Talk about opportunity knocking.
Montego Bay businessman, Mark Hart is hunting for investors to ensure the release of his documentry film, Rise Up.

"We have finished all the filming, everything is in the can," he told the Observer West.

Hart, who holds a double major degree in Film Production and History from the University of Miami, is looking tentatively at next summer as a possible release date for the film, which was shot on location all over Jamaica by his schoolmate, Luciano Blotta, an Argentinean.

The film features :

. Kimoy, a young Portland girl, whom Hart describes as "Whitney Houston and Tracy Chapman rolled into one";

. Ice, a young, brashy uptown deejay whom Hart likened to Sean Paul;

. Rootz Underground, a band of working class professionals with a common interest in music and;

. Turbulance, who has since become a major hit.
Hart said the character-driven film, for which he is seeking a narrator, took on a life of its own once it started three years ago.

"It's organic. It leads you and brings to life an interesting story," he explained.

Eventually, Hart hopes to enter the film - the promo of which received rave reviews at the Flashpoint Film Festival in Negril - in the Toronto and Sundance film festivals.

Hart said he was not primarily interested in the film's monetary returns, although it was a significant investment.
"In the film world, even a low budget film is a couple millions. It's a high risk investment but if you hit it right, the returns could be tremendous," he said.

In a brief analysis of the local film industry, Hart said a film school was needed.

"How else do you reach the people? You have to use the visuals. We have all the ingredients but nobody to make the cake."

Using his own film as an example, Hart also pointed to the need to attract investors.

"Not just films produced in the island but films telling Jamaican stories, we are just not attracting enough investors. Really what we need are some home-grown stories."
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