Director/Writer: Andrew Millington
"Guttaperc" is a rare film in that it succeeds in combining personal storytelling with political awareness without compromising either. Set in a small Caribbean island, it is the story of ten year-old Eric’s (played by Richard Weekes) holiday with his grandparents. The village that they live in is in turmoil since the government revealed its plans to build a tourist resort on the villagers’ land. Eric, an introverted child who likes to spend his time reading, is caught in the middle of this turmoil through his friendship with Sister Pam (played by acclaimed Jamaican actress Leone Forbes). Sister Pam, the village wise woman and a critic of the proposed development, tells Eric stories about the village’s real and mythical history.
Through these stories Eric acquires a sense of connectedness with the village and its people. It does not take him long to come to the uncomfortable realization that his grandfather (played by Clairmont Taitt) will be a major beneficiary of the project that threatens to displace the villagers. This is where the central theme of the film comes to the fore. The filmmaker uses Eric’s conflicted relationship with his grandfather and his blossoming relationship with Sister Pam to explore tensions between personal attachment and political consciousness. The filmaker’s resolution of these tensions is not the usual "we can all get along" of less politically and personally honest films. Rather, through the image of the "guttaperc" (the local word for slingshot) we are reminded that we, like Eric, live between poles of contradiction that pull us in different directions and that our decision as to which way we will go also has repercussions.
About the filmaker: Andrew Millington, a native of Barbados, is a graduate of Howard University Graduate film school and has worked as an assistant director with internationally renowned film-makers Raoul Peck and Haile Gerima. He was also part of the team that produced the film "Sankofa" and was involved in the alternative distribution efforts of Mypheduh Films that brought the film to international viewership. Currently, Andrew Millington is an Assistant Professor of Film at Emerson College, Boston. "Guttaperc" (84min, 16mm) is his first feature-length film and follows his short film "Masks" (18min) which is about a homeless man’s search for identity in Washington, DC.
Contact: Shango Films 617-524-1115