JAMAICAN film Ghett'a Life won the Best Pitch Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France, a news release from Headline Entertainment said yesterday.
Co-producer Justine Henzell presented the film for judging at the festival held in May. The film, which was entirely locally produced, was represented at Cannes by Jinga sales agency, which organised a screening attended by media and buyer representatives.
The festival is held annually in the southern region of France and consistently attracts the world's highest grossing A-list actors and film professionals, as well as distributors seeking to ink deals with potentially lucrative films.
"From as far back as 2006, there were signs that Ghett'a Life would receive international praise," the news release said, adding that the script won the Hartley Merrill International Screenplay Award that year at Cannes, "a fitting announcement that this was no ordinary Jamaican movie".
According to Headline, the award places Ghett'a Life among "a small category of films that are poised to shape the character of the Jamaican film industry, and reinforce the brand as a worldwide force to reckon with".
Ghett'a Life is written, directed and produced by Chris Browne, who also directed Third World Cop. Browne's impressive resume also includes the award-winning short films Entry Denied and Crossfire.
Ghett'a Life was line-produced by Natalie Thompson, who has high praise for the dedication of the local crew without whom the film could not have been completed on schedule and on budget.
Ghett'a Life is set against the backdrop of Kingston's inner-cities and explores one boy's attempt to achieve boxing glory, despite the political divide that threatens to tear his community and country apart. His journey takes him on a path that forces him to defy his family and his community and the result will either destroy him or bring his community together.
Ghett'a Life combines both new and experienced talent among its all-Jamaican cast and crew.
The impressive cast includes Carl Davis (Dancehall Queen, Almost Heaven, and Royal Palm Estate), Teddy Price (Small Island, Glory to Gloriana, and Royal Palm Estate), Winston 'Bello' Bell (Third World Cop, Royal Palm Estate), Karen Robinson (Liars and a Real Girl, Soul Food, Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story), lead actor and newcomer Kevoy Burton and female lead, Lisa Williams; and, in addition, Actor Boy awardee Christopher McFarlane, who turns his years of stage experience to the silver screen.
The film was fully funded by Jamaican investors through a fund set up by PanCaribbean Financial Services.
No comments:
Post a Comment