Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
BROWNE
YESTERDAY, DIRECTOR Chris Browne (Third World Cop) received a spanking new notch on his filmmaker's belt when he became the first Jamaican to win the prestigious Hartley-Merrill International Scriptwriting Prize with his script, Ghett'a Life.
Cannes, France, is currently buzzing with the belle of film festivals, which opened yesterday with the screening of The Da Vinci Code. Browne's win thus gives the region a reason for more than vicarious enjoyment of Cannes, as it is the first time a Caribbean nation has copped the award in its 16 years of existence and the award's third time to this side of the world. Its previous journeys were in 1996, when it was won by Peruvian Giovanna Pallorohs, and again in 2001 when it was won by Michelle Michel and Serena Belsby of Mexico.
Browne, however, was unable to be at Cannes where the award was announced yesterday. It was therefore collected by one of the film's producers, Paul Harvey. Harvey's producing credits include Bones (2001) and Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
When The Gleaner spoke to Browne yesterday afternoon he explained that the trials of arrangements for travel as a Caribbean national had contributed to his missing his connecting flight from London. "I'm Jamaican," he said, explaining that planning a trip to Cannes meant having all the right visas, and getting them takes time.
A ROCKY PATH
Getting funding for one's film takes even more time, and Browne's journey with Ghett'a Life has been a rocky path. Ghett'a Life was born in 2001 when Browne wrote a treatment and took it with him to Cannes. He explained that while there he had been able to generate much interest and some of his originally estimated US$1 million budget. The possibility of a US$3 million budget then became real when British producers took interest in the project and were able to intrigue the British Film Council. Unfortunately, the programme crashed when the British Film Council had personnel changes, bringing funding to a halt.
ICING ON THE CAKE
"Depression again set in," Browne explained. So once again his hopes have been raised. Browne explained that collecting the award would simply be icing on the cake, as winning is enough to make him happy. "I'm hoping it may help my production in getting made," he said.
He also explained that exposure from simply being nominated would encourage other people to enter the industry and help move it toward viability.
Browne is careful not to get too ecstatic, however, as he understands that it is not a sure path. Though he remains far from cynical, he explains that one learns caution when one has been "beaten with a stick a lot". But, for now, he and the region have something to celebrate.
