The Shot List – Three years in and going strong

Lovers of film found common ground this past Sunday at the third staging of The Shot List. The transatlantic collaboration between JAFTA and We Are Parable continues, giving patrons a day to appreciate the short film offerings from across the Caribbean and the UK. The lawn of the Sunken Garden was aloft with bean bags and blankets for those wishing to take in the projected films, but perhaps more than in the past The Shot List had all that and much more.

JAFTA President Saeed Thomas shared that this year there has been expansion with three workshops instead of two, as well as a monologue slam.

“We also usually partner with Trinidad, this year we’re partnering with Barbados, and we’ve also partnered with JANN the Jamaican Animation Nation Network, and we’ve included the lifetime achievement awards which is a collaboration among JAFTA, We Are Parable, JANN and WIFT.JA Women in Film & Television Jamaica,” Thomas said.

This year, The Shot List maintained its emphasis on education. For an added cost, attendees could learn from experts in the industry on how to bring their work to the next level, or simply inform themselves on the tools of the trade. For the more creative side of things, cinematographer and director Gabrielle Blackwood held her workshop Cinematography: The Art of Storytelling. With a near filled tent, Blackwood waxed poetic about the beauty of moving pictures, highlighting how different cultures convey their messages on film, noting the differences between Korean cinema and American cinema.

For those seeking a presence in front of the camera, there was the Acting and Monologue Slam put on by Hyphen8. The open event was a display of performances from volunteers, each subject to critique. While slightly adversarial, there was a strong sense of collaboration as those who performed were given useful feedback.

The workshops also ventured into the industrial. Renee Robinson’s The Business of Film took attendants on the journey of a film from concept to creation. With an emphasis on the local perspective, a keen eared audience member could leave Robinson’s lecture with a firm grasp on how to bring their idea to an audience, perhaps one day joining the selection of films shown at The Shot List itself.

New talent

The Barbados block was a choice selection by We Are Parable’s Teanne Andrews as the segment of the event she was most looking forward to sharing, by saying “I think just opening it out into the Caribbean is something that we feel passionate about and I’m really excited that we have a new host of talent to show.” Showing love to the documentary format with the supremely edited The Barbadian Matriarch of Fishing directed by Jawade Elibox and presented by The Barbados Fisheries Division, the film gave the spotlight to the fisherwomen of Barbados.

The UK block with the short film The Therapist directed by Akwasi Poku, highlighted the role barbers play as confidants and emotional support for their hair-cut customers.

There was, of course, plenty of love shown to Jamaica with the Jamaican film block, but as the evening came to a close and the sky turned dark, so too did the line-up of films. From the story of a battered housewife in Just Like Mommy, directed and written by Renae Williams, to Black Girl In The Ring, directed by Saeed Thomas and Joshua J Paul, this segment of the night had the films at their most challenging.

Panel discussions from filmmakers were held where the audience got firsthand insight into the behind-the -scenes process and an additional panel was held looking at music videos throughout the decades with the likes of Ras Kassa and Bling Blang trading secrets on how their videos came to be.

There was even a panel for Bob Marley: One Love in which local crew members gave the crowd a share of their experience working on the blockbuster.

Before the night came to a close, The Shot List presented Brian St. Juste, Ray Smith, Don McGregor, Maxine Walters, and Natalie Thompson with lifetime achievement awards for their contributions to filmmaking in Jamaica.

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.