The eagerly anticipated premiere of Home Again, a Jamaican-Canadian movie shot in T&T, was held on Tuesday at MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, and was attended by a cross-section of parliamentarians, diplomats, dignitaries, business people and members of the Canada, US, Jamaica and T&T film industry.
The red carpet event was attended by the movie's writer-director Sudz Sutherland and his writer-producer wife Jennifer Holness; Minister of Tourism Stephen Cadiz; Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism Dr Lincoln Douglas; Opposition parliamentarian Donna Cox; Canadian High Commissioner Gerard Latulippe; US Embassy Charg� d'Affaires Thomas Smitham; Jamaica High Commissioner Sharon Saunders; Zalayhar Hassanali, wife of late president Noor Hassanali; MovieTowne owner Derek Chin; T&T Film Company CEO Carla Fodderingham; and RC priest Fr Clive Harvey.
Home Again tells the story of three young people, born in Jamaica but migrating to the UK, USA and Canada as infants, and being deported to their birthplace for infringing the law in their adopted lands.
Depicting ghetto neighbourhoods in Jamaica, namely Greenwich Farm and Trenchtown, the movie was actually filmed in T&T, using 1,200 local actors and extras, at locations which included Piarco International Airport, Sea Lots and Long Circular Mall.
The movie stars foreign actors Tatyana Ali (Marva), Lyriq Bent (Dunston), Stephen James (Everton St Clair), Khadeem Wilson (The Don), Fefe Dobson (Cherry C), CCH Pounder (Everton's mother) and Richard Chevolleau; and locals Michael Cherrie, Brian Brown, Terri Leigh Bovell, Leslie Ann Lavine, Patti Ann Ali, Cecilia Salazar, Pauline Mark, and Grace Aberdeen.
A compelling reason for Home Again being filmed in Trinidad and not in Jamaica was the local film company's 35 per cent rebate on the cost of movies shot locally. Addressing the packed audience in MovieTowne's Cinema 1, Cadiz expressed delight over Tuesday's opening and urged local filmmakers to "make more movies."
The movie's T&T supervising producer Lisa Wickham said: "I am so excited because I just wanted the opportunity to do this. I told Jennifer (Holness) that a premiere had to be done in Trinidad. Since last year I've been dreaming how last night would be, and it was exactly how I dreamt it would be.
This movie served as an enlightenment and an awareness-building instrument that brings attention to the issue of deportation, which affects so many many people of the Caribbean. There are over 34,000 deportees in Jamaica alone, which is seven times the island's prison population."
Wickham said discussions are in progress for US and UK distribution of Home Again. She added that there has already been distribution in some African countries, as well as in parts of Canada. The film company in Jamaica is also making plans to screen it as part of its film festival.Home Again was produced by Canadian film production company Hungry Eyes, in collaboration with T&T company Imagine Media Film Production.