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JAMPRO announces Film Commission open house in MoBay

Published:Thursday | February 15, 2018 | 12:00 AMKimberley Small
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JAMPRO president Diane Edwards (centre) shares a story with (L-R) Renee Robinson, Film Commissioner; Antwayne Eccleston, actor; Shantol Jackson, actress; Claude Duncan, vice president of Sales and Promotions, JAMPRO, and Everaldo Creary, actor. at JAMPRO's pre-festival send off for the 'Yardie' film premiere which will take place at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival from January 20-28, 2018.
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Film Commissioner Renee Robinson.
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Last year, the film community was abuzz with activity: from the television premiere of the short web series Losing Patience to the partly locally filmed directorial debut of British filmmaker Idris Elba.

This year, American director Joshua Coates, in partnership with The Solid Agency, recently revealed plans to adapt Jamaican author Colin Don Rose's debut novel, So Enticing.

A Brief History of Seven Killings, written by Marlon James, is currently in pre-production, and in the hands of accomplished director Melina Matsoukas. More recently, celebrated Jamaican-Canadian model Stacey McKenzie visited the island to cast her younger self for a bio-pic.

This year, the community continues as active as ever and filmmakers on the west-end are being kept in the frame.

Mirroring last month's staging in Kingston, the JAMPRO Film Commission will present its annual Open House Forum in Montego Bay at the University of the West Indies (Western Campus) on Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23. The open house consists of two days of presentations and panels to film industry practitioners and aspiring professionals, with focus on the administrative issues and improvements and strategic plans to machinate the development of the local filmmaking environment.

Over the period, attendees will be engaged in discussions surrounding access to public sector benefits, special permits, filming on location (in Montego Bay), production accounting, and business planning for creatives.

Last week, the most recent cohort of the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) PROPELLA programme journeyed to France to participate in the weeklong Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, marking the first time that a delegation from Jamaica has participated in the festival.

The Jamaican delegation, led by JAMPRO Film Commissioner RenÈe Robinson, included JAFTA PROPELLA finalists Kyle Chin (Mango Wars), Angela 'Gay' Magnus (One Patty), Danielle Russell (This City of Mine), and Nile Saulter (Fever Dream). Producer Darin Tenant will represent Code, directed by Sarah Manley. Producer of This City of Mine, Analisa Chapman, completes the delegation.

Persons can attend the open house, but pre-registration is required. For those unable to attend, livestreaming of the entire series will also be available through Bazzle Entertainment.