The first full-length documentary on Jamaican national hero Norman Washington Manley was made available to schools across the island. Produced over six years, the six-part film explores Manley’s life as a soldier, barrister, and visionary leader. Ainsley Henriques of the Norman Manley Foundation said the documentary, released on VHS and DVD, is intended to inspire students and serve as a valuable resource for teaching Jamaican history and civic pride.

Published Monday, July 4, 2005

Documentary film on work, life of Norman Manley launched
 

The first documentary film on the life and work of Norman Washington Manley was officially launched yesterday.
The film coincides with the 113th anniversary of his birth, which is being observed today.
The six-part documentary series, which was launched at the Palace Cineplex in New Kingston, examines Norman Manley as “the country boy, the soldier, the barrister, the leader of the party, the visionary, and (his) legacy.”
“This is the first full-length movie about a Jamaican patriot, a Jamaican national hero,” said Ainsley Henriques, chairman of the Norman Manley Foundation. The documentary took six long years to be produced and was done to highlight Norman Manley as a role model for present and future generations, said Mr. Henriques.
The documentary is produced by Video for Change and is directed and produced by Cynthia Wilmot and Hilary Nicholson.
Mrs. Wilmot said that while the idea of the film was exciting, she was a little worried that the production would be boring as Norman was often perceived as a reserved person.
“... Let’s face it. He was not as flamboyant as his cousin, Alex (Alexander Bustamante), or his son, Michael. When we began to do our research, he emerged as a well-rounded person, showing sides of his personality that we had not expected to find,” she chuckled.
She said the research showed that he was a “bad boy” in school and his teachers thought he would come to nothing.
The research also showed that he was a passionate person, writing numerous love letters to his wife, Edna. He also wrote music reviews for The Gleaner.
Mr. Henriques said that the documentary, which is on VHS and DVD, would be made available to schools to be used as a teaching aid.
The documentary was produced at a cost of $6 million and was assisted by the Culture, Health, Arts and Education (CHASE) Fund. Already, the documentary has been launched in North America.

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