 70s, at the same time that skilled mento musicians were getting older. Few passed on their musical skills or songs and mento soon became a part of Jamaica's musical past, not present. Two years ago the Jolly Boys group, led by 70-year-old Albert Minott, was re-discovered Jon Baker – an Englishman who settled in Portland a decade ago, opened Gee Jam Studios and then expanded the property into a super-luxury hotel where superstar Sharon Stone spent her 50th birthday. “The hotel was doing fine, but the studio wasn't busy. I heard the Jolly boys playing at a club in Port Antonio and invited them to come and record some songs. Everything just snowballed from there.”

The snowball gets bigger, as the recording session grew into an album GREAT EXPECTATIONS which features some traditional songs plus the Jolly Boys' versions of modern songs, including Amy Winehouse's mega-hit “Rehab” which has become the group's first music video. (Winehouse recorded last year at Gee Jam Studios).

As the group's fame grows, I can be forgiven for likening them to the re-discovery of Cuba's Buena Vista Social Club, another group of old musicians whose music has enjoyed a revival. Not only has the group been signed by the leading international artist management company William Morris Agency, but they leave for an international tour next week immediately after what promises to be a memorable performance on Friday, July 3, at Red Bones Cafe – hotspot for Kingston's culturally hip.

Flynn's widow, former actress Patrice Wymore who still lives in Port Antonio, remembers the Jolly Boys from their young days. Today she is still a fervent fan, and can be seen dancing to their music in the “Rehab” music video, filmed by director Rick Elgood ('Third World Cop' , who is already shooting footage for a feature documentary on the group. 70-year-old lead singerAlbert Minott is still fit enough to do handstands at the slightest request, and band members who have fallen have been replaced by younger musicians with the same love of mento. An added plus is a new generation of fans, including a posse of beautiful young women calling themselves the Jolly Girls, whose appreciation brings a modern edge to the music and performances.

Who would have thought that Mento would be the next Jamaican music to hit the world!!!

RICHIE SPICE TOUR STRANDED BY UNSCRUPULOUS PROMOTER
Richie Spice and his backing band have been abandoned in the most remote part of Holland – Haarlem with no return tickets to Jamaica, no show payments and no sight or sound from promoter Ron Remak of Jazz & Jamm Entertainment, Holland. According to the artist's booking agency, Remak contacted Richie Spice and group for a four week European tour in June. Two weeks before scheduled departure they received a tour schedule with a budget considerably smaller than anticipated, but due to the time and the fact that the artiste had been advertised for some weeks prior, he still went ahead with the tour.

After the third week of the tour the group has received no payment for fourteen (14) shows. Remax has been collecting all payments and presenting expenses never discussed and approved, saying that he owes the artiste no money. Promoters are now very distraught because they've paid over funds to him for their shows, but with shows left to do and shows that have been missed because no monies have been paid for shows already done, Spice has had to make a management decision and refuse to perform on any other shows booked by Remax.

The group's management wants to wholeheartedly apologise to Richie Spice's European fans and to let them to know that he has honored his end of all agreements to date. He says that because of sly, sneaky and dishonest people, he can no longer work without compensation and will resume only to close his tour with two shows in Italy this weekend after which the group will return home without any compensation for 3 weeks of performances every night.

I understand this is not the first time this promoter has proved to be unscrupulous, so let this be a warning for other artists.

THAT WAS THE WEEK IN THE JAMAICAN ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT!

Caribbean Fashion Week

2010-06-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Life has gone back to 'normal' in Jamaica after the events that made international news headlines. 'Dudus' – the man who some say is a community hero and some say an international narco-terrorist – has still not been found, after a security incursion that left 70+ people dead. A One Million Dollar reward for his capture was upped to Five Million after a poll indicated that 67% of the population would NOT tell the cops if they knew where he was hiding.

So confirming 'normal' as the mode, Caribbean Fashion Week was just the tonic to revitalise the spirits of Kingston's fashionistas and party people. It pushed the negative headlines off the fromt page, replacing them with the beautiful faces and figures of Nell Robinson, Jaunell McKenzie, new girl Sedene Blake and hunk Oraine Barrett. Wednesday night's launch party was crowded with the top models, would-be models, past models and beauty queens, not forgetting the good looking men who like to keep such company.

Then on Friday night at the National Indoor Auditorium three nights of beautiful Caribbean fashions unfolded down the runway, as colour, fabric and style mingled to captivate and entice potential buyers with an extensive buffet of beautiful clothes. It's hard to single out any designer, as we all have our favourites. But these were mine.

Keena Linton has made black lace her trademark, in some dresses that were sophisticated and classy, yet daring. Not content with being an ace designer, Keena has also pioneered the hugely popular College Lifestyle TV show and also a glossy magazine to go with it. Big moves for this young lady. Minka, the lady with the clicking fingers, took her crochet art to new heights that awed the audience again with wonder at her fashion inventiveness and technique.

Meiling, the Trinidadian couturier, was simply show-stopping, with an all-black collection that showed inventiveness and intricate technique in a series of extreme tops that were as dramatic coming as going. Biggy was his usual shocking self, with a series of dancehall designs that needed wearers as confident and as good-bodied as the models showing them.

Hugh Johnson's Yardman Style always has some new T-shirts for men and well-cut jeans. He did not disappoint this year. Sandra Kennedy stepped up to the plate for full figures women, with a collection that was simple and well cut, bringing roars of approval from the audience. Robert Brown of The Cloth gave a short lecture before his collection began, asking all to attend next year's CFW wearing only Caribbean clothes. His unusual collection of wrapped garments was innovative and adventurous. Mutamba's collection of tye-dyed and Afrocentric swirls of soft fabrics received tumultuous applause, 'my best collection ever' she said.

Some nice pleasures for CFW attendees were the Hagen Dazs booth dispensing sample scoops of their delicious ice cream with toppings, whipped cream and smiles, and the Red Bull and Smirnof Vodka bars sensibly located at the rear of the main VIP seats that provided an informal party atmosphere throughout the evenings' shows.

In addition to soundtrack and intermission music by Mutabaruka as DJ, CFW featured live musical performances each night. US singer Johnny Gill took the stage on Saturday night, while on Sunday Morgans Heritage's Una Morgan made her first appearance as a solo artist, performing tracks from her upcoming neo-reggae-soul album, then was later joined by brother Gramps, who led the audience in a sing along with some of the group's hits – both a fitting end to the excellent 3 nights of fashion and fun.

