'Ghett'a Life' opens on Friday

The title of Chris Browne's eagerly anticipated film Ghett'a Life is a call to action. The film speaks to the crippling nature of the garrison politics practised in ghettoes across the cityscape and suggests that Jamaica must move beyond this in order to "get a life" and truly tap into our potential.

That fact was not lost on the audience invited to a recent screening of the film at the Palace Cineplex, Sovereign Centre, Kingston. The screening, targeting many of the nation's decision makers, including business people, academics and social workers, was hosted by newspaper mogul Oliver Clarke, who also took on the role of moderator for the discussions which followed the screening.

"Certainly, when I saw the movie it made me think of the tragedy that exists in the inner-city communities," Mr Clarke said when opening the discussion. The film's social importance is that it provides an accurate reflection of the power of garrison politics to stymie potential, specifically in your youth. In Ghett'a Life, young Derrick (Kevoy Burton) has to struggle against his father (Carl Davis), who is entrenched in partisan politics, and his area don (Christopher McFarlane) in order to attempt to represent his country on the national boxing team and place country over (political) party.