National Gallery screens ‘Children of Babylon’ Sunday

On Sunday, the National Gallery of Jamaica will once again host its virtual Last Sundays programme on their YouTube channel. The gallery will be screening Children of Babylon, which will be released online at 1:30 p.m., followed by a live question-and-answer YouTube discussion at 3:45 p.m. with production team member Cheryl Ryman.

A Jamaican-made film, Children of Babylon is about life, love and tragedy. It explores Jamaica as a metaphorical Babylon that has more to it than the standard global perceptions of the Rastaman, rum, reggae and ganja. The story follows a cast of characters from various racial and socio-economic backgrounds.

“The vortex is Penny, a young university graduate student; Rick, an artist; Luke, a dreadlocks farmhand; Dorcas, the housekeeper; and Laura, the wealthy American owner of the plantation and great house, which silently represents the proverbial house divided against itself,” a release from the National Gallery states.

The film was directed by Lennie Little-White, with Franklyn ‘Chappie’ St Juste as the cinematographer. Among the cast are the recently deceased reggae artiste Bob Andy as well as Tobi Phillips, Don Parchment, Leonie Forbes and Elizabeth De Lisser.

A parental advisory states, “This film contains explicit themes considered inappropriate for viewers under the age of 17.”