MICHAEL Ice Anastacia Lewis will get another opportunity to capture the attention of Jamaican music lovers when RiseUp, the award-winning feature-length documentary in which he is prominently showcased premieres at Carib Cinema in Kingston on October 26.

Ice Anastacia is one of the main ‘stars’ of the film, which features him and two other aspiring young artistes vying for their shot at success on Jamaica’s competitive underground music scene.

He seems the most likely of the three major RiseUp characters to achieve his dream of fame, due to his unlimited access to competent producers and his privileged background. However, the bright stage lights have failed to shine on him, even after realising his dream of performing on the grand stage at the internationally appealing Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay.

More than just a focus on reggae as a truly potent genre of Jamaican music, RiseUp “seamlessly interweaves” the lives of the main characters and in 88 minutes also sharpens the contrast that is Jamaica. Undoubtedly, RiseUp was made even more realistic by the presence of Ice Anastacia, who is atypical in Jamaica’s dancehall, in spite of the successes of Sean Paul, with whom he shares distinct physical similarities.

Ice Anastacia has a musical style that is all his own, and thanks to RiseUp, a wider cross-section of Jamaicans will now know. Let us see how far his ‘star’ will rise.

RiseUp, directed by Argentina-born Luciano Blotta and produced by Mark Hart and Darrin Holender, opens in theatres islandwide on October 27.