The premiere of Right Choices, Bunny Alves’ locally produced film, last year was disappointing, but the producer plans to launch it again with the hope that it would receive better support.
Right Choices premiered last October in Georgetown, but Alves recently told The Scene that the response was not as good as he would have expected. He feels that it was because people were preoccupied with the then impending Christmas season and all the preparations and activities that occur around that time.
He said the film was also shown in Bartica for two nights and the support there was much greater, hence his optimism.
He said he will release the film again some time this year, even though he admitted that Mashramani, celebrated on February 23, is right around the corner and persons might already be caught up in preparations for that festivity.
Alves said he and co-producer Charmaine Blackman are always integrally involved in Mashramani activities and as such he is still considering the possibility of somehow tying in the relaunch of the movie with Mash activities.
Production of the film commenced last year July and all of it was done in Georgetown with some of the best known sights in the city being used. The budget for the film was set at between $2.5 million to $3 million.
While the film is on DVD, Alves said it is not on sale as yet, as he knows that as soon as that is done cheap pirated copies of it would appear leaving him out in the cold. He is still hoping to have the film screened around the country with persons being asked to pay an entrance fee for the viewings.
The cast includes Joann ‘DJ Madonna’ Goodluck, Delma Lynch, Beverley Evelyn, Lois Moseley, Henry Rodney, Linden ‘Jumbie’ Jones, Simone Dowding, Beverley Hinds and Anastasia Richards among others. It features songs from John ‘Slinghot’ Drepaul and the Yoruba Singers, just to name a few.
The story is that of an advertising executive who is caught in a dilemma over hiring someone who is HIV positive, against strong opposition from his staff. Alves tells us that the executive, played by newcomer Paul Blackman, manages to come up with a compromise and hires the woman but finds his decision means he is stigmatised and discriminated against. However, by the end of the film he is vindicated in his decision because the woman turns out to be the best staff member. “There is another twist to the plot, but I can’t reveal it all because people would not want to come and see it if they know everything about it,” Alves had told The Scene in a recent interview.
Meanwhile, on a higher note, Alves related that another film of his, which was shown throughout the Caribbean and North America as part of the Caribbean Media Corporation’s (CMC) World AIDS Day programme last year, received rave reviews. He said CMC has since reported to him that it did two encore showings of the film because of the response received.
World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 every year.
The film, The Will to Live, was produced in 2005 but was not a success because it was released in January 2005 when the country was struggling with the Great Flood. Ivelaw Campbell and Denise Lyttle are the stars, and they are supported by Devon Denny, Delma Lynch and Roxanne Whaul with guest appearances by local singer Charmaine Blackman and the Classsique Dance Company, among others.
This film was shot by Comvitech and Everything Music, and was written, produced and directed by Alves.
The producer said CMC has also shown some interest in Right Choices and they were currently having discussions about it.
