Film-maker Lennie Little-White is issuing a call for scripts in keeping with his latest thrust to drive the local industry with the production of low-budget films.

His call comes on the heels of the completion of filming his latest project, Family Affair, which wrapped up shooting in Kingston and at the Melia hotel in Braco, Trelawny.

“We really want to deliver three of these films every year and we have drawn on a collective of industry players, including actors, writers, directors and producers, to help us achieve this task. What we really want now are some great stories which can fit into the low-budget format. I have consulted with my brothers and sisters in the Nigerian film industry and, therefore, the stories must have a small number of characters, limited locations, which are two of the elements which can take a chunk out of your budget.”

Little-White also has some personal requirements for anyone considering submitting a script for consideration.

“We are going after the family market. All the films must be family-oriented, so no sex and no violence. We have enough gun movies, so let’s get creative and come up with other stories. I am also saying no to the ghetto stories. I am tired of the movies with zinc fences as the backdrop. I want strong, intriguing stories which show off the beauty of Jamaica and can inspire us here at home, as well as those in the Diaspora and the world,” he told the Sunday Observer.

Family Affair was shot in six days and is currently in post-production, while editing should be completed by the end of July. Little-White and his team are planning to use the month of August to complete other elements such as colouring and mixing. The film should be completed and ready for viewing between the end of August and early September.

He said the experience of shooting in such a short time span was an exercise in discipline for both the cast and crew.

“Glory to Glorianna was shot in five weeks, Children of Babylon was shot over a six-week period, so doing this over six days was nothing we were not accustomed to. It was all about discipline. But I keep drawing on the advice of my Nigerian counterparts who note that the only way is to do it quickly. So I had to crack the whip and push the actors and crew in order to get it done,” he explained.

Family Affair is being described as a clash of cultures, and chronicles what happens when a Jamaican man and his wife decide to renew their wedding vows at a family reunion, and invites his sister from Great Britain and a brother from the United States.

A varied cast combining established and emerging actors has been assembled to bring this project to life. Heading the cast are seasoned actors Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis, Tony ‘Paleface’ Hendricks, Dahlia Harris and Bertina McCaulay. They are joined by ‘newbies’ Brian Brown and Emprezz Golding. Stage and screen legend Leonie Forbes makes a cameo in Family Affair.

— Richard Johnson