Jamaica Story is a documentary made to inspire Jamaicans worldwide to invest their time as well as their money to help create a brighter and stronger Jamaica!
I was born in NY to Jamaican parents, but spent a pivotal time in Little London, Westmoreland, Jamaica. This time created a love and affinity for Jamaica I barley understand sometimes. In 2018 I had the crazy idea to film a feature length documentary about Jamaica talking to any and everyone who said yes. I reached out to anyone I could through many mediums. I spent my own money going back and forth between Jamaica and the US. People told me I was crazy, but here I am today still following my dream of creating a documentary to help change a country and a people.
FLESH WISH, 4min., UK Directed by Timothy Benjamin Slessor An experimental horror inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, David Cronenberg and Clive Barker, this music video / short details in an abstract way the summoning of demons through a ritual performed behind the locked doors of a 1970s terraced house.
What motivated you to make this film?
Several factors! Firstly, I wanted to make something visual to accompany the release of my album. Secondly, I wanted to experiment with a lot of different ideas and techniques, but importantly have a finished piece of work to show for it, not just a bunch of tests. Thirdly I wanted to see how I could kind of corrupt and pervert generative ai platforms and work them into my editing and animation / vfx practise and finally I wanted to make something that would surprise and confound my friends and colleagues!
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It was about three to four months of laborious work, mostly in after effects and premiere. I had to create all of the images and heavily distort and rework them and the editing was done frame-by-frame. About 6 months after it was finished I considered going back and tweaking some things but one look at the edit sequence was enough to convince me to leave well alone!
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Quite fleshy.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The hardest thing was just getting it finished! It was so hard to create enough interesting images and scenes, especially given the extremely fast cut-rate. I kept trimming the track down (ultimately from around 5 mins to about 3’45 I think) just so I could get it done (I had to keep pushing the release of the album back too as a result).
Sitka’s Hidden Wonders, 43min., USA Directed by Ben Hamilton Sitka’s Hidden Wonders is a 40-minute theatrical nature film that blends sweeping cinematography with a deeply personal story of return. Told by award–winning wildlife filmmaker Ben Hamilton, the film explores what it means to truly see a place—through the hidden layers of one of Alaska’s wildest coastal ecosystems.
Every summer, over 600,000 people visit Sitka, but most just walk around town and never see the incredible natural wonders all around us. I wanted to create a film that connects them to this place—beyond the shops and the docks—into the wild heart of Sitka. After years of filming here for networks like BBC and National Geographic, this was my chance to make something for Sitka itself.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The film took two years of full-time work, plus a year of planning and permits before that. And some shots were collected over the last decade—moments I’d been saving for the right project.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Local. Connected.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle was really time. The focus and intensity it took to deliver a film like this while still being there for my small kids and wife. It meant weeks away in the field, long nights editing, and constantly trying to balance the work with family life.
Sauvetage, 5min., Australia Directed by Jackson Bentley, John Stokes When a special forces operative is held captive by a sadistic crime boss is interrogated, the only way to save him is through the element of surprise.
John – We were motivated to make this film as we were given the opportunity to work with the legendary Richard Norton. It was originally supposed to just be a short scene to be used as a pitch but Jackson and I wanted to go all out and produce a short film in a very short amount of time.
Jackson – Originally it was meant as a sizzler reel to show some producers, Richard Damien and I were pushing quite hard to have a feature film made starring Richard, however John is a very quick writer and everything just started aligning for us to turn this into a short.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
John – I believe it was a Thursday where the producer Damien told us that he had somehow convinced Richard Norton to join us for a shoot the following Sunday. I quickly wrote together the script which never went past version 1. We organised the location, crew and cast – all entirely for free as everyone wanted to work with Richard Norton. We filmed in 6 hours on the Sunday and I edited the film within a day after the shoot.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
John – Bitter Sweet. Bitter due to the lead actor Richard Norton recently passing away, but sweet since we now have an award to honor his memory. We are forever in debt to Richard for being involved in this film and he has been a great mentor and friend to us.
Jackson – I think John nailed it, it still feels very surreal that Richard has passed, I think we are still in a little bit of shock and grief but I’m so grateful for receiving his knowledge and just being able to call someone I admired so much a friend plus being able to direct him was even cooler.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
John – The only obstacle was time, as we only had 6 hours to film. If we were being honest, there are some things we’d do differently if we had more time but we are proud of what we did with what we had! Other than that I remember Jackson became ill and went to hospital the day before! Luckily he was still able to make the shoot to co-direct with me.
