Out Of Many , a short movie by fledgling filmmaker Rebecca Williams, premieres at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival on September 12. It is one of several Jamaican flicks on show at the virtual fest slated for September 9 to 15.

Williams, 22, said Out Of Many is a gritty story about Kingston through the eyes of a female teenager.

“I have this burning passion to tell stories about Jamaica. I think that’s what sets me apart. Obviously, being young, I think I really have a great perspective on what’s happening now. I’m really tapped into the culture and art… It’s good to be part of your target audience, ’cause you’re always going to know what they want to see. So it’s super important that you’re part of the community you want to tell stories about,” she told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“I see a lot of parallels, especially with the [novel coronavirus] pandemic and the upcoming general election. You know how chaotic the whole world seems to be right now. I think it’s really interesting to look at the perspective from a black teenage girl about what’s happening in her country — What she hasn’t seen? What she is part of? I think it’s her evaluating Jamaica and seeing a different side to Jamaica that she’s only seen through a television,” she continued.

Written and produced by Williams, Out of Many was funded privately. It stars Alexandra Gregory. She plays the role of Asha, a privileged teenager. She was previously cast in Dahlia Harris’s Case of the Ex!

Other cast members include Abraham Gardener, Soraya Dabdoub, Jermaine Nelson, and Nadean Rawlins. Storm Saulter and Darin Tennent are credited as producers.

The film follows Asha who goes through a transformative 12 hours of her life. The incident changes her entire world and self-view, and she tries to reconcile those feelings by partying and with alcohol.

“What I don’t see a lot in the Jamaican film landscape is teenagers going through existential crisis. I think people often overlook their opinions because they see them as going through this hormonal and melodramatic time. But I think this is an interesting time, as they’re being stimulated by so many things — social media, the election, politics. That can be super-overwhelming for someone,” she said.

“Everyone’s takeaway is gonna be different because everyone’s coming to the movie with their own background, so I don’t think that there’s one singular message. But I do want people, at the end, to find something reflective in the movie; to be able to relate to it in some way and to kind of see things that you’re not seeing in your life,” she continued.

Williams — a past student of Immaculate Conception High and Hillel Academy — studied at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, United States.

She said she has a lot more in store.

“Everytime you make a movie, it’s like constructing a miracle. Expect more movies about Jamaica, the Jamaican experiences and exploring the nuances in the Jamaican culture… The small pockets that internationally that people wouldn’t recognise. Highlighting the grey areas, the confusing areas, the messy areas and the complex areas,” she added.

Other Jamaican films on show at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival include Traytown (Nadean Rawlins), and Yellow Girl and Me (Isabella Issa).