Laurika Jude, founder of the Paradise48 Film Festival, appeared before the Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports & Parks on Friday with what Sen. Franklin Johnson called a breath of fresh air.
She updated the senators on the third Paradise48 Film Festival, held in July, and what she and her team see for the future.
Paradise48 is a different type of festival from what the Department of Tourism tried to get off the ground 20 years ago – the USVI International Film Festival – and the Forum Film Festival that has been offered in intervening years.
The Paradise48 Film Festival does not showcase films made elsewhere; films have to be made in the Territory and they have to be made in 48 hours.
The filmmakers have from 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Sunday to make their film.
On Friday of the festival, the organizers list certain elements that must be used in the film and certain dialogue that must be included. One criterion last year was a famous cemetery. The filmmakers then spin a wheel to determine what genre the film would be—romance, horror, drama, or another.
For the first two years, the festival was limited to participants from the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. This year, it was open to all Caribbean filmmakers and a filmmaker from Jamaica won the best film award. According to Jude, in the last three years, Paradise48 has attracted over 100 active film workers.
Jude emphasized that the films must have a narrative that features the culture of the Caribbean.
Sen. Novelle Francis asked what the festival needed from the Senate.
She said the festival team, failing to reach its goal of raising funds and working voluntarily, just wanted to see Senate support.
Francis said the Senate could not offer financial support unless the festival established itself as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Johnson urged the festival to become organized as a nonprofit. He said it would “open many doors.” He added that as a senator, he would do what he could to support the festival.
Jude said that would be the first thing her team worked on and would start doing that immediately after the hearing.
Francis also urged her to keep in contact with the Department of Tourism and the Council on the Arts to see what help they could provide.
Sen. Marvin Blyden said the festival’s establishing itself as a nonprofit and working on becoming a year-round program “made sense.”
Jude told the senators that the festival was “dedicated to celebrating the art of filmmaking in a unique and thrilling format.”
Sen. Angel Bolques stated in a press release after the hearing, “I want to commend Laurika Jude for her vision in creating an entertainment and film hub for local Virgin Islanders. This initiative provides a fantastic opportunity to tell the Virgin Islands’ story through the lens of our own talent and creativity. Laurika has a bright future ahead, and her work is an inspiration to us all.”
Bolques, Francis, Johnson, Samuel Carrion, Ray Fonseca, Alma Francis Heyliger, and Milton Potter were among the senators at the committee meeting.