CFW10 lived up to its tradition of presenting the best of Caribbean fashion, influenced by the many cultures that have blended to make a unique people whose lives are shaped by the sun, the brilliant seas and the blue skies. Congrats CFW; on now to the next 10 years!

MORE PHOTOS:FaceBook/JaMediaPRO

2009-11-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

HOME - THE FIRST SCHOOL:
A Homeschooling Guide to Early Childhood Education
by BARBARA BLAKE HANNAH

Dear Readers,
I have been fortunate to receive funding from the C.H.A.S.E. Fund to print copies of my book of homeschooling experiences and advice. Jean Lowrie Chin published her comments in her JAMAICA OBSERVER column, Monday November 16.
a href="http://jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20091115T200000-0500_163870_OBS_BLAKE_HANNAH_ON__UNSCHOOLING_.asp.

I share below an excerpt from the book.

CREATING YOUR OWN CURRICULUM
As your child grows, you will automatically be creating a curriculum. The story books you read daily to your child are its earliest lessons in English and Literature, as well as other subjects. You probably have a special time for reading, maybe after you have tidied the house in the morning, in the quiet time before the afternoon nap, or before bedtime. As simply as that, you have started your home curriculum. As your child grows, you will add to this curriculum in the very same way and as you know exactly what your child knows or wants to know, you will develop your lesson plans and gather your textbooks and workbooks as you go along.

To provide the basic lessons, you may choose to teach just one subject a day, so that –say – Tuesday is History Day, then think up creative ways to make that subject day interesting and fun. Your child may be enjoying playing with a science kit and wants to spend most of his time doing only that. Don’t restrict this interest, but find ways to expand it further into exercises such as Spelling Science Words, Writing Down Information, Measuring Amounts, Recording Ideas … you get the picture.

There is no set matrix for how you fill that small mind with information, and if you set achievement goals, you are free to explore ways to accomplish them. You will find that children like to explore one subject as far as they can understand, before moving on to something else. Makonnen would read an entire Science book in one go and then return to it every day for weeks, digesting bits of information he was specially interested in. Go with the flow – your child will better retain that information if he
sought it out himself.

SIMPLE TIPS
The results of these simple start-up practices will surprise you and will encourage you to continue teaching your child at home full time. When you take your one-year-old with you to the doctor’s
waiting room, why don’t you bring a little book to read to him? Or her toy -- the one that jiggles and rattles and is difficult to put together -- to prevent her becoming bored and restless? Why didn’t you put 10 pretty seashells into an empty margarine tub and pass the time waiting by counting them out into his little hands – one, two, three – his first Maths lessons.

At home, where is that cardboard box of discarded wood pieces from the nearby lumber yard, in all shapes and sizes that make wonderful building blocks that can be stacked in myriad designs and that make such a nice noise when tumbling down? No need to buy expensive plastic toys that break apart. What about making a scrapbook book by pasting leaves collected from trees you pass on your daily walk. Writing the names of the trees from which they come, observing the blossoms and fruits that follow and learning about their uses, is a practical and fun way to teach natural science.

And where are the pictures on your walls that teach? Do you have pictures of the Planets, common and exotic animals, the world Atlas, the photos of people of other cultures, of foods and flowers? Stick them up on the wall and you have turned your entire home into a classroom.
------------------------------------------------------
COPIES ON SALE at bookstores and pharmacies islandwide.
FURTHER INFORMATION: jamediapro@hotmail.com

HOME - THE FIRST SCHOOL published in Jamaica

2009-10-15T16:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,
I am proud and happy to announce publication of my book HOME - THE FIRST SCHOOL: a HomeSchooling Guide to Early Childhood Education. With funding from the C.H.A.S.E. Fund and distribution by Novelty Trading Co., the book has finally reached bookstores.

I started homeschooling my son when he was born 24 years ago, and though I knew little about the process, I found that my early efforts to impart knowledge were providing a foundation for his education. His natural thirst for knowledge encouraged me to continue feeding him information via books, videos and music and as time went by I was able to link with homeschoolers on the Internet and through the many books on the subject.

When we got a computer and, later, the internet, the computer became an important tool in the process and continues to aid his life-long education to this day.

So many people have asked me questions about homeschooling, especially after my son made history and international news by being appointed a Government technology consulant at the age of 13 years. After answering so many questions, I finally wrote a book that tells of my experiences and,hopefully, provides a guide for parents interested in homeschooling.

The book addresses such topics as Choosing a Curriculum, The Computer as Teacher, Internet Links, the Montessori Method, So What About College, and The Breast is Best.

A website will soon be launched and copies will soon be available for website sale.

JAMAICA WORLD CINEMA SHOWCASE

2009-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

INDIE CINEMA SHOWCASE PREVIEWS NEW JAMAICAN MOVIE
The Jamaica World Cinema Showcase, a presentation of grassroots independent international films previously unseen in Jamaica, begins on Tuesday OCTOBER 6 -9, 2009 at Finnigans Winery, on Cranbourne Avenue by Dumbarton Avenue off Eastwood Park Road, St. Andrew.

The Showcase is an effort to provide an alternative screening of films that rarely get shown in Jamaica and yet which have received international distribution and acclaim. Produced by Lloyd Laing, the Showcase offers a wide variety in its interesting Programme. These include a special VIP Opening Night screening of “F**K – the Film that Dares Not Speak its Name”; ‘Bashment Granny – The Movie” of the popular ‘roots’ play; “Antonia” a film from Brazil about four young female pop singers trying to rise from the favelas, and “Fidel – The Untold Story” a Cuban documentary that takes an intimate look at 40 years of the Cuban revolution.

The Showcase features a special sneak preview of “The Heart of Summer” the new Jamaican feature film starring leading Jamaican actor Paul Campbell that is scheduled for Friday, October 9 and will be of interest to all movie lovers.

The Showcase is endorsed by the Jamaica Film Academy and the most popular films will be featured in a World Cinema Showcase feature of the Reggae Film Festival 2010.

Sponsors of the Jamaica Film Showcase include Talk TV, a new cable channel, and Stanley Motta Rentals, Jamaica's leader in multimedia equipment rental and sales and Finnigans Winery, a relaxing wine bar popular with young executives.

