My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: Destiny, the Jeremy Whittaker-directed Film - Grasshopper Productions Ltd Jamaican Movie may jumpstart Jamaica's Film Industry's Destiny

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Destiny, the Jeremy Whittaker-directed Film - Grasshopper Productions Ltd Jamaican Movie may jumpstart Jamaica's Film Industry's Destiny

“It is a solid Jamaican Movie and I hope the audience will enjoy it. It features a lot of home-grown talent, faces Jamaicans are accustomed to, and that I think makes it all the more exciting”

Jamaican-Canadian Jeremy Whittaker-directed film commenting on his film Destiny that made its debut on Wednesday October 18th 2014 at the Carib 5 Cinemas in Cross Roads, Kingston


Jamaica finally has an official Movie that’s speaks to our cultural reality aside from shooting people. 


Jeremy Whittaker-directed film Destiny is doing well at the box Office for Carib as reported in the article “Whittaker facing his Destiny”, published Saturday, October 25, 2014 by Cecelia Campbell-Livingston, The Jamaica Observer at the Carib 5 Cinemas in Cross Roads, Kingston.

Jamaican born but migrated to Canada in his teens, he attended the University of Toronto and majored in Communication, Culture and Information Technology (CCIT) and film production. According to the article “Whittaker's Destiny”, published Tuesday, September 24, 2013 By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston, The Jamaica Observer.

He also did a stint in Jamaica as a producer for Television Jamaica's hit morning time program, Smile Jamaica.


Already the Jamaican-born Canadian Film Director and his film production company, Grasshopper Productions Ltd, is getting incredibly positive reviews about the Movie on the Facebook page Destiny - Jamaican/Canadian Indie Film, even pre-launch, before the Movie was shown as noted in the article “A Date With Destiny”, published Thursday October 9, 2014, by Shereita Grizzle, Gleaner Writer, The Jamaica Gleaner and “Jeremy Whittaker’s date with Destiny”, published Saturday, October 11, 2014, The Jamaica Observer.

Tickets for this Movie are quite pricey, at JA$4,500, around the same price for a feature phone.

But it's for a good cause, as a part of it is really being siphoned off by the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston, for the Blood Bank's National Blood Transfusion Unit. Those cellphone priced tickets are being sold at the following locations:

1.      Answers Gifts and Home Centre in Tropical Plaza, Half-Way Tree
2.      Carib 5 Box Office, Cross Roads
3.      Base Kingston in Manor Park

The Jamaica Gleaner has praised the Movie for its high production quality and soap-opera-ish story line, which they gave away in the article “'Destiny': A Must-See Film”, Published Saturday October 18, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Especially because of the fact that this Movie, filmed partially in Jamaica and Canada showing panoramic vistas of the island, unlike a another popular Jamaican Movie, Shottas (2002) or even the more recent Better Mus Come (2010) or others as listed on the Jamaican Movies Website, has no shooting, no sexually explicit scenes and no stunts.


In my book, that's boring and thus a reason not to see the Movie!

Still, the fact that it's shot in Jamaica by a Jamaican film-maker with Jamaican Media Personalities caught my interest and I thus felt compelled to do a blog article. For those who are unfamiliar with what the Movie is about, scope out Grasshopper Productions Ltd YouTube Trailer for the Movie above.

Jeremy Whittaker-directed film Destiny - Soap Opera Plot with Jamaicans in familiar roles  

The Movie basically involves a Canadian Lisa Collen (played by Jamaica-born, Canada-based Karian Sang) who gets the news that her parents died. So after catching her boyfriend Michael in the sack with a white girl, she decided to come back to Jamaica to see her granny and claim the land.

At that point the Movie begins to turn into Royal Palm Estate, a very popular Series here in Jamaica. Turns out her father's been sleeping with Candy aka Grace 'Spice' Hamilton as stated in the article “Spice's 'Destiny' leads to Movie role”, published October 17, 2014, The Jamaica Star, who lays claim to the lands as a lawyer, played by Munair Zacca, looks on. At this point the Movie looks to be getting interesting.


Then she falls for this dude name Sean, who plays the part of a musician who surprisingly looks a lot like Christopher Martin, the same dude on tour in Africa that’s stricken by Ebola as chronicled in my blog article entitled “Alaine and Christopher Martin on Tour in Africa – Denyque is Reppin’ for Millennials on DRS 2014 as they'll return with Ebola Virus

Micheal comes back, apparently having heard that his girlfriend is loaded, re-ignites his interest in her, despite his cheatin’ ways.  From there, folks, everything in the movies starts resembling a Soap Opera.

Oh yes, the Movie has a lot of local Media Personalities playing what appears to be cameo roles of their already well-known public personas on Radio and Television to complement the more seasoned actors as noted in the article “Jamaican Artistes Face 'Destiny' - Christopher Martin Plays Major Role In New Jamaican Film”, published Sunday October 6, 2013, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Jamaican audiences were well pleased to see the familiar faces now officially on the big screen as Movie stars:

1.      Kerstin Whittaker
2.      Munair Zacca
3.      Grace 'Spice' Hamilton
4.      Latifa 'Tifa' Brown
5.      Ian 'Ity' Ellis
6.      Khadine 'Miss Kitty' Hylton

The soundtrack for the Movie is also Jamaican and is produced by Clive Hunt with tracks done by the following artiste:

1.   Christopher Martin
2.   Busy Signal
3.   Yvad
4.   Spice
5.   Sly and Robbie
6.   Chronixx

Jamaica's Film Industry's Destiny - Grasshopper Productions Ltd jumpstarts in the right direction

So is this the start of a Film Industry in Jamaica? Will Jeremy Whittaker and his production company Grasshopper Productions Ltd be filming more movies in Jamaica? 


He says that Destiny is a part of a ten (10) year plan for his film company Grasshopper Productions Ltd, which currently only has a Grasshopper Productions Ltd Facebook page, to release more Jamaican films, with the next one due in June 2015 as stated in the article “Whittaker's Destiny”, published Tuesday, September 24, 2013 By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston, The Jamaica Observer, having been launched last week on Wednesday October 15th 2014.


I certainly can't answer that, but from the reaction of people who’ve watched the Movie, the positive portrayal of the island desires that there be more such images of Jamaica. This would promote the breadth and beauty of the island as well as the Natural acting talent that exists in Jamaica. Not to mention a boost to our Music Industry as Dancehall and Reggae Music was featured in the Soundtrack.

Hollywood has already begun to take notice as far back as June 2014 thanks to a partnership between Chairman of RealVibez Group, David Mullings and LionsGate Films, a Hollywood Film Production company.

Together, they plan to renovate the Goodyear Tyre Factory in St. Thomas to build a film studio as explained in the article “Hollywood Ready To Roll: First Movie To Begin Filming In St Thomas In September”, Published Monday June 23, 2014, by Keisha Hill, Gleaner Writer, The Jamaica Gleaner.

One thing for sure is that we're making progress from Perry Henzel’s The Harder They Come (1972). As sure as the Sun will shine, it's a part of Jamaica's Destiny to get's our Movie Time in the Spotlight.



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