THE JAMERICAN Film and Music Festival has announced that it will be establishing a fund to benefit Jamaica's children. Along with the film screenings et. al, the fourth annual staging of the event will see the creation of a 'health/hospital' fund for children.
Part proceeds from a celebrity golf tournament, dubbed Links Inna Yard, will provide the base capital for the fund. Links Inna Yard will be chaired by Beverly Johnson. Johnson holds the reputation of being the first African-American supermodel. She was the first African-American woman to grace the cover of Vogue in 1974, a mere four years after beginning her modelling career.
Since then, she has engaged in various careers, adding writing and acting to her resumé. Also known for her voluntary work, Johnson has become one of the most celebrated African-American women. Her modelling career saw her gracing over 500 magazine covers, several editorial pages and appearing in numerous advertising campaigns. She has created a beauty empire with lines of eyewear, hair-care products and wigs.
The organisers hope to raise money from the 19-hole tournament by selling the holes (single or multiple) to sponsors, as well as from the different persons who sign up to play.
An avid golfer, Anthony Anderson of MGM's Barbershop is one of the celebrities who will participate in the tournament. Anderson, who plays a dim-witted crook in the run-away hit, features along side stars Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer. So far, the film has grossed well over US$50 million. Anderson has also had feature roles in Romeo Must Die and Kingdom Come.
Last year, in collaboration with UNICEF Ambassador Roger Moore (equally known for his stint as James Bond as well as his philanthropy), the festival reportedly raised US$35,000. Moore, much to the irritation of some persons in the local film industry, was last year's recipient of the Marcus Garvey Award for using his fame to make the lives of others better.
One of recipient of this year's award is yet to be announced, while calypso's greatest phenomenon, The Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) will receive a 'Lifetime Achievement Award'. The gala awards ceremony will also be giving awards for artistic achievements in documentaries, features, shorts, and music videos.
Workshops to be held include a three-day programme writer's workshop conducted by Carol Munday Lawrence, whose work has been noted by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Another three-day work shop will be held for actors. This one will be conducted by acting coach Howard Fine, who has worked with Heather Locklear (Spin City) and Brad Pitt. There will also be a panel titled 'Pitch Me', exploring the successful pitches for ideas in the fickle world of film.
The 'Coffee With...' series also continues, this time featuring producer Lee Daniels. Daniels was the executive producer of Monster's Ball, the movie which earned Halle Berry her Best Actress Oscar. This series is designed to give patrons an insider's view of the genesis of today's most successful film projects. R&B singer Keith Sweat will also participate in a 'Coffee With...'.
The event will feature several screenings, having a 'midnight movie madness', each night. The screenings will include new original movies from Showtime Networks (one of the event's sponsors), as well as episodes of some series.
Children will also be targeted by the festival as there will be a children's sidebar on Saturday November 23. This sidebar will be headlined by Kyla Pratt, who is the voice of Penny Proud in Disney's The Proud Family and who also featured in Dr. Dolittle and Love and Basketball.
Other celebrities (and almost celebrities) who will be making their way to the event are: The Today Show's Al Roker, and Reggie Ballard of the Bernie Mac Show, Eriq LaSalle of ER and Peter Bergman (Jack) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) of The Young and the Restless.
The fourth annual staging of the film festival will once again be produced by Island Girls Production, headed by the festival's director and creator Sheryl Lee Ralph. The Jamerican Film and Music Festival takes place at the luxurious Ritz Carlton Hotel, Montego Bay, November 20-24.
