The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk continues with the ninth of its biweekly feature looking at seminal moments that have helped shape Jamaica over the past 60 years.

FIFTY years after starring the cult classic The Harder They Come, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff is convinced Jamaica’s film industry is nowhere near where it should be globally. He points to a lack of buy-in from investors.

“In my opinion, the film industry is not being encouraged. People with money in Jamaica don’t see it as a money-making thing. There were some movies that were made locally that didn’t make any money… investors have become cautious. The funding is a big thing,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The star of the 1972 film said he too experienced the effects of insufficient funding.

“When we were doing The Harder They Come we ran out of money. I was residing in England and I had to go back to England. When they got money, they said: ‘Come back now. We raise some more money.’ The break would sometimes be six weeks to two months,” he said.

Jimmy Cliff, 77, starred as Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin in The Harder They Come, which was directed and co-written by Perry Henzell and Trevor Rhone. Its plot follows Martin who came to Kingston from the country to make it big in the music industry.

Listed as Jamaica’s most influential film, The Harder They Come — through its soundtrack — helped introduce reggae to the world. It includes Cliff’s enduring songs You Can Get It (If You Really Want) and Wonderful World, Beautiful People.

He believes one way to overcome inadequate funding is to present appealing scripts.

“You need creativity. Creativity in terms of writing scripts, just like artistes need to write songs with a global view. There is a saying in the film business, ‘To make a film you need a script, script, and a script.’ Once you have a good script you’ll get the director, you get the money, all of that,” he said.

Jimmy Cliff has also appeared in the action film Marked for Death (1990), which stars Steven Seagal, and the comedy Club Paradise (1986), which stars Robin Williams.

A native of Somerton in St James, Jimmy Cliff, whose given name is James Chambers, began making music in the early 1960s. He has won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album and was awarded the Order of Merit in 2003 by the Jamaican Government.