While Barbadian musical superstar Rihanna continues to diversify her creative repertoire on the international market with a starring role in the Ocean’s 8 movie to premiere in June, industry talent in Barbados are also harnessing the “power of film.” Damien Pinder, president of the Barbados Film and Video Association (BFVA), spoke during a recent interview about the exciting forward momentum of the local industry during the past five years and into the foreseeable future.

Barbados has “lots of acting talent” and the variety of “projects are definitely upping the game in feature length films”, especially recently in terms of the filming of high quality feature documentaries, noted Pinder. He cited Hall by director Rommel Hall (Hall-e-wood Productions Inc.), Panama Dreams: A Caribbean Journey by director Alison Saunders-Franklyn (Blue Waters Productions Inc.) and Jill Walker: An Artistic Life directed by Penelope Hynam (Sea Weaver Productions Inc.) among examples of these quality award-winning feature length films, and directing talents.

While the BFVA President reeled off a list of documentaries, it was noted that these Barbadian writers/directors and others have also done acclaimed fiction films.  Saunders-Franklyn’s 2007 Hit for Six!, about a ‘bad boy’ cricketer, was the first film to be commercially exported beyond Barbados and premiered at the American Black Film Festival in Hollywood, California. More recently, writer/director Shakirah Bourne’s A Caribbean Dream relocates A Midsummer’s Night Dream to Barbados and retells the magical story mixing Shakespearean language with Barbadian vernacular and folklore. Bourne’s film, released in 2017, just won Best Drama at the 2018 4^th Annual National Film Awards UK held on March 29. It has also won awards at the London Independent Film Festival and the Charlotte Black Film Festival.

Like St. Lucia, Barbados also hosts several film festivals which serve as platforms for local filmmakers to either exhibit their films to movie goers, see the works of colleagues, attend development workshops, and network with potential funders and service providers. They include the 2018 Barbados Visual Media Festival, now in its fifth year and managed by the BFVA, which is scheduled for October 24 to 28. The third edition of the Barbados Independent Film Festival, managed by the Walled Garden-Barbados Film Festival Trust, is also already on the calendars for January 11 to 20, 2019. These festivals provide “a community” atmosphere and help open the eyes of Barbadians about the “very high quality” films being made by Barbadian filmmakers, according to Pinder.

With film financing and distribution long-standing challenges, Pinder noted the BFVA, which formed in 2008 to encourage the development and promotion of the industry, has played a leadership role in liaising with the Government regarding the use of tax incentives, duty-free concessions and other initiatives to support the industry. The Government set up a Barbados Film and Digital Media Commission, and special Film Commission Desk in 2015 as part of the Barbados Cultural Industries Development Authority under the Barbados Cultural Industries Development Act, 2013. He pointed out that filmmakers have to be strategic in monetizing their films whether through showings in local theatres or festivals, school screenings, using digital platforms to reach audiences, tapping advertising and promotional opportunities, etc. Despite acknowledging filmmaking as a “very risky field,” the BFVA President believes that the private sector, government agencies and other supporters “understand the power of film” and generations of Barbadian talent will continue to be inspired to tell their own stories.

 

Sources:

www.facebook.com/TheBFVA

www.facebook.com/BarbadosVisualMediaFestival

www.bbc.co.uk

www.barbadosfilmcommission.org

www.barbadosfilmfest.org  www.ttfilmfestival.com