Destiny charts independent path

After major premieres in Jamaica and Florida, Jeremy Whittaker intends to get even more publicity for his film, Destiny, with other screenings over the coming months.

The film's Jamaica premiere was at Carib 5 in Cross Roads, St Andrew, in October 2014. This was followed by a US premiere in Miramar, Florida, in March, which Whittaker described as a "resounding success".

Now Whittaker plans to take Destiny even further, with a showing planned for Sunrise, Florida, on Friday, May 8, and a London premiere on May 22. Destiny will also grace cinemas in New York, Atlanta, Hartford (Connecticut), South Florida, and Chicago in the US.

"International premieres provide publicity and a way of introducing a movie to a particular market. The world premiere of Destiny was actually at the ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto last April, where it opened the festival," Whittaker told The Gleaner.

He also stressed that this type of promotion was always part of the plan, as "Destiny is being independently distributed and it is being introduced in various markets".

And his efforts have been bearing fruit. "We did great in Jamaica. The premiere in Miramar was absolutely fantastic. The film got rave reviews and the venue was packed," Whittaker said.

ANTICIPATING GREAT RESPONSE

Giving details on this Friday's screening, Whittaker said Destiny will be shown "at Regal Sawgrass Stadium 23 and IMAX, 2600 Northwest 136th Avenue, Sunrise, Florida. We are anticipating a wonderful response, similar to what the movie received in Jamaica".

Whittaker explained that he intends to continue making films, but not a sequel to Destiny or even a similar movie.

"There are other Jamaican stories, as well as great world stories, to be told through Jamaican eyes," he told The Gleaner.

Destiny chronicles the travels of Lisa Pullen, played by lead actress Karian Sang, as she journeys to find herself following the death of her parents and a tumultuous break-up with her boyfriend. A trip to Jamaica to sell land acquired through inheritance leads to much more than a real-estate transaction, as Lisa not only uncovers truths about her family's past but also finds herself while falling in love.

The film features a host of Jamaicans, including recording artistes Christopher Martin, Spice and Tifa, media personalities Miss Kitty, Debbie Bissoon and Scott Wilson, as well as actors Munair Zacca, Kadeem Wilson and Kevoy Burton.

Destiny's soundtrack was produced by Clive Hunt. It features Busy Signal, Chronixx, Christopher Martin, Karian Sang, Tifa and Paris-based Bazil. The soundtrack is being distributed by Tuff Gong International.

The single, Together Tonight, performed by Bazil, was scheduled to be available on iTunes yesterday. The song, which is the first release from the soundtrack, was produced by Clive Hunt and co-produced by Dwain Campbell, with Whittaker as executive producer.

The video for Together Tonight was directed by Whittaker, with cinematography by Fareye Productions and post-production by Wayward Films Inc in Canada. It features snippets from Destiny, as well as scenes from the Fleet Street community and clips of Bazil performing at the Bob Marley 70th birthday celebration held in February.

"We are all excited about this single and we know it will introduce Bazil as a serious performer in the reggae genre, as well as create additional buzz for the international release of Destiny," Whittaker said.