Movies on the church steps

Movies on the church steps
Photo by Toni Dubois

caribBEING a non-profit organization is a vibrant cultural and artistic hub committed to building community through the lens of Caribbean cinema culture and art, presented Flatbush takeover free pop-up series for the second year in the row, on the busy steps of Flatbush Reformed Church at Flatbush and Church Avenue.

New York, Caribbean based curator/Executive Director Shelley Worrell presented screenings from emerging producers of two films. One featured independent Jamaican film “Dancehall Queen.” The story follows a young woman, named Marcia who is a struggling single parent with financial problems. She comes up with a creative way to fix her current circumstances by creating her alter ego, Mystery Lady. She takes her idea for a costume to a dressmaker who is able to put her idea into motion and competes against reigning Dancehall Queen Olivine.

The second film, a biography documentary called “Missing Melodie” by caribBEING associate aspiring filmmaker Monique Campbell, is a story about a young women (Monique Campbell) who moves to the U.S. and tries to adapt to not having a great relationship with her mother and how she dealt with it through the friendships that she formed with other girls with similar experiences.

As the films were being shown, people walking by were intrigued and curious on what was being screened. Some stood hesitantly to the side before taking a seat. Many others were pleasantly surprised and wanted to know how often and where they could see future screenings. Marcus Victor of Haitian decent just happened to be on his way home when “Dancehall Queen” was playing and decided to stay and watch the film, “this is such an excellent idea, this really has to be done more often,” he said.

Shelley Worrell has managed to bridge film, art & culture, all the key elements needed to make a successful film festival. Success often times will come with many failures along with high and low points but Shelley has managed to remain ahead of the game by remaining flexible and relying on her resources, having a plan B and sometimes plan C.

For future screenings and events check out www.caribbeing.com