With just days to go, it seems the Jamaica World Cinema Showcase is going to be a fun event. Organizers have created a laid back outdoor venue complimented with wine and cheese at great prices. Other concessions at the venue include a menu of Shrimp, Steak and Vegan Kebabs, Donuts, Tea, Coffee Cake and off course...Popcorn :)

Call 469.4760 or visit the JAMAICA WORLD CINEMA website at http://jwcs09.ning.com for trailers, schedule, and directions. SEE MAP BELOW.

Is Immitation always 'flattery'?

2009-09-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

IS IMITATION ALWAYS 'THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY?"

I-JAMAICA is a video I made in 2005 as the first of a series of 4-5 minute shows in which I travelled to little-known Jamaican beauty spots and people, then tied it in with some music to eventually form a 12-part take-away video gift for visitors. I tried to interest both TV stations, as well as the Tourism agencies in sponsoring it as a regular series, but was unsuccessful.

So I was surprised and even glad to see a new series "Dry Land Tourist" which sets out to accomplish the same objective as mine did. It's always good to promote Jamaica, especially to our own people who don't enjoy our island as much as we could.

However, I must admit that I'd be even happier if the first episode did not feature the very same Millford Falls that I showed in this first I-JAMAICA, which has been on the Internet,on MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube for several years.

Even the programme host's dreadlocks and voice are similar to mine.
Co-incidence, I wonder, or immitation?
Ah well... Moving right along .......

HOLLAND HOSTS FESTIVAL OF REGGAE FILMS

It was announced by press release this week that a Dutchman will host a film festival in Amsterdam featuring what have become known as 'reggae films' ever since the first Reggae Film Festival was held in 2008 in Kingston. This pioneering 3-day event identified that films inspired by Jamaica's music and culture had become a specific genre, and to confirm this, film festivals around the world thereafter started including 'reggae films' in their programmes.

None have done so as comprehensively as the upcoming Dutch event. By calling it a 'Caribbean Film Festival' the event does not breach the intellectual property rights of the Reggae Film Festival name, but the similarity of the two events is too great to ignore.

A visit to the event website displays a catalog that lists one Haitian film and every single Jamaican reggae-themed feature film made since "The Harder They Come", including some rare films such as "The Marijuana Affair", the newly-popular "Why do Jamaicans Run So Fast" and even the newly-released "No Place Like Home" -- Henzell's second and last feature film.

Emiel Martens, the Festival organiser, was doing a PhD thesis on Jamaican film at UWI when the first Reggae Film Festival took place in February 2008. By September, he had organised and presented his first screening of Jamaican films in Amsterdam, including the new Firefly Films features by the Saulter brothers, and Rick Elgood's 'Surf Rasta'. (Elgood's TV series "Me An' Mi Krew" will be featured this year.)

By interviewing all the Jamaican film makers he encountered while living here, Martens acquired a collection of information and films from which to now make annual presentations, as well as sales from his website. With such a large catalogue to draw from, plus the resources so easily available to Europeans to finance study of exotic cultures and present their findings, it is clear to see why Martens has been successful in mounting a second festival of Jamaican films in a year when Jamaica itself could not find funds to do so.

Martens is now investing in the financing of films for his future festivals, backing Mary Wells 'Kingston Paradise' and promising to do even more to invest in Jamaican culture in ways the Jamaican government and private sector should be doing.

Is imitation truly 'the sincerest form of flattery' as people claim? Or is it a form of exploitation of one person's idea, and the Jamaican people and culture?

Holland's interest in Jamaican culture stretches back beyond its easy laws in favour of ganja use. Holland had the largest fleet of ships transporting enslaved Africans in the centuries of the TransAtlantic slave trade, with Curacao and Aruba as their ports of sale.

Taking away our culture and getting rich from it, is not surprising from someone whose nation's wealth comes from having enslaved the people of that culture for 300 years? Today's slavemaster is just putting the 'jungle' on display once again in a new format Barnum & Bailey circus and there are always 'house negroes' eager to be rewarded for helping the 'massa'.

Peter Gittins, the Englishman who partners the Reggae Film Festival, offered his collection of reggae films to Jamaica for display, sales and archive and co-created the Reggae Film Festival. When Martens steals our film festival idea for his own benefit, what does he give back to Jamaica?

People don't have to travel to Jamaica to hear reggae any more, as reggae festivals in Europe, America and Japan offer bigger alternatives marketing their own brands and products. We don't want the same to happen to our films.

Emiel Martens, you have been caught red-handed stealing the Reggae Film Festival.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

2009-08-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

This week:

MACKA DIAMOND STARS IN ‘REDEMPTION OF PARADISE’
JOSEPH’ FILM TRAILER COMPLETED – SURPRISE GUEST STAR
NEW PRESIDENT FOR JTI
SOUTH AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL INVITES CARIBBEAN FILMS
'NO PLACE LIKE HOME' SCREENS IN HARLEM

Jamaican and Caribbean films have become a focus of attention around the world, resulting in a flutter of recent activity in film circles and the production of several feature and documentary films. Rick Elgood’s well-made TV series “Me an’ Mi Krew” is currently in prime time repeats on Jamaica’s CVM-TV, while documentary film maker Mary Wells has taken her first step into feature film production with “Kingston Paradise” which wrapped recently.

I was recently given a copy of “Crazy Abdul”, a G-Flex Films production out of Portmore that is mostly guns, Gaza and Gully, but which the director assures me sells well to fans of Nigerian films. The quality of these films is always unexpected, but the fact of their existence and popularity is a positive step towards a film industry as productive as Jamaica’s music industry.

While Jamaica continues to lead in numbers of productions, the island of Antigua has become a film-making mecca, with another production recently completed by the very prolific 18-year-old company Hamafilms Antigua, producers of “The Sweetest Mango” (2001) who are currently editing “The Seed” a thriller which also stars Jamaica’s Carl Bradshaw.

‘REDEMPTION OF PARADISE’
Antigua was recently the location for “Redemption of Paradise”, a feature film starring dancehall diva ‘Money-O” Macka Diamond – a flamboyant stage personality and author of a sensational autobiography. Described by its director Noel “Doc” Howell M.D., as ‘an epic story about guns, drugs and redemption’, the film recently held a premiere at Weekenz show venue in St. Andrew with the media hype at high level because of its celebrity star.

The story features Macka as a retired police officer returned to live in her island ‘paradise’, who finds drug dealers have caused crime and violence to increase. She sets out to create the redemption of paradise, confronting the bad men and generally rallying the island people. Macka does a fairly good job of acting and projecting her well-known persona on the screen. It’s a pity her hard work was not accompanied by a more professional videographer, sound and lighting crew that would have produced a more polished production, but viewers are promised a sequel in which we can only hope these problems will disappear.

