Jamaican Independence week may be coming to a close, but we're not done celebrating yet...
We've partnered up with immersive events company We Are Parable who in celebration of Jamaican Independence have put on a FREE community screening of Perry Henzell's explosive 1972 cult classic The Harder They Come -the first ever Jamaican feature film! You'll find us there tomorrow at Screen25 where we've curated a marketplace installation for the outdoor screening.
The film features reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff who plays antihero Ivan, an aspiring musician, and follows him on his long journey to Kingston in search of fame and fortune. Ivan's betrayal by the music industry leads him in the hands of corrupt record producers and big time drug dealers. His persistence in pursuing his dreams means he'll let nothing stand in the way... not even the law.
We're incredibly excited to be part of this cultural event, especially as we've previously taken inspiration from the film. Last year, in run up to the launch of our Uptown Yardie Jamaica Collection (which you can find here and some items at the screening tomorrow) we had the pleasure of doing a photoshoot with the extremely talented Benji Reid. The shoot was inspired by film, which if you're familiar with, you'll notice that Benji's stature is reflective of the many posters of Jimmy cliff as Ivan.
Benji Reid as Ivan
If the free screening (taking place at 8pm) isn't enough to bring you down, there's also a shoobs from 5pm, a reggae choir community workshop from 6:30pm and dozens of stalls run by independent Afro-Caribbean businesses selling everything from jerk (yum), to arts, crafts, clothes and various products that you'll be dying to get your hands on!
If you haven't already got your free tickets, there's limited availability on the door, so move quick, and we hope to see you there!
...Oh, and one last thing, don't forget to rep your flag - you may have a chance of winning the 'Best Dressed Competition' which invites you to wear colours of Jamaica as we celebrate the land we love's 56th independence... Although, you may be outdone by Mr & Mrs Uptown Yardie. 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