The field has been narrowed for the Commonwealth Writers Prizes, as regional winners are announced. The prestigious prize, recognizing literary excellence from throughout the British Commonwealth, announced their shortlist in early April. The competition now advances to its next stage with the selection of winners from five geographic regions.
In the Book Prize arena, Jamaican debut author Ezekel Alan may have had an advantage, considering he was the only Caribbean writer to make the shortlist. Don't dismiss him, though. His self-published book, Disposable People, is powerful stuff. To be fair, I have not read the works of his competition, but if they hope to win the prize, they better have brought their "A" Game. Whether he was a shoo in for the regional prize, or not, the announcement of the regional winners puts Alan one step closer to the overall prize. Mock me later if I'm wrong, but I predict that Disposable People will cinch the win for Alan. It's that kind of book.
Over on the Short Story Prize side of the house, the shortlist contained the names of four Caribbean writers. Left standing is Trinidad's Sharon Millar, receiving the nod for her short story The Whale House. The competition was surely significant, considering that among those vying for the prize was fellow Trini Barbara Jenkins. Jenkins is fresh from taking top honors in the short story category at the recently held Bocas Lit Fest. Millar also edged out two Bahamian writers, A. L. Majors and Janice Lynn, to secure her spot as regional winner.
An overall winner will be selected in both the Book and Short Story Prize categories from among the regional winners. The five regions are: Africa, Asia, Canada & Europe, Caribbean and Pacific.
It seems the number of literary festivals in the Caribbean
continues to grow and one needn’t wait long from one event to the next. One of
the newcomers on the festival hosting block is the island of Anguilla, a British overseas territory
in the Leeward Islands. Anguilla is set to deliver its second annual festival
later this month. Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification is a four day
event scheduled for May 23-26, 2013.
Headlining this year’s event will be American poet and
author, Nikki Giovanni. Joining her for Anguilla Lit Fest 2013 will be the
Caribbean’s own Edwidge Danticat of Haiti and Gillian Royes of Jamaica. Simon
and Shuster Vice President Judith Curr and MSNBC host, Toure will also be key
figures at this year’s event.
Of course, local writers from Anguilla will be participating in
the festival, as well. These include Rita Celestine-Carty, David Carty, Denise
Crawford, Vanessa Croft-Thompson, Hyacinth Hughes, Catrina Llewellyn-Jones,
Jo-Anne Mason and Timmy Webster.
Shakirah Bourne is a talented young writer and entrepreneur from Barbados. It doesn't take long to figure out, though, that Shakirah's talent is matched by her ambition. She is the founder and owner of a website - getWrite! - that provides support and lists opportunities for emerging writers. Shakirah is a
wordsmith in her own right, as well as an editor and, apparently, whatever else she sets her mind to.
Recently, I caught wind that a new movie was being produced in Barbados. It's a local movie named Payday. My curiosity was piqued and, with a bit of digging, I soon found out that Shakirah was actively involved in this project. In fact, she wrote the script and is part of the Let's Do This Filmz production team. I caught up with her via email to get the scoop on this intriguing movie project and she was gracious enough to consent to a public interview.
So, here's what Shakirah Bourne had to say about Payday, the movie, as well as a few other things going on in her busy writer's life.
______________________________
Randy Baker: How or why did you venture into screenwriting?
Shakirah Bourne: In 2008, I wanted to do a creative writing course at Barbados Community College, but it was 9 AM on a Saturday morning. Total Error! I found out there was a Screenwriting class at 1 PM, and decided to do it so that I could sleep in on the weekend. Bill Gates said: "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it." Laziness can also lead to unexpected opportunities.
RB: Why Payday? What inspired you to write this particular story?
SB: The Director of the movie, Selwyne Browne, approached me and said he wanted me to write a movie. It had to be a comedy, set in one location and easy to film. I also wanted the movie to last over the course of one day, and so I set it in a fictional rural village, Pickletons. I then thought about all of the characters you find in a typical Barbadian community; the local vagrant, the person collecting money for charity, the drug dealer, the Gran of the community etc. Barbadians, in fact, Caribbean people on a whole, are naturally funny. I put together some of the funniest situations I have heard about or encountered, and adapted them to the characters I had created. Thus, the story of Payday was born.
RB: I understand that you are both the writer of Payday and part of the production team. What was the process of bringing Payday to life, as a story and as a movie?
SB: It opened my eyes. I am very grateful to be included as part of the production team because although the writer is rarely on set, it was instrumental to learn the other roles in the filmmaking process, which will impact on my scriptwriting. Writers just create and are unlimited by imagination, but being able to produce the script is another story. When writing, now I’ll be more mindful of locations, describing setting, the time of day, scenes in areas that require permissions, licenses, characters that can be merged together – the list is endless.
I was lucky enough to be part of a team where our vision for the finished product was in sync, so many times I collaborated with the Director on the atmosphere and interpretation of a particular scene, and we were almost always in agreement. This made bringing Payday to life very easy and I was able to comfortably appreciate and watch these crazy characters that existed only in my head come to life.
RB: One of the most cited obstacles for homegrown films in the Caribbean is overcoming the high costs involved with production. In general terms, how was this challenge met in the production of Payday?
