CineGuyana, a film organisation that was founded by local artists, will be seeking to promote Guyana’s culture through film, according to its new President Phillip Williams, who says training local content makers will also be pursued.
The organisation has been making strides for the past five years, during which it has produced 11 short films, eight of which were shown internationally. The company selected its first board of directors last month.
According to Williams, one of the company’s main goals is to train members of the public who are involved in film and video production. Williams said the company will be looking to bring experts to conduct training programmes towards this end.
Williams said if local producers can hone their skills and knowledge, Guyana would become competitive with the best in world cinema.
“Writing for film is an entirely different ballgame and we would like to empower people to write good stories because if a story is good the audience might forgive the technical aspects of filmmaking,” he further said.
CineGuyana, he added, would like to put on a feature film in the future that will push Guyanese culture. Williams said he would like the world to see what makes Guyana unique and showcase the different races in Guyana and how they relate with each other. He said the cultural heritage will complement good storytelling.
Williams said the company is also discussing the idea of inviting filmmakers to shoot their films Guyana. He said he hopes such an initiative will allow locals to get the experience that is needed to make films. Williams said such an undertaking would require the necessary logistics to be worked out with the government. He added that the main challenge for the company is getting corporate Guyana to come on board and to realise the opportunities they can reap by supporting filmmaking in Guyana, such as product placements.
Williams said he is optimistic about filmmaking in Guyana and added that Guyanese are very resourceful and talented if given the opportunity.
The others persons selected to be on CineGuyana’s board are playwright Mosa Telford, Vice-President; Denise Harris, Secretary; Margaret Lawrence, Assistant Secretary; Charmaine Blackman-Alves, Treasurer; Burchmore Simon, Marketing and Distribution. Kojo McPherson, Dr Paloma Mohamed, and Shundel Phillips are also board members.
The company said that it will appoint two additional members to serve on the board; one will be serving as an accountant and the other as legal advisor/lawyer.
CineGuyana was officially incorporated on January 29th, 2015. The company started in 2010 as part of an initiative of the University of Guyana Centre for Communication Studies, Ohio University and the President’s Film Endowment Project under the leadership of Mohamed.
There are plans for an official launch ceremony at which the Board of Directors will outline its vision and plans for the local film industry. The occasion is expected to be attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic community and members of the local theatre and performing arts. Company officials said details on this will be provided later.
