A ‘reel’ good time - NUFF delivers four days of film, fellowship and culture

The reviews are in.

Audience members attending last weekend’s staging of the Negril Universal Film Festival (NUFF) gave the event an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Feasting on a curated showcase of feature films, shorts and documentaries with a decidedly Afrocentric focus over four days, film enthusiasts and festival first-timers alike offered praise for the communal experience.

Vacationing from Kingston to the western tourist town of Negril to ring in her 30th birthday, Candice Constantine, Rural Agricultural Development Authority Agri-linkages Exchange marketing unit manager, revealed that this year’s NUFF iteration marked her official introduction.

“I came to Negril because I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in Jamaica,” she shared after the end credits rolled for the screening of the Reggae Girlz documentary, beachside at the Skylark Negril Beach Resort.

Staying off-property, she said NUFF popped up on her cellphone while she was searching for places of interest. “NUFF came up on my timeline, and I thought this is so cool. I showed it to my friend, and we said, ‘Let’s check it out.’”

“When I came the previous night, I was in such awe at the layout, the people who were here, the networking opportunities, and the things that were shown. I was so mind-blown,” the RADA manager noted.

“This is not a space I am accustomed to. It was definitely different for me, and I love it.”

As to what she enjoyed watching, Constantine said Friday night’s featured two-episode spotlight of the Sky TV limited series Possession and the Reggae Girlz documentary chronicling the Jamaican women’s football team’s journey to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, co-directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton, were standouts for her.

“I like the diversity that I saw. I liked that I could see Jamaica in both of them and elements of the Caribbean. Sometimes I think those things are lost in translation, so if this NUFF event is there to keep it cultural, then I am all for it,” she added.

Meanwhile, for Barbara Massey, a San Diego, California, resident, learning about NUFF last year when it was formerly known as the Skylark Film Festival made it a must-attend occasion.

“I was here in July recharging my batteries, and that’s when they came out with the dates for the festival. I immediately booked a ticket and hotel room, and here I am,” the American restaurateur and executive pastry chef disclosed.

A visitor to The Rock for the past 30 years, Massey has made Negril an annual pilgrimage.

“I’m one of those people who subscribe to the ‘once you go, you know’ saying. I came by myself as a young person as a Peace Corps volunteer and fell in love with the island,” she explained.

“I came to the Calabash festival last year for the first time, and I was like, why have I never been to the film festival?”

So, what’s her snap judgment of NUFF?

“It was really, really good. I didn’t know what to expect, honestly. Just being here with the film producers, directors, actors, and it’s all so chill and no pretence. Everyone is hanging out and having a great time together,” she raved.

Her favourite watch was the short film Trouble, co-directed by Malik White and Jaime Grandison and starring Sule Thelwell. It screened in the billed ‘Jamaican Block’ of five shorts.

“ Trouble was hilarious, and almost slapstick comedy. That one resonated with me. I also loved the Reggae Girlz doc. I will absolutely be returning next year,” Massey concluded as she rested her finished bottle of Red Stripe on the counter.

Having one of the most talked-about moments on the NUFF schedule with the screening of his uber-hot show, Storm Saulter was on cloud nine being in his hometown.

“I grew up running around on this beach. Not only with my family, but brethrens that mi grow up with, elders that know me as a likkle yute. A lot of people have come up to me and told me they’ve been watching and how proud they are,” Saulter revealed of the positive reactions he has received since Possession dropped two months ago.

“Them things give you energy and make you feel like all these years pushing at this thing, people believe in it. I am a real son of Negril, and I’m glad I am making them proud. It was quite a full-circle moment because I grew up dreaming about ideas on this beach.”

Saulter, who also led a daytime masterclass at the festival that deconstructed his ‘tropical noir’ filmmaking techniques for Possession, endorsed the value proposition that NUFF offers to the local film industry.

He has seen growth in real time since its launch in 2018.

“It has evolved majorly from its earlier days. There are bigger crowds and the quality of films is really high, and there is engagement with the masterclasses. It has grown into a proper festival,” came Saulter’s analytical view.

“It started off more like a hotel weekend vibe; now it’s like a real festival. Jamaica needs solid festivals. People want a reason to come into our beautiful environment to commune, laugh and cry and do everything together with cinema, and the location and environment of Jamaica are so rich with possibilities,” he told Living.

Actor Jeff Crossley, who is in the cast of Saulter’s Possession and also co-starred in three short films shown on NUFF’s big screen, echoed the view that the festival is growing in relevance.

“I heard someone say NUFF should be that festival where filmmakers want to premiere their film, and I think that’s a powerful statement. That being said, I believe the potential of this is just amazing,” the towering thespian said.

It was Crossley’s second time attending the festival, which just wrapped its seventh staging at its Skylark hotel home base.

Asked what he appreciates about being in front of the camera for homegrown directors, he said, “Being Jamaican, in every nook and cranny there is a story. Because of that, the stories are so colourful, the characters are so vibrant. It allows me as an actor to not just look within me for certain material; I can look around my environment. That guy is there.”

Citing his character in Jordan Morris’ Smile, Crossley said, “I know that drunken man. I didn’t have to go very far to find that. With these directors, I love the angle they are taking in pushing Jamaican stories, and I feel that is what we need to do.”

With the curtains now closed on the festival he conceived while lounging on Skylark’s beach nearly a decade ago, NUFF founder and guiding hand Gareth Cobran is a happy man.

“I am very pleased with how it unfolded and, looking back, I am happy that all the preparation we made was worth it,” he said, two days after the event.

Speaking to high points across the four days, Cobran said, “Personally, I really enjoyed Thursday night’s screening of Stephanie Black’s documentary Life and Debt and the conversation after. It was very important. I was also really looking forward to the Reggae Girlz documentary being viewed by a wider audience, and I liked Sunday’s screening of Listen To Me by co-directors Dr Kanika Harris and Stephanie Etienne.

“It dealt with real issues of Black American expectant mothers and healthcare. We could have a serious conversation around it with Health Minister Christopher Tufton.”

Already brainstorming new elements for NUFF’s 2027 staging, Cobran said, “Tweaks that I am considering would be to better serve the audience and have more on the programme for them to do. I would like to do a trade show and invite foreign-based companies to showcase audio-visual equipment and also extend invitations to regional and international filmmakers to host interactive sessions with persons in our local film industry.”

This year, the NUFF director said the festival tested a cultural market to introduce commerce and tourism.

“We had four booths, one for local artist Nurse, who does hand-painted signs, and we had a sip-and-paint session with him. Then we had Don Dadda, who did augmented-reality art. We also had the vertical theatre experience, which was a silent theatre, and we had our NUFF tent to claim NUFF swag,” he explained.

Down the line, Cobran wants to further expand the market to host more vendors and artisans to enhance the cultural experience.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com