Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
SHORT FILMS are often a way for film makers to get exposure, showcase their talent or simply work on a project that an independent pocket can handle. While their commercial value is negligible, shorts are often a staple of film festivals. It was no different at the two-day inaugural Flash Point film and music festival.
Flash Point took place at The Caves in Negril on Emancipation weekend, beginning in the late afternoon with workshops, then extending toward or beyond midnight with music and movies.
Short films were a significant part of the line-up and included documentaries, docu-dramas, and narratives. They focused on crime, love, sports and music and even the environment and it was in this area that Flash Point really illuminated the possibilities that lay within the Jamaican film industry. It featured works by both the up and coming and the established.
INTRIGUING
Each night, Saturday and Sunday, featured three short films. Saturday night featured Forgive or Forget, Forward and Krazy Bikers, the last of which is a documentary. Forgive or Forget is particularly intriguing because it was produced by the Jamaican chapter of the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) and made by students of Ardenne High.
Forgive or Forget, a story of abuse and forgiveness highlights the possibilities for the Jamaican film generation after the next, when guided by today's. The commendable drama was written by Camille Howard and directed by Codae Pennicott and featured Andrew Brodber, Trudy-Anne Francis, Orlando Brown and Tasheney Francis.
Forgive or Forget was followed by the experimental creation Forward, written and directed by Nile Saulter. As Saulter explained in the question-and-answer segment, the film highlights his wish to experiment with linear motion. As such, the time scheme of the film gets twisted and characters often go backward. While its meaning was somewhat elusive, the film displayed good camera and more importantly, an active imagination that is willing to go well against the grain.
Krazy Bikers, directed by David Graham and Leslie Chin, rounded out Saturday night's shorts. The film, shorter than its original form, follows the motorcyclists the Krazy Bikers who roam the streets of Kingston and beyond popping wheelies and various other stunts.
The directors captured not only the nature of the stunts, but through a series of interviews, brought out the personalities of the bikers which proved as entertaining as the stunts.
The film shown on Saturday, which is an edited version of the original, is however, slightly devoid of how dangerous biking is, and so lacks its full potential as an engaging documentary. This is in part due to its genesis as it was intended to be promotional material for the Krazy Bikers.
LACKED SPECIFICS
Sunday night's shorts featured two documentaries and a narrative piece. Neither documentary
is complete. However, the second, Rise Up, was far more intriguing than the first, They Cry Murder. Directed by Lloyd D'Aguilar, They Cry Murder takes a look at police brutality and featured some graphic imagery. However, what the film lacked was specifics. One was allowed to see mutilated victims and mourning relatives, however they were not properly contextualised, allowing the mutilations to appear gratuitous.
Rise Up, on the other hand, gave an intriguing look at the possibilities that lay in the undiscovered talent that exists in Jamaica. Directed by Brazilian Luciano Blotta, the film features interviews and performances by Rootz Underground, an extremely engaging character who goes by the name The Cricket (he makes the relevant sound), and Turbulence. Interestingly, it was shot two years ago before Turbulence's current notoriety as one of the new wave of conscious DJs.
Sandwiched between both documentaries was the romantic comedy Bad Lucky, a funny tale of weed and budding romance. Bad Lucky is written and directed by Joel Burke and features Robbie Robertson and Andrew Clarke, both of whom gave good performances.
Interestingly, an impressive wave of young screen actors was also revealed in these shorts. Along with Clarke and Robertson, both of whom appeared in two flicks, was Mervin Spence who twice played a very convincing villain.
Other shorts screened earlier in the day included Rick Elgood's Surf Rasta which is akin to Cool Runnings on water, and the experimental drama Heavy Manners.