SB: The Payday script was created to make the best use of limited resources, as it was set in one primary location. Our motto for this production was “Minimalist Crew, Zero Budget” and we cut costs wherever possible. This would not have been possible without the passion and commitment from everyone involved. People say that it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a community to create a movie. The LDTF partners invested their own skills and resources; the cast had the right attitude and was proactive in contributing to other parts of the process, for example, the soundtrack; members of the community itself, Bayfield aka Pickletons became production and prop assistants! Everyone assumed multiple roles, and we could not have anticipated the quantum of energy that would result from the synergies of this team. We truly exemplify the name of our company "Let's Do This".
RB: Do you have any specific cinematic influences when it comes to screenwriting, or do you draw on more general literary influences?
SB: While there are other writers whose style I admire, both cinematic and literary, it all boils down to telling a good story, and that’s what I aim to do. I could be influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, or an old woman selling vegetables in Bridgetown.
RB: Over the last few years, there seems to be a surge in Caribbean film making efforts. The New Caribbean Cinema collective comes to mind and the acclaimed film Better Mus Come has been generating some buzz on the film festival circuit recently. How do you see Payday and Let's Do This Filmz in relation to the wider Caribbean film making movement?
SB: For years industry activists have been advocating for the support of film in the region, citing statistics and studies on how the film industry is a viable option for economic sustainability. A few films have emerged, but these have taken a significant amount of time to produce along with having massive funding challenges. Let’s Do This Filmz aims to create a Caribbean model for making movies. We first met as a team early March, and shot the movie in one week in April. Payday is our first movie, and we have plans on releasing at least three feature films a year. With this model, we hope that everyone involved in filmmaking; writers, actors, videographers, editors etc. will be able to have a viable, full-time career in their respective fields. Our entire approach is to establish and sustain a growing appetite for local and regional films and culture as a whole.
RB: The promotional material for Payday says it will be out in Summer 2013. Is there an official launch date yet, or will we be in suspense a bit longer?
SB: Everything up to this point was done in record time and we are ahead of schedule. We are at the editing stage and will be finished soon. The actual release date is dependent on several factors I won’t speak about just yet, but you will be among the first to know when we decide on the date.
RB: What kind of distribution plans are in place for the film? Theatrical release, DVD, international distribution?
SB: There is the theatrical release, but we are looking to engage in four-walling Payday to maximise viewership for the Caribbean diaspora. We also have plans for some non-traditional distribution methods to take advantage of current and developing technologies. Our vision is long term and we have other projects in the works and are focused on creating new and more direct consumer channels and markets for our films. Payday will be the first release for Let's Do This Filmz; first on shore, across the sea to our neighbours and then globally to our diaspora and beyond. Our methods so far have been very direct in targeting and leveraging the capacity, resources and relationships of our team, partners and supporters. Every day we are broadening our base and strengthening our network.
RB: Let's flash forward to Summer 2014. What do you hope this film has accomplished by that point in time?
SB: Simply that the film does well - financially and critically, and that Payday becomes a household name in the Caribbean. Hopefully it raises the bar for film production in Barbados, opening eyes to the wide spectrum of stories waiting to be told. We hope that it encourages people to get up and start making movies. By 2014, we hope that viewers would be re-watching Payday on DVD in preparation for seeing Next Payday in cinemas.
RB: Do you have any other scripts in the works?
SB: We aim to produce at least three movies a year, so yes! There are several projects in various stages of development - from documentaries to horror.
RB: Many artists suffer from what is sometimes called the sophomore slump. After the initial burst of creativity represented by their inaugural work, there is the pressure of creating something equally exciting, yet unique, as a follow-up. What do you see as the greatest challenge for Let's Do This Filmz (and yourself) when it comes time to embark on a fresh, new project?
SB: Well, Let's Do This Filmz has other writers, other scripts and other projects in various stages, so the follow up is already in the works. I’m lucky to have a team that is always throwing ideas at me, and keeping me motivated. If anything, I think the biggest challenge is trying to decide what movie to produce next.
RB: While Payday may be the focus of the moment with its pending debut, you are a multi-discipline writer. Do you have any other types of projects underway that we need to looking out for?
SB: For sure! Loads of film and literary projects coming up that I can’t quite talk about yet. One upcoming project I’m excited about though is the Senseisha anthology of creative non-fiction stories around the Caribbean female sexual experience. The other editor, Juliette Maughan, and I, have been really getting some good stories already, and the deadline for submitting to that is May 31st 2013.
RB: Shakirah, thanks for your time and for sharing with me and my readers. Before we wrap it up, how about leaving us with a light note. Aside from the hard work involved in bringing a feature film to life, it must have been a fun time. Can you give us one good, humorous anecdote from the making of Payday?
SB: We often had to create impromptu props. There was a scene which called for dog shite, and we got inventive with a Snickers bar and a torch, but ultimately I was sent on the task of securing the real thing for a shot. The convo with a random rastaman standing by a galvanise fence went like this:
Me: Scuse me, you got dogs?
Man: Yea, two in the back.
Me: You got dog shite?
Man (perplexed): Yea.
Me: I can get some?
Man: You want..,dog shite?
Me: Yes. (Reaching for a dry coconut husk on the floor) Can you scrape it up with this?
Man: (Handing over the shite while laughing) Huh fuh this.
Me: (Running back to set holding husk with two fingers) I got the shite! I got it!
