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Five key questions with Caribbean Film Entrepreneurs
For this review, three ?lm entrepreneurs, Howard Allen, HAMA Productions; Frances-Anne Solomon, CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution; and Christopher Laird, Gayelle - The Channel, discuss the progress and future of the Caribbean audiovisual industry, their responses follow. Five (5) key questions were asked to document their experiences and observations of the regional audiovisual sector. These questions aim to educate and inform those in the sector and others with an interest in ?lm.
Howard Allen - HAMA Productions
What innovations have your company brought to the industry in If the audiovisual sector in your country was granted US $10 million, recent years? over a 3-5 year period, what should be done with it? Independent screenings known as “fourwalling” was introduced by HAMA Productions in Antigua. We screened our ?rst feature ?lm The Sweetest Mango to 600 people in one sitting by renting an auditorium and building our own screening. The ?lm ran for three months with an average of two screenings per day and four on weekends. Given the transformations in the global industry, (e.g - technological changes, global where do you see your business going in the Training would be key with the establishment of a school for ?lm & television production accompanied by a fund to support independent ?lmmakers.
Biography
Antiguan ?lm director Howard Allen founded HAMA Productions along with his Wife Mitzi Allen in 1992. His debut ?lm The Sweetest Mango (2001) is based on the story of how he met his Wife. The Sweetest Mango became Antigua and Barbuda’s ?rst locally produced feature ?lm and the ?rst indigenous ?lm for the Eastern Caribbean. It has since been screened at several ?lm festivals in North America and the Caribbean and made its world television premiere on Caribvision in 2007 to a potential audience of 280 million via DirecTV. Following The Sweetest Mango, Howard directed and released No Seed (2002) and Diablesse (2005) which is a Caribbean folklore drama.
economic recession) next 2-3 years?
Our intention is to invest in technology that allows HAMA to produce low cost high quality content. We also plan to take better advantage of the internet for distribution and marketing.
Howard’s interest in media and communications began at an early age. What are the key lessons that you have learnt from working in the At 15 he produced and hosted a children’s radio program for ABS industry that new entrants should know? Radio and ZDK Radio in Antigua. Throughout the years he has been establishing himself as a pioneering ?lmmaker and his work has been It is important to ?nd your niche, determine what makes your product singled out by the department of Cinema and Photography at Ithaca unique and know your market and what the consumers want. College in New York, for his innovative approach to ?lmmaking in a developing country. He has conducted master classes at Ithaca College How was your company ?nanced in the initial stages and what are on “Feature Filmmaking on a Shoestring Budget.” Howard currently your key sources of income now? trains young people in the art of television and ?lm production in the hopes of building a cadre of future ?lm industry professionals in HAMA Productions was self-?nanced in the initial stages. We continue Antigua and Barbuda. to re-invest in our productions with support from the private sector and the government. The trailer for Howard Allen’s recent ?lm The Skin can be viewed on the TrulyCaribbean channel on YouTube.
Volume 1 September - November 2010
www.creativeindustriesexchange.org
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