'Better Mus' Come' leads Bahamas film festival

In what has turned out to be a phenomenal year for writer-director Storm Saulter, his debut feature film Better Mus' Come has secured its place as the only feature film representing Jamaica this year at the prestigious Bahamas International Film Festival.

The festival has distinguished itself as the Caribbean's premiere international film festival. It boasts Hollywood patrons such as Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage. This year, it features a line-up in which the 1970s-based political thriller Better Mus' Come is one of only two feature films from the Caribbean in this year's roster.

Since its opening in Jamaica, Better Mus' Come has been making waves across the region and the international community. Its most recent conquest was the highly coveted Viewer's Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the recently concluded Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. Hailed by Jamaica's leading national newspaper, The Gleaner, to be "the new benchmark for Jamaican films", and by BillBoard Magazine as " ... a riveting account of Jamaica's deadly late 1970's political tribalism", Better Mus' Come now heads to the Bahamas to take part in the prestigious Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF). Better Mus' Come will be screened at the JFK Galleria Cinema on Friday, December 2 at 1:15 p.m., and again on Saturday December 3 at 12:30pm. All BIFF screenings held at the JFK Galleria will be open to the public at no cost.

Question and answer

The filmmaker, Storm Saulter, will be in attendance to introduce the film and engage in question and answer sessions with the audience. Saulter was recently awarded the Jamaica Gleaner Honour Award in Entertainment for his work in developing the Jamaican film industry. He was also nominated for The Gleaner's 'Man of the Year' award. Saulter was by far the youngest of the nominees, which included the commissioner of police, and other leaders in business, academia, and medical fields.

On his recent awards and the continued success of Better Mus' Come, Saulter says: "As far as I'm concerned, the Caribbean is the most exciting place in the world to be making films right now. There are so many untold stories, which is an ideal environment for storytellers. This new wave of Caribbean filmmakers is now in a position to define the cinematic landscape of the Caribbean".