When questioned about her take on the movie, the money goddess stated, "I feel good, it's a new experience for me and I think it was a good attempt. I know my fans are just going to love the movie. I'm up for any criticisms because there's definitely going to be a part two and any comment on the first will give us an opportunity to build on the second."

One interesting aspect of the production’s very professional packaging and marketing campaign is that the film will go straight to DVD sales after a brief cinema run, showing that the producers of films like these realize that they can only hope to earn some profit from home and party collections before piracy swallows up their hard work.

I give “Redemption of Paradise” an A for effort and nominate Macka Diamond as one of the contenders for the Best Actress Award of the 2010 Reggae Film Festival.

'JOSEPH’ FILM TRAILER COMPLETED – SURPRISE GUEST STAR
Jamaica Media Productions in association with Musical Circus, is proud to announce that the company is in pre-production of the feature film JOSEPH based on my novel JOSEPH – A RASTA REGGAE FABLE.
Scenes were recently shot on location at Buju Banton’s Gargamel Studios to produce a trailer to be used as a marketing tool for investment and distribution. Videographer Allan ‘Endless’ Tennant filmed using a Sony XE camera, with sound recorded by Rohan Foster. Editing of the trailer was done by MultiCast Entertainment with help from CPTC studios.
Among those playing roles in the film are well-known Jamaican actor Carl Davis (‘Royal Palm Estate’, ‘Third World Cop’, ‘Almost Heaven’); Singer/TV/Radio hostess Empress Mullings and Makonnen Blake Hanna, plus a very special Guest Star, former World Heavyweight Boxing champion Lennox Lewis whose film career includes a lead role in the British film Johnny Was”. You can see the JOSEPH Trailer at YouTube/JaMediaPro.

NEW PRESIDENT FOR JTI
Welcome to Mrs. Stacia Templer who has been appointed President of Jamaica Trade and Invest, the Government agency that spearheads and invites overseas investment in Jamaica and in that capacity supervises the film industry. Coming from the Office of the Prime Minister where she served as chief technical officer for planning and development, she will undoubtedly bring a fresh approach to the responsibilities of the post.

Giving his reason for dismissing former CEO Robert Gregory, Minister of Industry & Commerce Carl Samuda said that foreign investment had stagnated and what remained on the books reflected carry-over investments primarily from Spanish hotels completing construction projects already underway and from Flow, which has invested heavily in technology infrastructure over the past few years.

In a story pulished in the Jamaica OBSERVER August 28, the Minister is quoted as saying: "What we want to do is have a virtual explosion of investment, local and foreign, in agriculture, and strengthen local activities that enable local businesses to get into production for export. Entertainment and sports should also be a critical focus at JTI. We have to be satisfied that the leadership of the organisation must be able to aggressively address these challenges in an appropriate and meaningful way," he said.

The administration and development of the film industry under the control of JTI has been less than satisfactory to many members. It is hoped that the new President and also the improvements being made to the Motion Picture Encouragement Act will bring a fresh approach to managing the exciting opportunities for investment and income from the burgeoning Jamaican film industry.

SOUTH AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL INVITES CARIBBEAN FILMS
In the past 2 years there has been a surge of interest by international film festivals seeking Jamaican and Caribbean films and the organizers of the Reggae Film Festival are frequently contacted with requests for programming. Here’s an invitation from a South African film festival.

ALUTA FILM FESTIVAL 2010 - Dates: Monday 22 – Saturday 28 February 2010
OFFICIAL CALL FOR ENTRIES - Monday 30 November 2009
The organisers of the ALUTA FILM FESTIVAL, South Africa’s premier township cinema event, are calling for entries from South African and International filmmakers for 2010, the 7th edition of the festival. The 2010 film festival edition will be hosted on the 22nd till 28th February 2010 in Kimberley - South Africa. We are interested in showcasing Caribbean films at our next edition of the ALUTA FILM FESTIVAL 2010.

Submissions MUST be from filmmakers who have produced films that embrace BLACK experiences worldwide and/or experiences of marginalized communities from across the globe. Submissions MUST be from filmmakers from all over the world with special emphasis on world cinema (films that explore history, social issues and highlight marginalized communities within the developing world).

ALUTA FILM FESTIVAL accepts features, documentaries and short films in the genres/sub-genres of drama, action, thriller, comedy, animation and factual. Filmmakers must guarantee, should their film/video be selected, that permission from the rights holder is secured for a minimum of four screenings at the 7th annual Aluta Film Festival 2010.

Filmmakers are requested to submit DVD PAL screeners of their films and a brief filmmaker biography for viewing by our panel, upon viewing – all selected filmmakers will be forwarded the official application details as well as all festival regulations. Please note that no screeners will be returned.

For additional information feel free to contact festival director at motheoseleke@yahoo.com. All entries MUST be forwarded to the below mentioned address:

Motheo Seleke; Aluta Film Festival; 18985 Guttenburg Pitse Street; John Mampe. Phase One; Galeshewe. Kimberley. 8300; South Africa

‘NO PLACE LIKE HOME’ SCREENS IN HARLEM

Perry Henzell’s second feature “No Place Like Home” which he commenced in 1974 and finished in 2007 screened August 16, 23 and 30 at the Maysles Cinema in the heart of Harlem as part of the Keeling Reggae Caribbean Film series tribute to Henzell.

The film which stars Carl Bradshaw, Countryman and P.J. Soles, was shown at the Flashpoint Film Festival the day after Henzell died in 2007 has yet to have an island-wide release in Jamaica. Supporting the film was Chris Browne’s documentary ‘A Hard Road To Travel” of interviews with Henzell and others who helped make “The Harder They Come” the success it became.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!

TAKING A 'NET VACATION'

2009-08-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

TAKING A ‘NET VACATION’
If you have missed my Blog for the past few weeks, it’s because I’ve been on a ‘net vacation’, a recommended activity for all people like me who live on the Internet. Moving house a month ago, it took 2 weeks for my FLOW internet to be re-connected and once again I have been reminded of the enormous change in my working life that has come with Bill Gates’ Microsoft personal computers and the World Wide Web.

Plugged out from the life-giving supply of digital connection to the outside world, I recall the pre-Internet days when Jamaica was surrounded by invisible walls that only enabled communication with others via expensive long-distance calls and snail mail that took 2 weeks to reach its destination.

