The screening of four Guyanese films in the U.S., at the upcoming, prestigious arts event CaFA, is expected to be a showcase of imaginative talent.
Films scheduled for screening are “The Seawall”, “Beached”, “Tin City Voices” and “Rebecca’s Story”.
“The Seawall”, by U.S.-based Guyanese filmmaker Mason Richards, is a narrative short film shot entirely on location in Georgetown and centers around Marjorie, a Guyanese woman, as she prepares for her 10-year old grandson’s move to America to be with his mother. Struggling with loneliness, and abandonment, Marjorie sacrifices her happiness for her grandson’s future. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in 2011.
“Beached”, a 2012 film by Guyanese Kojo McPherson, tells of Nyoike (‘Nyo’) who, in an attempt to get back into the rhythm of his life, returns to his bar after spreading the ashes of his wife, Hope, on the Georgetown seawall. Still reeling from the loss he is not in a hospitable mood when his long-time friend and photographer, Fargus, shows up uninvited. Fargus fails to engage Nyo and leaves a picture he had taken of Nyo and Hope on the counter. Nyo’s wedding ring and the picture are all that he has left of his wife.
“Tin City Voices”, by Elijah Marchand, is a documentary filmed in Guyana last year. It is a story of survival in a slum. Marchand explores a shantytown in Georgetown with the purpose of finding hope among the struggles of an unnoticed population. The film is based on the story of an abused woman, a pregnant mother, and a man struggling to find redemption for his violent life. Their stories do not intersect but run parallel. The film uncovers the psychological environment that confines each of the characters. As Elijah searches, camera in hand, through alleys that form the puzzle pieces of the ghetto, he takes his audience through a stirring story of rebirth and forgiveness among despair and violence.
“Rebecca’s Story”, a 2014 film by youths of the Guyanese group Witness Project, is a dramatic short film of an orphaned young reader who yearns to escape from her grandmother’s punitive custody. It gets more interesting when a sudden visit from a neighbour reveals a better way out.
For more information on CaFA and the films, visit cinecaribes.com
