Studio Drummie One and the History of Rock Steady Music is a feature-length documentary on the development of rocksteady, the predecessor of reggae, in Jamaica in the 1960s, with a specific focus on the role of the famous Studio One in Kingston. Join Joe Isaacs (aka Drummie One), and the other remaining original members of the Kingston, Jamaica Studio One (1965-1968) rhythm section ‘The Soul Vendors’ (aka Sound Dimension, aka Soul Brothers): Brian Atkinson (bass player), and Hux Brown (guitarist) as they tell the story of how Rock Steady began in 1966 at Studio One. Also starring Bunny Wailer, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, Stranger Cole, Lester Sterling, Otis Gayle, The Heptones, Jack Radics, Sly Dunbar, Ken Boothe, The Melodians, Willi Williams, and more. This film introduces the last living original creators of a genre of music that has spread around the globe over the last 50 years and spawned multiple record empires using the Soul Vendors beats without recognition.

Caribbean Creativity served as the story editor of Studio Drummie One. We also organized the Dutch premiere of the film at Reggae Vibrations on January 18, 2019.

Dir: Guy Ragosta | 2018-2019 | Jamaica / United States | Documentary | 77 min.

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A 12-year-old runaway makes his home in the hills of rural St. Catherine after escaping from an abusive orphanage. The film takes place on the day he sneaks back into town for a routine visit with his best friend. Things don’t quite go according to plan…

Since childhood, filmmaker Aisha Porter-Christie has been obsessed with the story of Peter and Wendy, and Lost Boy (2016) loosely adapts the premise of J.M. Barrie’s beloved classic to a modern, realistic Jamaican setting. It centers on Peter Clarke, an artful, precocious boy with a deep sense of adventure and a bit of a hero complex. When he discovers his best friend Marissa is in trouble, he tries to take matters into his own hands. But as things quickly spiral out of control, he is forced to face the reality that he is only a child, and that not everyone can be saved.

The film casts Jamaica as one massive playground. It highlights the joys of growing up surrounded by overwhelming tropical beauty and a rich, unique culture – as experienced by the film’s director. It is also an exploration of the darker side of paradise as reports of child abuse and child homicide in the island continue to rise. The Jamaican government has also failed to introduce vital missing-children legislation despite the fact that every month approximately 150 children go missing. For a nation with a population of only 2.8 million, this is a crisis. It is a subject the cast and crew are very passionate about, and the filmmaking team hopes this film will help raise awareness on this very crucial issue.

Caribbean Creativity is an official backer of Lost Boy through their Indigogo crowdfunding campaign.

Dir: Aisha Porter-Christie | 2016 | Jamaica | Adventure

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Kingston Paradise is an award-winning Jamaican urban drama starring popular Jamaican entertainer Christopher ‘Johnny’ Daley. The film transports the viewer to the edgy streets of Kingston, where Jamaica’s ghetto dwellers are trying to survive day by day amid poverty, corruption and crime. Finding himself stuck in the violent ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, a sympathetic street hustler (Christopher ‘Johnny’ Daley) devises a daring but no-so-clever plan to steal a fancy sports car, right under the owner’s nose, after which things rapidly go downhill until he gets to the bottom and begins to realize that he has to change in order to fulfill his dreams. Kingston Paradise has entirely been shot on location in downtown Kingston – the old city grid with its tiny lanes and alleys, historic buildings, tenement yards, colorful shops, overwhelming sound systems, chaotic business streets, and nostalgic harbor. The movie presents Kingston as a lived space characterized by the everyday dynamics, experiences, and relations of its residents.

Caribbean Creativity served as executive producer of Kingston Paradise.

Dir: Mary Wells | 2013 | Jamaica | Urban drama

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Miquel Galofré’s Hit Me With Music is a documentary about Jamaica’s dancehall scene and especially of one of its biggest names, Yellowman. The documentary is jam-packed with interviews from dancers and street kids to the scene’s biggest stars. Including Mavado, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, Bunny Lee, Black Scorpio, Jammys, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Bongo Herman, Mighty Crown and, of course, Yellowman himself. Their interviews bring insight into dancehall songs, their controversial lyrics, and how a musical phenomenon, such as dancehall, reflects the lives of the Jamaicans.

