With the premiere of the ESIROM-produced short film, Sweet Yellow Heart, director Danielle Russell hopes those who view the project will take away a “slice of Jamaican culture”.
Proud, relieved and excited were the words Russell used to describe how she felt following the internal cast and crew screening of the Jamaican short film.
Speaking with Our Today, the director expressed the importance of sharing parts of Jamaican culture with the world.
“i just want people to see a slice of Jamaican culture as experienced from one specific view point, you know. Because Jamaican culture is
very vast, many different.. points of view… I think it’s important for many people to share their experiences so that the world can get a view of…. [ the parts] that make up Jamaican culture.
“I just want people to see what one experience will be like and maybe take some interest in the things that we spoke about,” Russell said.
Praising the team for the hard work they put into the film over the last two and a half years, the Sweet Yellow Heart director shared how relieved she felt that she had a product to show for their effort.
“I am excited that I was able to show a final product to the cast and crew who worked so hard on it over the last two and a half years. Because it’s been such a journey… it’s a relief to have something to show for the hard work that everyone put into it,” she explained.
Russell, who noted that she had faith in the film, felt a sense of validation upon hearing that it was accepted into the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival.
“I thought it was a strong story. I really identified with the story and so I had a lot of faith that it would do well. So, while it was exciting, it also was kinda like a, I would say, validation that my feeling of the film was correct,” she said.
The director then went on to share her plans for the future.
“I would like to work with ESIROM again, that would be great. But also I personally will be working on my own independent stories and my own independent films and so, in the coming years, I will be working on seeking funding and so on… to get those projects done. “
The Esirom film is centred on a family matriarch who seeks to find a way to reconnect with her grandson, after revealing a devastating family secret, the film was shot in Porus, Manchester, depicting a rural Jamaica against the backdrop of the life-giving of a breadfruit tree in the yard.
To keep abreast of this exciting film, persons can follow on instagram, @sweetyellowheartfilm as well as @esirom for further info and updates as the film progresses. www.sweetyellowheart.com is also available for insights.
Source: Our Today