One learned Patience and Faith in those days, when one was forced to maintain a fully paid-up relationship with the only telecom company, as overdue bills resulted in not only a large re-connection fee but also payment of an increased ‘deposit’. As such costs were sometimes even more burdensome than the unpaid service charges, many persons simply sighed and remained unconnected.

The freedom of the Internet came to Jamaica in the early 1990s, and we scrambled to learn HTML so we could build our own websites to promote ourselves to the world. The ease of email made trips to the Post Office obsolete and suddenly one could write to Bill Gates as easily as to our family and friends overseas.

Accompanying my son at the Awards Weekend in Los Angeles for the winners of the 1999 ThinkQuest International Student Website Competition, I met Jaron Lanier – the man accredited with inventing the Internet. You can imagine my pleasure to discover that he has been dreadlocksed since his teens, not as a Rasta, but as he says: “… because that’s how my hair wants to grow.” Made me love the Internet even more.

As the internet was reconnected and I hastily logged into my mailboxes at Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail, my Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, I sent out a silent message: Thanks, Jaron Lanier. May your tribe increase!

I used the time while offline to rebuild my Jamaica Media Productions company website and have now uploaded it to a new address. Those interested may visit http://jamediapro.jahweb.co.cc

BOOK REVIEWS
Had a lot of time while offline to read some books and share reviews of two US novels for children that impressed me.

PROFESSOR ANGELICUS VISITS THE BIG BLUE BALL
Author: L.B.B.B. Ward
Publisher: MumbleFish Books, New Jersey, USA

As Zak, his friend Ivy and his dog Ziggy go fishing one day, they are surprised as a visitor from space – Professor Aquius Botanicus Angelicus – descends in a big water bubble. The Professor has come to Earth – the Big Blue Ball -- searching for clean water to refresh his spaceship and he persuades the children to help him find some.

The journey around the Big Blue Ball in search of the world’s most precious commodity is long and desperate, but filled with imagination, discovery and friendship, as the travelers discover that acid rain, global warming, chemical and industrial pollution, drought and diverted rivers have made clean water a scarce global resource. The story is a vivid description of the peril the world faces as our water resources are depleted, and is told in a easy-to-read manner that will captivate children of all ages. I can see the adventure appealing to teenagers reading it themselves, and can be easily read to and understood by young children.

Moral values are imparted as the story progresses. In one adventure searching underwater, they are arrested by the Shark Patrol and brought before the President of the Underwater Confederation of whales and sharks. Commenting on the store of missiles and guns Professor Angelicus tells him: “Things have gotten out of alignment here. Hate makes more hate. Only love can make love. If the residents balanced their body, mind and spirit, the Big Blue Ball would be better balanced.”

On another occasion, Professor Angelicus is suffering from lack of water and the children wonder how to restore him. Ivy suggests: “Maybe we should pray. I read that when people pray, rays of light rise up toward heaven.”

Towards the end, Professor Angelicus and the children arrive at the Great Council of the Land of Sparkle and see before them the Living Mural of Eternity featuring the Great Leaders of Kindness. Imagery such as this book presents can inspire young people, while providing adults with a foundation on which to teach important moral lessons and guide them into adult maturity with positive values.

THE BIG BLUE BALL is available at Amazon, and also from Professor Angelicus website links at MySpace and http://professorangelicus.com.

THE LOOSE END OF THE RAINBOW
Author: D. B.PACINI
Singing Moon Press LLC
Sioux Falls, USA

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Readers of THE BIG BLUE BALL will appreciate this Native American proverb that begins THE LOOSE END OF THE RAINBOW. The book is also from the USA, this one set among the Native American first citizens, otherwise called Indians. Summarizing the story, all adults in the village suddenly disappear, leaving White Eagle and Paints-With-Words, both 17. They lead the children of the tribe on an epic quest across ancient America, on a journey in which they are challenged by hardship, injuries, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes. Luckily for the Tribe of the Innocents, the two young leaders have been gifted with special powers, and unexpected allies emerge.

In a dedication to “All Children, Red, Yellow, Brown, Black and White”. author D.B. Pacini explains the book’s title:
“There are two ends of the rainbow. One is the end where there is a pot of gold. The other is the end where there is not. On that end, the sun also shines brightly after the rain, but the water-washed glorious colours spill loose upon the ground. This is the end where artists bend to dip their paintbrushes, where love promises never to die, where unicorns give rides of little fairies with tiny flowers in their hair. It is the end where talking animals, talking trees, talking rocks, and talking bees have spirited conversations. It is the end where songwriters write songs, the end where storytellers journey through time to find the beginnings of their stories, and the end where dreamers dream their most amazing dreams.”

With a premise such as this, there is much in THE LOOSE END OF THE RAINBOW to satisfy those who seek literature that uplifts the spirit and assists the struggle for the victory of Good over Evil.

The book contains many footnotes that explain in greater detail many aspects of Native American life and culture, and this makes the book an educational experience that fills in some of the blanks left by Hollywood’s ‘cowboys & Indians’ movies. As one reviewer states: “Pacini’s enchanting story reveals her love for children and her respect for North America’s original residents.”

Book available at Amazon, MySpace/DBPacini and http://www.singingmoonpress.com.

FILM NEWS
Looking forward to the premiere of "Redemption of Paradise' the new feature from Antigua starring dancehall diva Macka Diamond. Full review in next week's SPOTLIGHT.

FILM NEWS: 'HIT ME WITH MUSIC', Macka Diamond, Mary Wells

2009-07-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

In This Week’s SPOTLIGHT:
'HIT ME WITH MUSIC' - New Dancehall Documentary
MACKA DIAMOND STARS IN NEW CARIBBEAN MOVIE
MARY WELLS SHOOTS 'KINGSTON PARADISE

Nice Time Productions, whose directors Nando Garcia-Guereta and Migual Galofre brought us the excellent documentary Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast, have produced a trailer of their new documentary about contemporary dancehall HIT ME WITH MUSIC, an exploration of how Jamaicans enjoy music and dances, with: Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Daseca, Bugle, Bogle, Mr. Wacky, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Yellow Man, Elephant Man, Bunny Lee, Black Scorpio, Jammys, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Bongo Herman, Mighty Crown, Sample 6, Keiva the diva, Tripple XXX, Sickinhead "50", Jelly Brain, M.O.B, Famous, John Hype, Expressions, SNOB JAPAN and more...
Here's the trailer:

MACKA DIAMOND STARS IN REDEMPTION OF PARADISE

Dancehall diva Macka Diamond stars in a new Caribbean movie due to be premiered shortly. According to a Press release issued by the producers, this is a high impact action drama directed by Noel 'Doc' Howell that will hit the big screens this summer and promises to be an exciting thriller.

