Envisioning Music with Director (Warrior Films) and Producer (Warrior Musick Productions), Dameon Gayle
Dameon Gayle, is to reggae and dancehall what Hype Williams is to hip hop. He grew up in Waterhouse and learned to play drum, keyboard and bass guitar by ear, as a child. By 18, he began hanging out with local musicians in his community including, Bob Andy. This early introduction to music would shape his life and career. More After The Jump…
Martin Channels Jimmy Cliff In New Music From The Motion Picture Destiny
Christopher Martin has always has been propelled by talent rather than hype. Since making his name on Digicel Rising Stars in 2005, the singer has amassed a considerable catalog of quality original tracks, from “Vibes Is Right” to “Cheaters Prayer” and his recent EP Stepping Razor. Earlier this year he made his big-screen debut as the romatic lead in the outstanding new film Destiny, a cinematic showcase for the island Jamaica in all its beauty. Produced and directed by Toronto-based Jeremy Whittaker, Destiny tells the tale of Lisa Pullen, played by the gorgeous Karian Sang, who journeys to Jamaica to sell inherited land acquired through inheritance leads to much more, as Lisa not only uncovers truths about her family’s past, but also finds herself falling in love in the process. The soundtrack to the film is blockbuster in its own right, released last month on Tuff Gong Records and produced by legendary reggae music producer Clive Hunt with Dwain ‘Wiya’ Campbell for Grasshopper Music Entertainment. Busy Signal, Tifa, and Spice appear on the album as well Garnet Silk Jr and Parisian reggae artist Bazil. But our favorite cut is this rub-a-dub lovers’ selection from Mr. Martin himself, who sounds uncannily like another legendary Jamaican actor/singer, Mr. Harder They Come himself, Jimmy Cliff. Don’t believe it? Just watch for yourself. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Island Records Founder Reflects on a Friend Who Had Nothing And Still Had Everything
Most reggae fans know the Reggae Cult Classic film Countryman, but it’s less well known that the star of the film is real person. The 1982 film, which will be streamed online next Friday night, December 5th—following an exclusive BoomshotsTV chat with one of the original cast members, veteran Jamaican actor Carl Bradshaw—was directed by Dickie Jobson, and stars a Rastafarian Indian Tamil fisherman who lived in the seaside community of Hellshire outside Kingston, Jamaica. Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who backed the film project, reflects on the man he knew, a real Rastaman who truly undersood the meaning of the term Thanksgiving, and embodied it in his simple life and his every word and deed. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Jay Will Directs A Short Film Inspired By Notis & Iba Mahr’s Tribute To Classic Dancehall Fashion
Notis is a drum-and-bass production team comprised of Unga on drums and Welsh on bass. They were the team behind Ding Dong’s “Holiday” and many more recent dancehall/reggae hits. Earlier this year they dropped the track “Diamond Sox” with roots DJ Iba Mahr, and the song made a big splash right away. Riding a laid-back rootsy groove, Iba chats lyrics in praise of classic dancehall dress code items like the mesh “marina” (a ventilated tank top, preferably in red green and gold), the Arrow shirt that’s customarily worn over top, Wallabee Clarks, and of course, matching socks in Clarks’ trademark diamond print. Now Jay Will has directed a music video that’s really more of a short film. With a cast that includes reggae legend Max Romeo, Tuff representing the Nomadz crew, and of course the mighty Bass Odyssey sound. Shot on location in Iba Mahr’s home turf of Linstead and Bog Walk, this video is destined to become a classic time capsule of Jamaican culture. Boomshots TV is proud to premiere this one. Game Over. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Up Wid Di Money Or Go Dung Inna Hole
Known for their hilarious skits and impersonations of top dancehall artistes, comedy duo Twin Of Twins takes a different route with the visual for their latest “Up Wid Di Money.” More a short film than a music video “Up Wid Di Money” depicts the harsh realities majority of the residents of the local garrisons go though daily and that even with a good education some still are forced to run the streets to make ends meet. Now, the twins aren’t promoting this lifestyle but neither are they denying it. The vid features a host of cameos from the likes of Summer Bounce, I-Octane, Demarco, Lexxus and yes Ninja Man as the Don. Check The Video After The Jump… (more…)
As The Harder They Come Celebrates Its Anniversary, We Run Down Some Yardstyle Cinematic Classics
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the official U.S. release of the Jamaican cult classic, The Harder They Come. Our heartical bredrens at Complex have just published a definitive history of the making of the film, which you can read right here. (After which you can peep the trailer below) As a celebration of the film’s legacy, Synocto Pictures is screening it in theatres across the U.S. in a fully restored and re-mastered version. If you’ve only seen the first film ever made in Jamaica on a small screen, find a theater near you, roll up, and roll out. After that we predict you’ll be in the mood for more yardstyle cinema. So we’ve helpfully curated a list of all killer no filler feature films with Jamaica and the Jamaican diaspora as a setting or a subject, complete with web streaming links so you can get right to the Lights… Camera… Action! Seen?
