Warmington’s ‘MADE In New York’ A Jamaican Movie

There’s a new Jamaican film in the marketplace, but instead of having a name that is directly linked to the island, in a surprising twist, the movie is titled MADE In New York. But, as the multifaceted producer Phillip Warmington tells The Gleaner, don’t be fooled by the name, this movie is truly Jamaican.

Sprinkled with drama, romance, suspense and humour, MADE In New York tells the story of a set of ambitious Jamaicans living in New York, struggling to survive while pursuing their music career. Among the group is a very talented singer – Red Hot, who signed a recording deal with Get Rich Quick Records, whose CEO is the crafty Mr Biggs. Another singer, Walla Walla, who prefers not to take the gangster way out, finally gets a break but is unable to run with it, and from there the plot thickens. The action-packed trailer explosively tells it all.

MADE In New York recently had its première in the Big Apple, and Warmington, who wears an assortment of hats, told The Gleaner that the response has been encouraging. Warmington, who, incidentally, is the nephew of politician Everald Warmington, is also the scriptwriter, director, actor and the executive director. “For now, I am doing almost everything by myself,” he stated. “And I am also an artiste,” he hurriedly tacked on to his multitude of credits.

Endorsing Warmington’s comments regarding the screening was casting director and popular New York publicist and radio/television producer Zambia Carridice, who also plays a role in the movie. “We made it,” she said, sounding relieved. “We haven’t heard anything negative yet. Everybody was happy and glued to their seats. At the end they got up and clapped, so that was good,” she said.

But, although she is delighted at the reactions so far, Carridice is also very practical, and admits that not everybody will feel the same way, and she is prepared for whatever comes. As for her role in the movie, she has mixed feelings. “People say that the acting was good in my role as the mother of the female lead. And I think I really got into my zone and tried to get into character. But when I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, did I said that!’ Because I said something rude. I can’t make my son watch this!” she exclaimed. She is now busy preparing for the première in Atlanta in a few weeks; also on the schedule is one for Jamaica

Movie named from CD

The very talkative Warmington, whose Hungry Man Films is the company behind the movie, explained that he got the idea from a CD project he had been working on. “A few years ago, Sydney Mills, who works with Steel Pulse, and Barrington Bailey, called me to do a song on their CD, which was titled MADE In New York, and I liked the title. I used the idea from the CD to do the movie, with the original idea being that the songs could be used as the soundtrack,” Warmington, who also goes by the name ‘Papa Lover’, said.

He started the project in 2015, and then put it on pause to complete another film project. In 2017, he revisited it and kept some of the previously shot footage, including that with late singer Frankie Paul. Among the other celebrity music industry persons in MADE In New York are Ed Robinson; Terry Linen; Tony Gold, DJ Roy, Linden Brown, Trevor Forde; Nardo Ranks; Junior Reid’s daughter, Sade Nicodemus’ son, who everybody on the set called ‘Little Demus”; Sugar Minott’s cousin, Monique Minott, who plays the lead; and popular street promoter and chart compiler Boswell ‘Stampede’ Lammie.

Lammie explained that the producers wanted a song and a scene out of Jamaica and needed somebody on the ground to oversee things, and since he does street promotion, then he was ideal. However, he ended up being more than just an onlooker; he managed to snag a role in the film.

“In the movie, I was the person who Mr Biggs got to oversee the song and I acted alongside Destiny Sparta, who I recruited for the film,” he said. “Destiny Sparta is the person who tells me that the selectors are not playing the song.”

This scene was filmed at a club in Kingston and it was there that Stampede got his chance to shine. “I went into the club and drape the man,” Stampede told The Gleaner, very excitedly. And although he was not present at the première last week, he is enjoying the positive feedback from persons who were there. “Several person have told me that the scene came across well, that it looked real,” he said.

MADE In New York has been submitted to over 125 platforms, including Netflix and Amazon Prime. It will also be available in Walmart.