Jackson – Haha yes directing a script you read only 12 hours before and on the back end of strong pain killers was definitely interesting. Having only 6 hours booked to shoot the short was definitely stressful, but I am so proud and honestly cannot believe our whole crew pulled that off.
What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
John – I actually didn’t realise that we would get audience reactions so it was a great surprise! It’s such an honour to hear feedback like this from half way across the world!
Jackson – I thought it was really cool! I’m just a guy from a very small town in Australia who 8 years ago was a drug addict with no direction in life, so this was very special to me.
What is your screenplay about? Once Upon a Time in Space is about perseverance and struggle. It asks the question ‘how far are you willing to go to obtain something that you need?’
What genres does your screenplay fall under? Science fiction, action, adventure
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? It should be made into a movie because adventure is sorely lacking these days. Plenty of action, very little adventure. The audience wants to go on a ride with characters, this will give them the means to do so while having the choice of which character they ultimately want to succeed.
How would you describe this script in two words? WILD BUSINESS.
What movie have you seen the most times in your life? Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
How long have you been working on this screenplay? 2.5 years
Necrotica is about breaking new ground in the sacred (but tired) Zombie Apocalypse genre. It’s about uncompromising survival, family, and finding meaning in the face of devastating loss.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Horror/Zombie Apocalypse with a healthy spoonful of Lovecraftian terror.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Necrotica is a character-driven story that flips the zombie genre on its head. It’s something new that still feels familiar. With only two characters who have a lot of speaking lines and easy set pieces, it would be a great showcase for two actors to demonstrate their character chops while being producible.
Caligo Inn is about a power-hungry senator who goes to a secluded inn to work on his vice-presidential platform, only to be confronted by the ghosts of people destroyed by his ambition—soldiers, victims, even his own son. It’s part political drama, part supernatural reckoning, where he’s forced to face everything he’s tried to bury.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
It’s a psychological thriller at its core, but it leans heavily into supernatural horror with a strong thread of political drama running through it.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
It puts a fresh spin on the haunted house story by tying the horror directly to real-world politics and personal guilt. It’s creepy, timely, and has a central character who’s both fascinating and deeply flawed—which makes for a compelling watch.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Haunting retribution.
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Probably The Shining. That mix of isolation, psychological tension, and surreal horror really stuck with me, and you can feel its influence in this script.
Wukong Couriers, 15min., USA Directed by Peter Gabriel Gagnon An unwitting bicycle messenger is chosen as the mystical hero to save the city from an ancient horror.
Three S3conds, 16min., USA Directed by Diana Shield Arlo, a 17 year old boy struggles to open up and express himself to his counselor. He is haunted by his past actions due to his inability to control his rage and anger issues.
My husband and I enjoy going on walks, driving long distances and we noticed people’s lack of patience at a Stop sign or red light. We talked about three seconds waiting for an individual to cross the road. This is all it takes to cease all movement from a vehicle. So we noticed a growing trend of people not coming to a complete stop or taking a red light. And it happens across a lot of major cities. But one day two young men were crossing and the driver clipped one of them. They both began shouting at the driver of the vehicle who did not stop. Luckily the young man was not hurt, his backpack was struck with the vehicle.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I would say about three months. However once we got our DP, everything moved quickly.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Intense, provoking.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Nothing, we were lucky enough to have it completed. We had great support and were surrounded by talented individuals.
What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
They said wonderful things about the film and the message got across clearly. I appreciate the feedback with sound, pacing, cinematography and acting. These were all elements we concentrated on and worked extensively. It makes one feel heard and seen. Stories are important and impactful, I want people to leave thinking about the story, I want it to resonate.
I hadn’t directed a project of my own in over a year, and I was at a wrap party for a short film that I was an extra in (SPRINKLES, directed by the Andrew Korzenik, written by Riley Stockard, and produced by Sky Mattioli, all great talents). I tend to be off in my own world a bit at parties, and the image of a wild, tuxedo-laden man forcing tea on a guest at a table in an empty room came into my head. It was kind of out of nowhere, and seemed like a really simple, filmable idea for an unsettling story. It was an eerie, but also amusing to me since I grew up with an English father (who naturally was cast as the Englishman in this film).
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I initially had the idea around September 2023, we filmed in February 2024, and I had the final edit in December 2024, so it was a total of about 15 months from conception to completion.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Uncomfortably funny.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
It was probably the audio editing. It really felt like everything came together fairly easily, everyone who worked on the film is a close friend or relative. Eric Alcaraz, our incredible cinematographer, is well educated in audio engineering and really saved me with that when I was editing.
Festival Reviews 