THE third annual Reggae Film Festival ended recently with the presentation of honour awards in 14 categories by Jamaica Film Academy Pioneer, actor Carl Bradshaw. These included four special honour awards in the New Jamaican Cinema category to animator Coretta Singer, directors Allan ‘Endless’ Tennant, Kurt Fuller, Amaziyah The Great and Diana Ogilvie, and to actress Macka Diamond.

The Honour Award for International Documentary was presented to Director Shizuo ‘EC’ Ishii for his film Ruffn’ Tuff: Founders of the Immortal Riddim, a film honouring musical greats Gladdy Anderson, Lynn Taitt, Bob Andy, Leroy Sibbles and many other members of Jamaica’s musical history. Dimaggio: The Last Don directed by Peter Dean Rickards received the Jamaican Documentary Honour Award.

Honour awards were presented to each of two entries in the Make A Film In 24 Hours competition by film and TV director Rick Elgood, who commended them on their adventurous spirit as film makers to take up the challenge and produce interesting 5-minute films in such a short time. Team One, led by Dr Noel Howell with film-maker Jay Will received the award for At the Supermarket, while Team Two led by Amaziah The Great was honoured for the entry Ghetto Life.

Actress, Melissa Fearon, was honoured for her roles in two of the festival’s films — Not To Me by Director Ras Kassa, and At the Supermarket.

Honoured actor was Orville Matherson in A Dance For Grace, competing against performances by DJ Singy Singy in Concrete Jungle, Kingston 12 and Mark Gibbs in Wah Do Dem.

Honour Awards — Feature films

* The J-American feature film, A Dance for Grace, received the Jamaican Feature Film Honour Award, received by actor/co-producer Orville Matherson, executive producer Joan Edwards and Junior Powell, screenwriter/director.

* The American feature, Wah Do Dem, won the International Feature Film Honour Award, received by producer/directors Ben Chace and Sam Fleischer who flew to Jamaica from California to attend the festival.

* The Honour Award for Caribbean Culture was presented to Director Dr Noel Howell for his entry Redemption of Paradise filmed in Antigua, and an Honour Award for International Culture was presented to Musical Circus Productions of Hawaii for their entry 11 Miles To Paradise.

Marcia Forbes, CEO of PHASE 3 film and television production company and technical services provider, was inducted as a new pioneer member of the Jamaica Film Academy. In accepting the presentation from JFA Pioneer Carl Bradshaw, she pledged her commitment to achieving the JFA objectives to support and improve the Jamaican film industry.

International guests of the Reggae Film Festival 2010 included: directors Shizuo ‘EC’ Ishii, Japan, Joe Trivigno, Hawaii, Jungle George Tait, Canada; Don McConnell, USA; Dr Noel Howell, Antigua; Music videographer Sugar Cane, USA; Wayne G Saunders of the United Kingdom.

For the first time in its three-year history, entries to the Reggae Film Festival included 10 films by Jamaican film makers who were pleased to have the opportunity to show their work to a public audience. Some 25 films were screened over four nightly programmes of features, documentaries, music videos, animation and an afternoon Children’s programme.