HAMAFilms

Find the latest news about the movies, TV shows and projects from the husband and wife duo behind HAMAFilms Antigua.

Alliouagana Festival of the Word to focus on film and Festival 50 this December

BRADES, Montserrat – Writers and screenwriters will explore the journey From Script to Screen at the fourth edition of the Alliouagana Festival of the Word (AFW) this December on Montserrat. The AFW in collaboration with HAMA Productions of Antigua & Barbuda will be hosting a film festival and workshops at the Montserrat Cultural Centre in Little Bay on December 8 and 9, 2012.

Alliouagana Festival of the Word The Alliouagana Festival of the Word is joining forces with the Montserrat Festival Committee in celebrating the 50th Cultural Festival here. AFW has moved its activities from the customary mid-November period to capture and entertain Montserratians returning early for the Christmas celebrations and to heighten awareness of the Alliouagana Festival of the Word in the Diaspora.

The Literary and Film Festival will use the theme From Script to Screen to explore screenwriting and its role in creating memorable films. You will not want to miss the free screening of Calypso at Dirty Jim’s immediately after the official opening on Saturday 8 December, 2012 at 7 pm. This is a documentary that explores the development of the Calypso and will have the audience laughing and singing.

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The Skin makes its US premiere at historic AFI Silver Theatre in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, DC – Tremendous applause followed the US premiere of The Skin at the AFI Silver Theatre in Washington DC on June 2nd, exactly one year after it opened as the fourth feature film from HAMAFilms Antigua.

Antiguans in the DC area came out to support the film following the rigorous promotion by the office of Antigua & Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US, Deborah Mae Lovell. “It was a tremendous success,” said Ambassador Lovell. “I’m very happy and proud of Howard and Mitzi [Allen].”

In her introductory remarks, Ambassador Lovell told the audience that when she thinks of HAMA she thinks, “Inspiring, daring and courageous.

“They are the first to produce a feature film in the Eastern Caribbean with The Sweetest Mango, when no one else thought it was possible. Where others see a blank page, they see the written word, where others see a blank screen they see images.”

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Dominica’s cultural officials come out to support Antiguan thriller

Alwin Bully playwright/actor and cultural icon, Mitzi Allen Film/TV Producer, Howard Allen Writer/Director, Anita Bully Dominica Film Commissioner.

ROSEAU, DOMINICA – An audience of movie lovers, cultural and government officials came out last Friday, May 11 to watch supernatural thriller The Skin at the Arawak Cultural Centre in Dominica.

The screening of The Skin, the fourth feature from HAMAFilms Antigua, was organised by the Discover Dominica Authority and the Dominica Film Commission.

Film Commissioner Anita Bully noted that “it was a lovely evening with a very appreciative crowd. What was fascinating for me is we don’t normally look at the Caribbean as a place where we tell those kinds of stories (thrillers) in movies. It was a change to see the folklore, something that we can all identify with, presented in that manner.”

After the screening there was a Question and Answer session with Writer/Director Howard Allen and his wife Mitzi Allen, who was the film’s Executive Producer. “The screening was a hit,” she said. “The story of the soucouyant, which is a part of the Dominican folklore and storytelling tradition, really resonated with the audience.”

In attendance were Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Justina Charles; O.A.S Representative Michael Bejos; Assistant Secretary to the Minister of Education Marcella Powell; Chief Cultural Officer, Raymond Lawrence; CEO of Discover Dominica Authority, Colin Piper; and a representative of the Cuban Council.

“Howard, who credits his Dominican friendships with first planting the idea for the story said “being in Dominica for the screening of The Skin was nostalgic for me as it brought back memories of my childhood when I was told stories about Dominica and was first introduced to the Soucouyant. I’m really happy that the Dominican audience enjoyed the film and to see the folklore is still very much alive.”

Members of the audience added to the Q&A discussion by telling their own soucouyant stories. The HAMA team also disclosed the process of making the film, how the project came about and their hope for distribution of the movie on DVD before the end of the year.

The Skin is a mix of humour, horror and action against the beautiful backdrop of Antigua & Barbuda. It stars Jamaican actors Carl Bradshaw as Vision and Peter Williams as Detective Morgan and introduces Antiguans Brent Simon and Aisha Ralph who lit up the screen as the young couple who experience strange occurrences after unearthing an ancient vase.

The Skin will now head to the DC Caribbean Film Festival and which will be held at the American Film Institute Silver Theatre in Washington, June 1st to 3rd, 2012.

You can catch behind the scene videos of their tour, photos from the production and read about the making of The Skin on the HAMAFilms Antigua Facebook page. Watch the movie trailer, see the behind the scenes video and read about the making of The Skin on http://theskinahamafilm.wordpress.com.

The Skin brings the supernatural home to Dominica tonight

ROSEAU, DOMINICA – Dominica is no stranger to talk of the supernatural and so this Friday’s showing of The Skin is coming close to home.

Howard and Mitzi Allen of HAMAFilms Antigua and the duo behind the supernatural thriller The Skin are the guests of the Dominica Film Commission and the Discover Dominica Authority as part of DOMFESTA.

Film Commissioner Anita Bully said she’s followed the career of the couple since their first film The Sweetest Mango, and was pleased they accepted the invitation to be a part of the annual festivities to celebrate Dominica.

Writer and Director of The Skin Howard Allen credited hanging around his Dominican friends in Antigua with the idea for the movie, which is packed with Caribbean folklore about soucayants and witch doctors.

This is HAMAFilms Antigua’s fourth feature film, which was released with much fanfare last June in Antigua, and which has now been screened in Trinidad, Montserrat, Barbados, and Toronto to rave reviews.

The film stars Jamaican actors Carl Bradshaw as Vision and Peter Williams as Detective Morgan. It introduces Antiguans Brent Simon and Aisha Ralph who lit up the screen as the young couple who experience strange occurrences after unearthing an ancient vase.

Allen told DBS Radio on Thursday morning that discovering a book on magic as a child fueled his passion for creating illusions. Filmmaking, he said is just another way of doing that. His wife Mitzi, added that it was necessary to become very creative to raise the funds for the project which they wanted to take to a new level. Bully concurs and said that with the limitations on funding for filmmaking in the Caribbean, movie producers will need to follow the pattern of HAMAFilms and look at product integration. The Allen’s say that 20 percent of the film was funded from products integrated into the film.

The Skin is a mix of humour, horror and action against the beautiful backdrop of Antigua & Barbuda.

Following the screening, Howard and Mitzi will be available to meet with film lovers and those with an interesting in creating their own Caribbean stories.

The Skin will be shown at the Arawak Cultural Centre, Friday May 11 at 8pm.

You can catch behind the scene videos of their tour, photos from the production and read about the making of The Skin on the HAMAFilms Antigua Facebook page. Watch the movie trailer, see the behind the scenes video and read about the making of The Skin on http://theskinahamafilm.wordpress.com.

Antiguan film now in TIFF Reference Library

TORONTO, Canada – The Antiguan & Barbudan feature film, “The Sweetest Mango” is now a part of the TIFF Bell Lightbox Film Reference Library in Toronto, Canada.  The Film Reference Library maintains the world’s largest resource of English-language Canadian film and film-related materials as well as a wide range of local, national and international film resources. It is a growing resource for fans and filmmakers and the destination for the study and appreciation of film and is devoted to the preservation of Canada’s cinematic history.

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