From Passage to Cargo (The world of human trafficking in the Caribbean)

Human trafficking is a hot topic these days. A lot of it has to do with how much we have matured on social issues with the heightened awareness social media brings. On another level it is also the disgust that in a day an age where more people are seeking to get "Woke" we still have this modern day slavery.

A filmmaker from Bahamas by the name Kareem Mortimer decided he wanted to make a movie in a country that has no film industry. His topic was human trafficking. He visited Jamaica recently to release the film and give a very informative Q&A.

He had a big idea and no funding. They estimated the film would cost $3.5 Million. There was no way he was going to get that sort of money as a first time filmmaker. He did what most filmmakers did with the little money they could pull together. He made a really good short film called "Passage". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjhYFog-Ycw

This short film was enough for him to gain the attention he needed and win a few awards while he was at it. In his Q&A he said that they managed to arrange a co-production deal with a production company in Canada but the deal would not work out well for them so they came back home and sought equity deals with local investors. In the end the result was a well casted film with actors from Bahamas, Haiti, the United States of America and Jamaica.

The film was really well done. The cinematography of very high quality, the editing was excellent, the acting was good but most of all the story and character building had you on the edge of your seat. I won't spoil anything in the story. I will just say it's about a man named Kevin whose life is not going right. He inadvertently gets tangled up in a human trafficking scheme. Needles to say his life starts to turn around for the better until it gets way worse.

If you ever get a chance to see the film. Check it out. It is worth it. I will warn, there is nudity and there are some difficult scenes to watch. It is currently in theatres in Jamaica. I am not sure when it will come to your neck of the woods but maybe you can demand it. Here is the trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzBPQvlxTsw