Jamaica Film.Com

Alrick Brown and Kinyarwanda

Sat, 05 May 2012 12:42:50 +0000

Today’s Gleaner newspaper carries a feature on Jamaican-born filmmaker Alrick Brown and the story of how the feature film he wrote and directed, Kinyarwanda, made it to the big screen and went on to win the prestigious World Cinema Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Kinyarwanda is based on true accounts from survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and weaves together six interconnected tales of life and human resilience. Young lovers, a young child, a married couple, soldiers, an Imam and a priest are all swept up by the chaos around them. They are Tutsis and Hutus, Muslims and Christians, but all are Rwandans … more details here

Take Me To The Ball Wins ‘Make a Film in 24 Hours’ Challenge

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:28:49 +0000

The short film Take me to the Ball, which was written and directed by Aston Cooke, walked off with the top awards in the RBC-Royal Bank sponsored Make a Film in 24 Hours challenge at the Jamaica Reggae Film Festival 2012.

At the Awards Ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Sunday, April 22, Cooke’s short film received the first place nod from the judges, and also walked away with the people’s choice award. The film features multitalented actress Dahlia Harris, Fabian Thomas and Akeem Mignott. Check it out below.

Storm Saulter To Present At UWI’s ‘March Is Movie Month Series’

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:27:16 +0000

Award winning filmmaker, Storm Saulter, Director of the 2010 film, Better Mus’ Come, will be the featured presenter at the March is Movie Month Series today, March 16. The session begins at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1) at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Storm will show his film, as well as speak about the challenges he faced in bringing it to the screen.

The March is Movie Month Series is hosted by the Department of Literatures in English and the Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. All are welcome.

Harder and Betta: Fifty Years of Jamaican Cinema

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:40:08 +0000

You are cordially invited to attend a lecture by filmmaker Barbara Blake Hannah on the topic “Harder and Betta: Fifty Years of Jamaican Cinema” on Friday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1) at the UWI, Mona Campus.

The talk will launch a month of activities on the theme “March is Movie Month at Mona” hosted by the Department of Literatures in English in association with the Institute of Caribbean Studies. Every Friday at 6 p.m. during March, lectures, discussions or film screenings will be held at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre. The activities, which will focus on Jamaican film, are intended to raise awareness and create interest in film studies as the Department of Literatures in English, in collaboration with the Institute of Caribbean Studies, prepares to introduce a Film Studies Minor in September 2012.

“Better Mus’ Come” Heads To Los Angeles – The 2012 Pan African Film Festival

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:29:15 +0000

The Jamaican feature film “Better Mus’ Come” has been on a very healthy run, winning multiple film festival awards in 2011, and enjoying a successful Canadian premiere recently with SOLD OUT screenings at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (home of the Toronto International Film Festival) as part of TIFF Cinematheque. The screenings were in association with the Caribbean Tales Youth Film Festival.

The next screening of this critically acclaimed movie is in Los Angeles (LA), California this Saturday, February 11 at the Pan African Film Festival. It is the first of 3 screenings in LA. Check out the flyer below for show times & ticket information.

Look Out For ‘Blind Shotta’ Movie

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:27:12 +0000

A new low-budget Jamaican movie – Blind Shotta – was filmed (largely in the Grants Pen community of Kingston) last year, and is expected to be released later this year. 28 year old Rayon Walker is the star of the movie, playing the role of ‘Father Blinds’, a visually impaired area leader who runs a tough St Andrew inner-city community. Blind Shotta’s small cast also includes several dancehall artistes including female singjay, Bridgez. Look out for it soon.

Toronto Screening Of Better Mus Come

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:38:56 +0000

On Saturday, February 4, the Caribbean Youth Film Festival in partnership with TIFF presents Better Mus Come. Details in the flyer below.

White Witch of Rose Hall – Annie Palmer – Movie Coming Soon

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:00:56 +0000

According to a report in today’s Sunday Observer newspaper ,film and television producer, Mark Kenny, has plans to take the story of Annie Palmer – the infamous White Witch of Rose Hall – and make it into a movie.

According to Kenny, “I was looking for projects to develop into feature films and this was perfect, so I got together with a writer friend of mine and we began discussing the possibilities,” … more here

Ghett’A Life Topped The Jamaican Box Office In 2011

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:00:15 +0000

According to local cinema company Palace Amusement, Ghett’A Life, the Chris Browne-directed Jamaican urban action drama, was the most popular film for Jamaican movie goers during 2011. According to Palace Amusement, the film ran for a total of 10 weeks on screens throughout its islandwide circuit of cinemas. Second place on Palace Amusement’s 2011 list was a tie between Transformers, and this year’s Fast & Furious.

Bob Marley: The Making Of A Legend

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:25:57 +0000

Through intimate scenes shot on a Sony video camera in 1970s Jamaica, filmmaker (and Bob’s then girlfriend) Esther Anderson artfully constructed the union between Reggae and Rasta that launched the international career and renowned image of Bob Marley & The Wailers. Revisiting that formative time, she reveals to what degree her original vision set in motion the radical change of perception and consciousness both musically and socially around the world.

Based on footage shot in the early 1970s and lost for more than thirty years, Esther Anderson’s lense takes us on a journey to the Caribbean islands, to Jamaica and into 56 Hope Road, Kingston, to see and hear the young Bob Marley before he was famous.

While exploring the powerful relationship between Esther and Marley, the film shows us the Wailers’ first rehearsal, when the idea of a Jamaican super-group like the Beatles or the Stones was still just a dream, and sits in on the launch of their international career with “Get up Stand up”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, and the “Burnin’” and “Catch a Fire” albums that brought to the world Reggae music and Rasta consciousness together as one, starting a revolution that would change rock music and contemporary culture.

Check out the preview below: