Young screenwriter gets shot at film-making
Published:Thursday | September 1, 2022 | 12:10 AMAaliyah Cunningham/Gleaner Writer
Overjoyed at being selected as one of 22 competitors in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) FI WI Short Film Competition, first-time film-maker Nasika Alliman says she believes this contest is a stepping stone for her career in film-making.
“I honestly didn’t think I got in,” Alliman told The Gleaner, sharing her reaction when she first heard the news.
“I was at home on my day off, and my friend Jhanielle called me to let me know we were selected! I literally jumped in my bed. This is the first film I produced, so I was overjoyed. It felt like the possibilities [of] a whole new world opened up. A part of me completely forgot that this was a competition, I was just so excited to be driven enough to create my own film,” she continued.
Her friend Jhanielle Powell, who also submitted an entry and was selected among the 22 film-makers, was the driving force behind her stepping out of her comfort zone and submitting an entry.
“I would always express my passion for film to her, and we would pitch ideas to each other. When she found out about the competition, she motivated [and] begged me to enter with her. My co-workers Justin Graham and Renard Anderson were also incredibly supportive,” she explained, when asked what inspired her to enter.
The competition is the brainchild of the JCDC’s Drama and Theatre Arts Unit. It was open to young Jamaicans 12 to 18 years old and adults 19 years and over who have never made a film or had a screenplay produced. The entrants were asked to examine one of five selected Jamaican proverbs and create a short-film treatment based on their interpretation.
Alliman selected the proverb ‘Nuh dash weh yuh tick before yuh done crass riva’, because she believed it would be easiest to turn into a comedy.
“Pugo, the main character, wishes with all his heart to migrate to America and seeks help from ‘competent sources’ to help him acquire it. We basically watch his desperation leading him to make hasty decisions. And the proverb I used refers to not engaging in premature celebrations; and so having Pugo celebrate something he is not sure of was where the comedy comes in. The play is only five minutes long, so it starts with the conflict, and we immediately progress towards a solution, which determines Pugo’s outcome later. Whether it was a favourable or misfortunate outcome, we’ll have to see,” she explained.
The journalism and film studies graduate of The University of the West Indies said she first started writing films in 2019, after her sister reprimanded her for not documenting her ideas on paper.
She draws on inspiration from Jamaican film-makers who have made a mark on the local and Caribbean film industry.
“[I am inspired by] Storm Saulter! He directed films like Better Mus Come (2011) and Sprinter (2018); his work is incredible! I believe he has an eye for effectively portraying the Jamaican experience. Trevor Rhone was also exceptionally well in his time; Smile Orange and The Harder They Come are still two of my absolute favourite films because of their authenticity and the tone of humour lingering throughout it,” she conversantly said.
Her ultimate goal is to tell authentic Jamaican stories.
“My goal is to make films that reflect the true Jamaican experience, which, to me, is any experience a Jamaican endures. There is no one way to experience the diversity and true beauty of being Jamaican. I want to stay away from stereotypical representations and provide representation for all different classes and experiences,” she said.