'Redemption Of Paradise’ is a movie about vigilante justice set in the beautiful island of Paradise. What was once a safe and pleasurable island has now become plagued with violence, drugs, and gangs. Tired of the corruption that has infested her hometown, one citizen decides to take a stand. Millie (played by dancehall star Macka Diamond) forms a community watch group, which amongst other things encourages the local businessmen to stop paying protection money and to deter the corrupt efforts of Paradise's drug kingpin. The subplot to the movie involves a much younger Millie and a horrible twist to the story begins to unravel.

The Antiguan film, produced by Dr. Howell’s film company Colour Bars Film Production, was filmed mainly in Antigua featuring stars from across the Caribbean. Flying in an international crew to orchestrate stunts, from car chases and explosions, to cinematography as well, the team is now getting ready to premier the movie in Jamaica next month, and Dr. Howell is extremely proud of his latest production, confident that movie goers will love every minute of it.

‘Redemption Of Paradise’ will definitely keep everyone on the edge of their seats,” said Howell. “It’s full of action, has a great story line and the acting is superb, not to mention the directing. It’s a fantastic movie, if I may say so myself.” Dr. Howell notes that Antigua will be proud of the footage, as the international crew was equally impressed with the country’s natural beauty – some stating they’d return for vacation, to shoot marine scenes, and one exploring the possibility of migrating.

Awaiting its Jamaican premier, Dr. Howell is confident that the movie will be a hit throughout the region, and especially in Antigua and Barbuda. ‘Redemption Of Paradise’ cast includes – lead Macka Diamond as Millie, Respect as Rogger, Mark as himself, Kevroy Graham as Andrew, Eldon Matrin as Wicket and Junior Hart as Officer.
The crew comprises – Director: Noel ‘The Doc’ Howell M.D., Assistant Director: Jason Williams, Producer: Courtney Boyd, Producer: Cliff Williams, Production Manager: Bert Kirchner, Location Manager: Dr. Alvin Edwards, Script Supervisor: Chantelle Tomilson, DP: Boaz Freund, Camera Assistant: Alex, Camera Assist: Andrew Anderson, Gaffer: Danny Belinke, Grip: Mark Mctavish, Make-up Artist: Melissa, and Stunt Coordinators: Steve Gums, Jeff Gums and Eric Miranda.

JAMAICAN FILM MAKER MARY WELLS SHOOTS 'KINGSTON PARADISE'
Jamaican film maker Mary Wells has been busy shooting her new film Kingston Paradise in Downtown Kingston recently. CPTC and CHASE Fund are partners in the film, as is UWI Professor Emiel Martins new entertainment company. It's Mary's first feature and we congratulate her and look forward to seeing the finished film.
Have a wonderful week!

Get Ready for Sumfest 2009

2009-07-05T06:17:00.001-07:00

Music lovers all over Jamaica, and indeed the world, are looking forward to this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest. Organisers Johnny Gourzong and Robert Russell announced this week that Reggae Sumfest 2009 will be dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson, though how the King of Pop will be memorialized has not yet been outlined. The July 19th - 25th event will feature some of the Who`s Who of reggae and dancehall, including Damian `Jr. Gong` Marley, the doctor, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Tarrus Riley, Etana, Da`ville, Queen Ifrica, Elephant Man, Morgan Heritage, Lady Saw, Busy Signal, Spice, Kip Rich, D`Angel, Flippa Mafia, Jah Cure and Coco T.

The world’s best-known showcase of reggae music will take place from July 19-25 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The July 19 beach party and the ensuing three days of epic live performances starting with Dancehall Night on Thursday, July 23, that make up the annual event, will captivate the thousands of tourists and Jamaicans alike who make the trek each year to the Second City for the Mecca of reggae music festivals and Summerfest Productions is looking to make this year’s event another ‘one to remember’.

American singers Toni Braxton, Neyo as well as Nas and R&B star Jazmine Sullivan are the top international performers added to Reggae Sumfest, Braxton has won six Grammy Awards and has sold over forty million records worldwide. Her number-one single, `Un-break My Heart,' is the second biggest selling single by a female singer in Billboard history. Ne-Yo has had five top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200. He has also amassed a catalog of chart-topping songs written for other artists. In 2006 he released his debut album, In My Own Word, which contained the US number one hit `So Sick.`

This year's feast of reggae music will take place from July 19-25 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The July 19 beach party and the ensuing three days of epic live performances starting with Dancehall Night on Thursday, July 23 will captivate the thousands of tourists and Jamaicans alike who make the trek each year to this, the Mecca of reggae music festivals. Summerfest Productions is looking to make this years’ Reggae Sumfest, another ‘one to remember’. Sponsors for the 2009 event include Digicel, Air Jamaica, Jamrock Magazine, Ocean Spray and the Jamaica Tourist Board among others.

MOBAY HOTELS

If you haven’t booked your Sumfest hotel room yet, my two recommendations are:
ALTAMONT WEST, which dubs itself as 'the epitome of style and service' is located right on the main beach-level road through the Hip Strip and in front of the old Hospital beach, this small boutique hotel is perfect for the stylish crew who need a home from home with all the trimmings at an affordable price. Breakfast is included in the US$90 per person rate, and there is the opportunity to dine at the fabulous in-house gourmet restaurant Wine With Me.

HOLIDAY INN SUNSPREE: 500+ rooms operated by owners of Kingston’s Courtleigh and Knutsford Court hotels, popular with Black Americans and Jamaican families. All inclusive Jamaican rates of US$85 per night with children under 12 staying and eating free. Excellent buffet meals, burger-and-fries grill and bars till 2 am, good beach, spa and first class service.

ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH
Roger Guenveur Smith, film actor, director and writer, star of the recent blockbusters "American Gangster" and "Fighting" and who plays a lead role in the new Jamaican film ‘Betta Mus Come’, was a featured performer at this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s event: “Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture.” Running from June 24 through July 5, the Festival is held outdoors annually on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between the Smithsonian museums.

Roger at Flashpoint Film Festival 2007
Sponsored by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the program featured poetry, storytelling, radio, humor and theater, examining and celebrating the role that African American oral tradition has played in shaping American culture.