The Award-winning Feature Film Finally Make Its Way Stateside
It has been such a long journey for the award-winning feature film Better Mus’ Come. The gritty period piece is set within the politically charged turf wars of 1970s, when Kingston, Jamaica is set to open in US theaters on Friday, March 15, 2013. Boomshots has been following this film closely even managed to grab a few words with the film’s director Storm Saulter. We are very excited about this new as you should be to, Be Sure To Check Out The Trailer And Bonus Clips Along With Showtimes And Locations After The Jump… (more…)
It’s Not Just a Movie—It’s a “Fairytale Documentary”
The story of Lee “Scratch” Perry has been told many times before, and it’s already been the subject of one outstanding documentary. But that’s not stopping Swiss filmmaker Volker Schaner from working on another Scratch movie. Schaner, who befriended the artist over a decade ago, has journeyed with Pipecock Jaxson around the globe documenting his day-to-day experiences while gaining personal insight into the artist’s enigmatic personality. With the creation of Vision of Paradise, more of Scratch’s wisdom will be introduced to the world but it can’t be done before the creators raise funds for the doc’s post production process. Video After The Jump…
The New Caribbean Cinema Movement Scores A Major Breakthrough Thanks to AAFFRM
With the slogan of, “Together, We Are Strong,” the AAFRM (The African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement) is all about bringing the vision of independent filmmakers to the world. To add on to their much success, AaFFRM has announced their new label, ARRAY. The label will be a multi-platform distribution for black independent films. The award winning, Storm Saulter directed film, Better Mus’ Come, will be the first film distributed by this company. “We’re proud that his gem will launch ARRAY,”says AaFFRM Founder, Ava DuVernay. “Storm’s work on Better Mus’ Come as director, writer and cinematographer is wildly impressive, incredibly important and deserves to be seen by as many film lovers as possible. AFFRM’s new label ARRAY is build to serve the tremendous burst of black cinematic talent across the globe, filmmakers who are embracing new technologies to tell their stories by any means necessary. The goal is to expand the brand cultivated over our first four theatrical releases by reaching new audiences via both digital and traditional platforms.” And if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to check out the trailer for Better Mus Come. Video After The Jump… (more…)
Classic of Reggae Cinema Hits The Interwebs
This past August the Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted a festival of great Jamaican films including Theodoros Bafaloukos 1978 classic Rockers. Perhaps no other movie packs more legendary cameos and classic performance sequences into a slice of ’70s Kingston street life. In case you couldn’t make it to Brooklyn to catch this classic of reggae cinema on the big screen, fret not. Our peoples at Noisey have got the film streaming online for free, so you can catch Leroy Horsemouth Wallace and a cast of thousands on the laptop or mobile device of your choice. Video After The Jump… (more…)
New Caribbean Cinema Storms into New York Like Sandy
After premiering last September at the British Film Institute, Ring Di Alarm will have its NYC premiere this weekend as part of the Flatbush Film Festival. A compilation of seven short films by seven different filmmakers that director Storm Saulter has called “a true experiment in guerilla film making,” Ring Di Alarm is the latest production of the New Caribbean Cinema movement that also brought us the critically acclaimed period piece Better Mus Come. You don’t want to miss this one. Movie Trailer and Screening Details After The Jump…
The Director of Better Mus Come Talks New Caribbean Cinema
After apprenticing with Lil X and attending film school in Los Angeles, Storm Saulter returned to Jamaica to jump-start a movement that he calls “New Caribbean Cinema.” His first feature length film, Better Mus Come, is a gritty period piece is set within the politically charged turf wars of 1970s, when Kingston, Jamaica was on the front lines of the Cold War and poor ghetto dwellers were manipulated like pawns on a much larger chess board. The film tells the story of a young father who must choose between turning his back on the gangster life and making a better life for his five-year old son. It’s also a story of forbidden love that entices a boy and a girl to tempt fate and cross over the borderlines that crisscross the streets of Kingston. Loosely based on real events, the film courageously breaks an unwritten code of silence about depicting controversial events like the Green Bay Massacre—a landmark event in Jamaica’s political history during which government forces ambushed and shot to death a group of gunmen aligned with the opposition political party. This do not go unnoticed by the powers that be in Jamaica, who closely monitored the production and even sent spies to the set.
But all the drama was well worth it. After a successful run in Jamaica, Better Mus Come went on to win the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at both the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival and the Bahamas International Film Festivals. It’s been screened at the Toronto international film festival, L.A.’s Pan-African film festival and at Lincoln Center in New York. Tomorrow Better Mus Come will be seen for the first time in the UK at the British Film Institute. (The following day BFI will host the world premiere of Ring Di Alarm, a compilation of seven short films that Storm calls “a true experiment in guerilla film making in the Caribbean.”) Reshma B caught up with Storm to talk about his first film and how the movement is coming along. (more…)