Shot List film festival grows in second year

Upping the ante from the previous year's staging, Shot List film festival landed in Hope Royal Botanical Gardens in St Andrew on Sunday to deliver films from the best and brightest in the diaspora.

The Jamaica Film and Television Association's (JAFTA) business development and initiatives chairperson, Lesley-Ann Wanliss, told THE STAR that the event's second staging not only grew in size, but also in diversifying the types of content showcased.

"What we've been able to do this Shot List ... is to show episodic, not just short films. We just had two pilot episodes of a film and that literally helps us to understand what's happening in the world, how people are thinking about films, how people are thinking about storytelling, and also what we can do when we imagine making our own films and what we imagine thinking about these kinds of projects," she explained

The JAFTA and We Are Parable sponsored event saw works from Jamaican, Trinidadian and British filmmakers, workshops, panel discussions as well as a live performance from recording artiste Stalk Ashley.

Speaking on the importance of the film industry, JAFTA President Saeed Thomas told THE STAR, "I think one of the things that the film industry has really been affected with is the lack of visibility. So we're doing so much work behind the scenes. So it's almost like a hidden art 'cause nobody really knows the work or sees the work that we put in, especially because we don't really have platforms that show Jamaican content."

He continued, "The general public doesn't really see it, and the local televisions station don't really broadcast them as well. So the importance of Shot List is really and truly to enhance the visibility and with the enhancement of visibility. Then it's easier to build relationships, it's easier to have certain conversations with certain entities for funding, and then of course with funding comes the development of more films."

In the recent budget presentations, the Government announced the establishment of a Jamaica Screen Fund that allocates $1 billion across two years to the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce for the year 2023/2024.