Roger’s performance of his critically acclaimed one-man presentation of Frederick Douglas NOW, readings from the sayings of the noted Black American icon, was podcast live on Sunday July 5 and watched by fans around the world. Roger Guenveur Smith's credits include roles in several Spike Lee films including Do The Right Thing, and especially the film adaptation of his own award-winning play A Huey P. Newton Story. You can watch an excerpt of Frederick Douglas NOW here:

FILM INDUSTRY MEETING
In an effort to further formalize and organize the activities of the Jamaican film and television industries, all film and television professionals are invited to attend the inaugural meeting of a professional association, the Jamaica Audio Visual Association on July 18th 2009 at 10 a.m. at Jamaica Trade and Invest, on Trafalgar Road in Kingston.

The new Audio Visual Association seeks to bring together integrated industry sectors to be represented by an inclusive organization that embraces a wide cross section of industry professionals. At this first general meeting of the association, film and television professionals will have the opportunity to develop a mandate for the association, create its bylaws, and elect a board that will represent the industry and seek to increase productivity and maximize economic viability.

Since the beginning of 2009 several film and television professionals have been participating in the process of developing recommendations to the Government of Jamaica to create a comprehensive film policy to guide the development of the industry, its practices and processes. Resulting from this effort, in May 2009, a Film Policy Committee has been convened by The Cabinet to which the recommendations from the industry were presented for consideration.

The association will seek to bear influence and represent the interest of its members in the process of government policy development and the drafting of enabling legislation, to ensure that the policy is representative of its members concerns and needs and serves as blueprint for industry development. The stated objectives of the proposed policy, is to create an environment that will stimulate growth, provide jobs, increase wealth creation and prepare the industry for global participation and competitiveness.

See you there!

2009-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

CARIBBEAN FASHION WEEK 2009

Better writers than I have written their praises of Caribbean Fashion Week 2009. Rather than trying to top their reports of all the excellent fashions shown, I will devote my comments to those that impressed me most and in my opinion, stood out above the rest.

For me, the best designs came from Jackie Cohen of Mutamba, whose Afrocentric stylings of hand-dyed cottons and silks draped in flowing cascades of fabric lead me to dub her the “Roberto Cavalli’ of Caribbean fashion. Each year Mutamba presents variations on the essential casual/exotic wardrobe in a variety of fabrics and dress lengths. This year, the swirls of colours and interesting drapes made every dress a must-have.

On the male side of fashion,
Hugh Johnson’s Yardman Style never fails each year to present the kind of male clothing we women wish our men would wear – bright T-shirts with appropriate Black pride messages, a new line of knee-length cargo shorts in several fabrics, plus new hooded windbreakers with short sleeves that doubled as shirts or casual jackets.

Dancehall designer Biggy was shocking as usual with his minimal, bare-as-you-dare fashions, but he always includes one fabulous white shirt and one beautiful, to-die-for long skirt – this time in denim -- for shy types like me. Trinidad’s Claudia Pegus’ collection of beige muslin dresses featured strings gathering the fabric in unusual places, and layers to create flounces and volume. Lovely.

Rocking the runway was the Art On The Run experiment by the JTI/EU Fashion Cluster fusing fashion and art into a spectacular collection. Most outstanding was Black River Goddess by Keenia Linton and Peter Evans, which featured ‘stained glass’ wings of copper wire and coloured plastic, and the designs made entirely of discarded juice boxes by Alfred Brissett and Peter Evans.

CFW this year had much to offer patrons in between the runway shows, as the National Indoor Arena venue was packed with booths for designers and sponsors. Among the sponsor giveaways were samples of new Curel lotions and moisturizers, scoops of creamy Haagen Dazs ice creams, bottles of Vitamin Water and plates of Grace instant foods. Eyewear company Eye-Q Optical offered patrons the opportunity to have a professional photo taken wearing their choice of the many beautiful frames on display. Best of all were samples of Amy’s Delicious Natural & Organic Meals, an new American label now represented by Ramsons that lived up to its name with delicious vegetarian soups, pizzas and lasagna.

American superstars Eve and Kelly Rowlands graced the stage with their vibe and energy, Eve wearing diamante-studded platform heels, a short black dress and long blonde hair that outshone every other woman in the house. Local celebs included Cindy Breakespeare, Wine With Me restauranteur Cecile Levee, UWI Professor Carolyn Cooper, and Miss Jamaica 2008 runner-up Rebecca Silvera. Not to be forgotten is the wonderful background music each night, both for the shows but especially entertaining in the intervals, that was splendidly programmed by broadcaster/poet Mutabaruka from his extensive music collection.

PULSE’s Kingsley Cooper, Romae Gordon and Hillary Phillips deserve congratulations for a 10th anniversary staging of CFW that was a fitting celebration.

PIONEER POLICEWOMAN RETIRES

Supt. Ionie Ramsay-Nelson, the pioneering Jamaican woman who became the first motocycle cop and eventually head of the Traffic Division, then the Police information network CCN, retired Thursday, July 18. At a luncheon held in her honour at Kingston’s Medallion Hall Hotel, Senior Superintendant Geneve Bent, now the leading female on the Force, paid tribute to the years of stellar service given the nation by this humble, principled and respected woman.

Making history when she broke the gender barrier to join what what had been till then an exclcusive male job in the Force, Supt. Ramsay-Nelson cut a dashing figure in her uniform and bike, gaining even more respect among the travelling public when she used her intelligence and good speaking skills to bring traffic news to the daily RJR morning show.

Well-known for her philanthropy, Supt. Ramsay collects gifts of food and clothing for distribution to the needy, who call her home at all hours when in need of help. Her close relations with Food For The Poor was emphasized at her retirement luncheon and it is clear that this side of her life will continue, while she sits down to write her biography to leave behind a record and example for future generations of Jamaican women.

NEW BOOKS ON MY SHELF

Souldance, Poems and Writingsby journalist and PR guru Jean Lowrie Chin (Publisher Ian Randle Publishers) attracted me primarily because of the lovely cover illustration of two dreadlocksed black cherubs draped in Red,Gold and Green banners. Jean is not shy to bare her life and her soul in her poems. Two of my favourites are her amusing “My Chinaman Jumped to the Riddim of Jah” that speaks of her Chinese-race husband enjoying his total Jamaican-ness, while ‘Pick Up Time” tells of the joys of collecting her children from school, children adopted from “… those nameless ladies, through whom the good Lord sent my babies.”

