`Eating Papaw on the Seashore’ which was produced and written by Guyanese film maker Rae Wiltshire premiered on Saturday at a LGBTQ+ short film festival at the Theatre Guild.
A release from the Canadian High Commission said that the Embassy of Argentina, the High Commission of Canada and the Embassy of Chile partnered with Wiltshire to host the ‘New Beginnings’ LGBTQ+ Short Film Festival.
`Eating Papaw on the Seashore’ featured a cast and crew that included Sonia Yarde, Mark Luke-Edwards, Nickose Layne, newcomer Isaiah Lewis and Melissa Roberts.
The film festival was organized to support the arts in Guyana and promote LGBTQ+ rights and equality through the film. Several themes were explored at the festival and the cast and crew of ‘Eating Papaw on the Seashore’ took part in a panel discussion at the end of the film.
The release said that points raised included the lack of financial support for Guyanese film makers and the sacrifices that actors, actresses and crew members make to produce quality work.
The team also spoke about their decision in being a part of the production of a LGBTQ film given some of the stigma still experienced in Guyana.
Wiltshire contended that Guyanese film makers do have the talent to create good work but more community support is needed for the film industry to grow here. He expressed gratitude to the High Commission of Canada and the Embassies of Argentina and Chile for their support.
The festival included LGBTQ+ themed short films from Argentina, Canada and Chile.
The Argentine film shown at the event was ‘El Puto Inolvidable’ and Deputy Head of Mission, Dolores Kuunst, said that the film documented the journey of Carlos Jauregui, an Argentine LGBT activist who promoted the country’s first Pride March and whose advocacy changed Argentine history and its gay rights legislation.
Both the High Commissioner of Canada, Mark Berman and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Chile, Alejandro Peres, emphasized that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights and these persons deserve to be respected. These missions aired the films, ‘I like Girls’ and ‘Fantasia Dubois’ respectively.