Thirty years after Bob Marley’s death, dancehall has become Jamaica’s prominent musical export. From the Caribbean soundsystems its sound has spread all over the world, even finding a foothold in far-off Helsinki and Joensuu. The documentary’s main character Yellowman’s reign in the scene started in the 1980s when he drove Jamaica wild with his explicitly sexual lyrics. His success was actually quite surprising as he was born an albino, who are normally discriminated heavily against in Jamaica. However, Yellowman was able to win the hearts of the soundsystem crowd despite his gruesome appearance and skin colour. He has garnered himself a reputation of a supreme performer with his highly physical concerts. His energy, and that of the dancehall scene in general, is beautifully captured by Miquel Galofré in the film that has been awarded multiple times at reggae film festivals.

Caribbean Creativity served as story editor of Hit Me With Music. We also organized the Dutch premiere of the film at the very first edition of Yard Vibes on July 15, 2011. Since 2021, so ten years later, we were able to add the film to our streaming platform YardVibes.

Dir: Miquel Galofré | 2011 | Jamaica/Spain | Documentary

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The feature-length documentary RasTa: A Soul’s Journey presents the story of one young woman, Donisha Prendergast, and her journey to explore Rastafari, the spiritual legacy of her grandparents, Rita and Bob Marley. Born in 1984, three years after her grandfathers untimely death, her knowledge of him and his Rastafarian beliefs have been handed down primarily through family lore, his music and media stories. Donisha’s filmic odyssey is intimate and personal historic, as she balances revelations about Rastafarianism with her own self-discovery. She treks through time and geographic space – USA, Israel, Ethiopia, South Africa, UK, India, Canada, Jamaica – to reason with elders and new-school Rastas about the evolution and global impact of Rastafari since its beginnings in the 30’s.

Caribbean Creativity served as executive producer of RasTa. We also organized the Dutch premiere of the film at the seventh edition of Rootical Vibrations on November 9, 2012.

Dir: Stuart Samuels | 2011 | Jamaica/Canada | Documentary

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Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens (2011) is a 63-minute documentary that focuses on a community of Rastafarians in western Jamaica who annually commemorate the 1963 Coral Gardens incident, a moment just after the island’s independence, when the Jamaican government rounded up, jailed and tortured hundreds of Rastafarians. The feature-length documentary recounts the poignant history of violence in Jamaica through the eyes of its most iconic community and shows how people use their recollections of past traumas to imagine new possibilities for a collective future. Bad Friday experienced its world premiere in the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica. Since then the documentary has been shown at various film festivals in the Caribbean and North America, including the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival and Hollywood Black Film Festival.

Caribbean Creativity worked on Bad Friday in the capacity of marketing and distribution consultant. We also organized the European premiere of the film at the fifth edition of Rootical Vibrations on February 10, 2012. Since 2021, Bad Friday is available for rent on our streaming platform YardVibes.

Dir: John L. Jackson and Deborah A. Thomas | 2011 | Jamaica/USA  | Documentary

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Holding on to Jah (2011) is a unique documentary about the history and culture of roots Reggae music and the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica, as told by world renowned Reggae musicians and historians. The film, a collaborative effort by Roger Hall and Harrison Stafford, chronicles the history of Jamaica, Reggae music, and the Rasta movement, bringing into focus the critical roles played by Marcus Garvey, and the 225th Emperor of Ethiopia, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie. Holding on to Jah takes viewers on a journey to the heart of the Rasta movement and shows us how, against great odds, a message of salvation and redemption was born. With courage, tenacity, and faith, the Rastafarian movement emerged, struggled, and continues to thrive. Through all their tribulations they continue to stand firm in their convictions.

Caribbean Creativity was one of the official backers of Holding on to Jah and worked on the film in the capacity of consultant. We created the film’s business plan to attract funds in the final post-production stage. We have hosted various screenings of the film in the Netherlands and since 2021 we are offering the film for rent on our streaming platform YardVibes.

Dir: Roger Hall and Harrison Stafford | 2011 | Jamaica/USA | Documentary

Official Holding on to Jah site  |  Facebook Holding on to Jah  | Watch Holding on to Jah