Festival Queen ‘Flips the Script’

Miss Kingston and St. Andrew Festival Queen 2023, Jhanielle Powell, recently launched her film project titled ‘Flip The Script’, a three-day film-making workshop targeting Corporate Area students, aged 14 to 18.

Ms. Powell, who has a degree in Communication, with an emphasis on television broadcasting, from the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), tells JIS News that her interest then and now extends beyond TV production and into film, culminating in the Flip The Script project.

“When the [COVID-19] pandemic came around, I had my first training session with some youth in my church because, at that time, everybody was streaming, everybody was getting into the whole behind-the-scenes aspect of production. So, I decided I would use what I had learned and pass it on; that was the infant stages of Flip The Script.

“But then I started to take my journey as a film-maker and as a screenwriter more seriously in subsequent years. So, after I was produced and wrote three short films from 2020 to 2023, I decided that I could translate my actual passion into a parish project to introduce young people to another option for expressing themselves creatively,” she says.

Launched on April 3 and supported by the Bob Marley Foundation, the film project teaches teens how to write screenplays and direct films as some of the foundational skills required to pursue a career in the film industry.

Ten students from Dunoon Technical High School, St. Andrew High School for Girls and Kingston High School participated in the three-day exercise.

“In high school you are encouraged to focus on what your next step will be career-wise. So, when the time came for me to go to university, I was a bit confused, and had I been introduced to film as an option, I think I would have pursued that rather than communication. So, I wanted to target them, to plant the seed [and point out] that this is an opportunity that we could pursue and make money,” Ms. Powell shares.

Highlighting the students’ receptiveness to the training, she points out that they wanted to know everything from how to operate the camera to how to write a script for film.

“They were eager to learn. They asked a lot of questions and I really loved how participatory they were. So, when it came time for them to come up with their own story, we had a very passionate session trying to figure out what the story would be, where it would go, the different elements, [and] who would take on each role; and it was exciting to see them get excited about something that I know they love and they’re coming along on,” the Festival Queen says.

The students were divided into two groups and given free rein to conceptualise their project under the supervision of the facilitators.

Ms. Powell points out that the only stipulations were that the film be between five and seven minutes long and explore positive themes, “because it’s always easy to lead into the darker side of things, so I urged them to lead into more positive things”.

“We did a word cloud. So, whatever came out of their brain, we just wrote it down. All ideas are good ideas, and then we would piece together different contributions from each member of the group and commit to that story. So, it was very important not to box them in but provide guidance where it was needed,” she adds.

The students ultimately came up with a heart-felt story titled ‘A Dream to Reach’.

“It’s a story about a dance teacher who was injured when she was younger, and it is through flashbacks that we see how she was able to navigate that injury to still pursue her dream of that, through teaching,” Ms. Powell tells JIS News.

By leaning into her local community and tapping into the wealth of experiences of the industry professionals in her network, she was able to successfully execute the project.

The film, which also has a cast comprising the students, will premiere later this month and be available for viewing online on platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo.

However, Ms. Powell has plans to take the project concept further by entering film festivals.

“We have the Black River Film Festival coming up, I want to enter it into that. I want to try to catch the GATFFEST Film Festival deadline, and there are other local film competitions that I want to enter it into as well. If it’s eligible for any regional or international [competitions], I want to jump on that opportunity too,” she further informs.

There is no certainty of success in a career in the arts, but that could be applied to any profession, the Festival Queen reasons.

With this in mind, Ms. Powell’s word of encouragement to other youngsters with a passion or interest in filmmaking is to take a chance on themselves.

“Where they see the opportunity to express themselves creatively, I would encourage them to do so because they just never know where it can take them. We have resources available to us here in Jamaica, whether it’s through the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) or other creative fraternities. If you put yourself out there by creating a body of work that you can advocate for and it connects to an audience, you’d be surprised to see how far it can take you,” she says.