Sunday, January 21, 2018

Film: Elba's Debut At The Helm Heads to Sundance



-Deadline Hollywood/ Gleaner

To make his directorial debut on an adaptation of Yardie, the 1992 Victor Headley novel about the collision of Jamaican culture in London, Idris Elba put into it many of the pieces of his life and career. 
The career spans his seminal TV series turnsLuther and The Wire, movies like Beasts of No Nation, American Gangster, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, Thor: Ragnarok and Molly’s Game, as well as his second career as Big Driis the Londoner, an accomplished DJ. 
There is even the Hackney streets where he grew up in London, where much of the film is set. In Yardie, a young Jamaican (Aml Ameen) watches his peace-loving brother gunned down, and grows up torn between embracing his brother’s ideals, or immersing himself in gang and drug culture to seek revenge. Here, Elba discusses how he wrapped his own experiences into his directing debut, putting it on display tonight at the Ray Theater, where the film premieres as an acquisition title in the World Cinema category.

Two of the four Jamaican actors cast in Idris Elba's directorial debut, will head to the Sundance Film Festival, set for January 18-28 in Park City, Utah, for the world premiere of the feature film, 'Yardie.'
Based on the novel written by Jamaican Victor Headley and filmed on location between Jamaica and London in the summer of 2017, Yardie, will premiere at Sundance as one of the festival's two headlining feature productions, and will contend among 11 other films for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize.
Yardie, is also listed as one of the top 24 international films to look out for this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but they almost did not utilise any Jamaican talent.
"We're very excited that it's gonna be the first time a Jamaican film has been premiered at Sundance, which is fantastic.
This film is particularly exciting because not only was it filmed on Jamaican soil with Jamaican production crews and Jamaican talent, but it's also telling a Jamaican story. I think that people haven't really recognised the excitement of the Jamaican stories that we have; and we have a tonne of them," JAMPRO president, Diane Edwards said.
Details of this Sundance mission were revealed at a pre-festival press briefing held at JAMPRO's headquarters earlier this week. Lead actress Shantol Jackson, along with fellow cast-mates Everaldo Creary (No-Maddz) and young Antwayne Eccleston, were present at the briefing, to share their experience before Jackson and Creary make the trek to Park City, Utah. Also present was Film Commissioner Renee Robinson. Absent was the fourth cast member, Sheldon Shepherd.
"When the UK production team did their first scouting mission, they had not originally intended to cast the leads from Jamaica.
After conducting an initial casting call here however, that changed," Robinson shared.
Jackson excitedly retold her casting experience with the veteran actor/novice director.

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