Half the book contains poems in both English and Jamaican, while the other half contains selected essays from her years as a newspaper columnist. Jean’s writings began as an Alpha schoolgirl and continue even as she steers the media campaigns of Jamaica’s biggest corporations. This is one of those books worth adding to the collection of Jamaican literature.

I Woman – The Sacred Trust, by Zoe Asher. (Publisher: Trailblazer INK/Creative Links) is a very interesting thesis by this London trained Jamaican Barrister-at-Law who died only weeks after its publication. In it she discusses her view that “Woman must face the fact that her liberation has become the cornerstone of her children’s desolation.”
According to Sister Zoe, the modern habit of women going out to work and becoming breadwinners, has deprived children of the loving mothering presence in the home during their developmental years and caused the crime, violence and sexual gender confusion that are the most serious problems today. She writes that in considering her role as nothing more than cook and cleaner, woman has neglected her true role as mother, providing a safe haven and nurturing presence that builds strong, confident and productive children.

It’s a worthy debate, and one I hope my feminist friends will join after reading this book.

JAMAICAN OLYMPICS FILM SHORT-LISTED FOR US AWARD

2009-06-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Photo: Triple-Gold Olympic athlete Usain Bolt & Fernando Garcia-Guerata.

“Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast”, a documentary film first entered in the Reggae Film Festival 2009, has been short-listed as Best Documentary and the only non-American film in this year's American Black Film Festival.

“I really wanted my film to win a Reggae Film Festival award to show that Jamaicans liked it, before entering it in any other festivals”, says film Director Fernando Garcia-Guereta, But, after sending his entry, the Reggae Film Festival was postponed for financial reasons.

Undeterred, the director felt it was important to get a Jamaican audience’s reaction to his film, so he invited Reggae Film Festival director Barbara Blake Hannah to include the film in Jamaica Film Academy screenings she was hosting at Island Village, Ocho Rios and CPTC Studios, Kingston during the last week of February. The overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from the audiences on both occasions assured Garcia Guereta that Jamaicans loved his documentary.

A recent screening at the opening of the ‘Kingston On The Edge’ art event, confirmed that audience response, as there was laughter throughout the screening and positive comments after.

The film uses footage of the six Jamaican Olympic Gold races, threaded through with reactions from Jamaican crowds watching at home and in the streets, interviews with the track stars themselves, comments from parents, friends, celebrities and sports figures, as well as the man-in-the-street. At the same time the film gives a clue that answers the title question, when it includes a youth track & field competition being held on a Port Antonio field while the Olympics are actually taking place that shows the enthusiasm and interest in athletics that begins at a young age in Jamaica.

Garcia-Guereta has been coming to Jamaica for more than a decade, spending half the year at his Port Antonio home and the other half in Europe where his high-tech company uses state-of-the art cameras to make historic records of such ancient treasures as the Pyramids of Egypt and the treasures of the British Museum. Shirley Hanna, mother of Miss World Lisa Hanna, is co-director with Fernando of Nice Time Productions, a Jamaican film and music company that produced the film. Nice Time Productions is already working on a second Jamaican film, “Hit Me With Music”, a documentary on dancehall.

‘Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast’ has an extensive sound track of reggae music from the 60s to today, with hits by Elephant Man and Movado (who also appears in the film), as well as Desmond Dekker, the Heptones and Bob Marley. “We wanted the film to be totally Jamaican,” they explain “so we did what was necessary to acquire the right music to accompany the pictures.”

Asked of his hopes for the film winning the Best Documentary award, Garcia-Guerta says: “I’ll be very happy, because it will be like Jamaica winning another Gold medal. Everyone will be glad to see Jamaica win again.”

The film will be screened at Miami Beach - Friday, June 26 - Colony Theater 12:40 PM and Cinematechique, Espanola Way at 10:30 AM.

Photos: (Center) Island Village, Ocho Rios audience
(Bottom - L-R): Shirley Hanna, Angela Patterson, CEO - CPTC; Fernando Garcia-Guerata, director "Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast"; Barbara Blake Hannah; Perry Cassagnol, Director - "The Forgotten Father" (front) Izyah Thorb, actor.

Implementing the EPA

2009-05-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement

In recent months I have been one of several members of the Creative Industries who have been funded and/or are seeking funding through one of the several Clusters supported by the European Union through Jamaica Trade & Invest (JTI). The Clusters of the Visual & Performing Arts (including Film), Fashion, Authors & Publishers all have been using various options for production, marketing, training and outreach supported by generous budgets available on application from the EU agreements.

As the Creative Industries stand to benefit greatly from the provisions of the EPA, and curious to hear what Prime Minister Golding had to say on the topic, I attended (uninvited) the opening day of a Conference held in Kingston on Implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement between CARICOM countries and the EU.

As the Prime Minister explained several ways in which the EPA will strengthen CARICOM markets, I was surprised – nay, shocked! -- to see that I was the only member of the Jamaican creative industries present in the room. The bullet list of co-operation commitments to CARICOM in the EPA highlights cultural cooperation in the film/audio-visual, performing arts, fashion and publishing industries, yet no representative from these were present, despite the active work already being done by members of these industries to export their work and products to EU countries.

One bright light shone during the day’s long list of presenters: Josanne Leonard of Trinidad’s Miribai Communications, an experienced and passionate veteran of Caribbean cultural activism, who gave a heartfelt presentation in which she stated her equal surprise at the absence of Jamaica’s cultural practitioners at the event. Grasping the crux of the matter, Ms. Leonard stated that the EPA needs to be explained to the region’s population in ways and media they can understand, rather than at meetings where heads of regional organisations talk together. Pointing out that the Caribbean’s creative industries were already interacting with Europe through co-productions in music, film and fashion, she begged for a new approach using popular Internet media to communicate the important message of the Economic Partnership Agreement.

The absence of Jamaica’s official cultural representatives was embarrassing. I later learnt that the conference was being transmitted live on PBCJ, but as there was no prior notice in the media of this coverage, I doubt that the message was received by those who need to hear it. Let’s hope Josanne Leonard’s recommendations are implemented for the next round of information on the EPA. Her presentation showed that the region’s creative industries would benefit greatly if CARICOM engaged her strong advocacy and knowledge of cultural matters more often and more officially to represent our region’s interests.

I hope the Prime Minister’s excellent speech is repeated often enough for Jamaicans to hear his careful explanation of just what the EPA is, and what benefits Jamaica can gain from it.

BARBARA BLAKE HANNAH
Jamaica Media Productions