– cast ‘n crew wholly Guyanese
IF YOUR good friend showed up at your doorstep desperate for a place to stay, would you take her in? “Of course,” you say, but you just might change your mind after you see the web of deceit, intrigue and passion that unfolds in the soon-to-be-premiered movie, ‘Till I Find a Place to Stay’.

“It’s Guyanese; it’s as real as it gets,” says producer and director, Mahadeo Shivraj, of the movie which was filmed entirely in Guyana and features a seasoned cast of local actors.

Synopsis
The story begins with Dave (Mahadeo Shivraj) and Sonia (Alicia Persaud) living in Georgetown. One day, their tranquil existence is turned upside down when Sonia’s friend,  Donna (Sonia Yarde)  shows up at 3am and in need of  a place to stay, as she claims that her home was destroyed in a storm.

Dave is not happy with this arrangement, as he has past resentments towards Donna’s  meddling in the couple’s marital affairs. Donna, however, is welcomed by Sonia into the home until she is able to find a place of her own to stay.

The situation takes a dramatic turn when Sonia has to leave temporarily for the US, and Donna and Dave are left in the house alone. Every day Dave asks Donna when she is leaving and she says tomorrow. So one day, he says tomorrow never come, gets angry and puts out her bags. As the fight get heated, he ends up wrestling her down to the ground and the physical contact turns into a passionate lovemaking session.

Donna’s boyfriend, Eddie, is played by Linden ‘Jumbie’ Jones, Shondell Marshall plays Donna’s sister, Petal, and Rajan Tiwari and Andre Wiltshire play Dave’s friends. Cameo appearances are made by Neaz Subhan, Petal Burnette, Kassia DeSantos and Bibi Kadir.

The movie is produced by Mahadeo Shivraj and Stealth Productions, with promotion from the dramatic arts committee.

No stranger to the world of movies, Shivraj has been active in the theatre for the past 23 years in the capacities of actor, producer, director and set designer. ‘Till I Find A Place’, which is based on an adaptation of Ronald Hollingsworth’s popular 1991 stage play of the same name, is rated 16 years and over, Shivraj cautions.

Making his debut at the National Cultural Centre in Guyana, he has since acted in over 90 plays professionally both here and in the USA, directed another more than 30, and done the set design for them all.

The creator and director of the hit stage series, ‘Laff Till Yuh Belly Bust’ now in its seventh year of production, Shivraj has acted in such independent films as: ‘Playing Both Sides’; ‘Deep Trouble’; ‘Pressure’; ‘Snitch in New York’; ‘The Laverne Affair’; ‘Kicking It High’; ‘Sacrifice’; ‘Truth’; ‘Karma’ and ‘The Awakening’, and has done work as a background actor in many television shows like ‘The Sopranos’, ‘Hope and Faith’, ‘The Jury’, ‘Cosby’, and ‘Law and Order’.

He’s also featured in the movie, ‘Cop Shop’ with Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss, as an anesthesiologist in the TV Show, ‘3 lbs’, with Brook Shields in ‘Lipstick Jungle’, and with Ted Danson in ‘Damages’.

Currently lending his talents to quite a few humanitarian organizations in Guyana and the USA, Shivraj has been recognized by the City of New York for his work and has won awards from many different organisations.

The movie ‘Till I Find A Place’ marks his debut as a screenplay writer, film producer and film director. On top of it all, he plays the lead role in the film.

He studied at the Herbert Berghof Studios in New York City and New York University, and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

He is set to make a new film in October entitled ‘My Brother, My Wife and I’ for which he wrote the screenplay based on another Ronald Hollingsworth work in which he will be staring, as well as producing and directing.

He is also in preproduction mode for the first soap opera in Guyana, ‘Full Moon Dulahin’, in which he will also star, produce and direct. Shooting for ‘Full Moon Dulahin’ is scheduled to begin in February/March 2011.

Some nine songs were recorded for ‘Till I Find A Place’, and were done exclusively by Guyanese.  Singers include DJ Dutty Flex, Nadeer Bacchus, Rick Ramdehol, Eva Blazing, and Rory Jagdeo. Background music was done by Avirodh Sharma, and after the movie premiers, it will travel to NY, Canada, Florida and all other places.

‘Till I Find A Place’ is due to be released at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) this Wednesday and run until June 27, and will be at Lichas Hall in Linden on July 10; in New Amsterdam and Skeldon on July 3 and 4 respectively; and on the Essequibo Coast on July 11.

More information can be had at: http://www.stealthtv.com/index.php/links/tifap.