DIRECTOR of the Centre for Communication Studies at the University of Guyana, Dr Paloma Mohamed, is calling for enactment of Copyright laws to stimulate the film-making industry in Guyana and protect locally produced works of art, including film; so that when something is produced, “the pot can be refilled from sales to support the creation of more products.”Dr Mohamed was instrumental in the establishment of CineGuyana Inc., in 2010, as an initiative of the University of Guyana’s Centre for Communication Studies, in collaboration with the Ohio University and The President’s Film Endowment Project.

She worked tirelessly along with others against great odds and in the face of tremendous personal sacrifices, to ensure the viability of this project, which grew exponentially in its reach and potential in 2011 as Dr Mohamed leveraged the resources of several private organisations to boost the then President Bharrat Jagdeo’s US$50,000 grant to carry out the project.

With a team of local artists, CineGuyana Inc has managed to set the tone and foundation for filming in Guyana, by crafting short films that depict Guyanese life outside the context of worrisome news. Within the relatively short span of five years, CineGuyana Inc has successfully produced eleven short films, which were plastered on the walls of international cinemas.

The film industry in Guyana has always been absorbed by piracy, and this is exacerbated by the deafening silence from influential investors on the issue of copyright laws.

In this regard, Dr Mohamed iterated: “Driven by technology, the world is consuming cultural content at six times the rate of production; so we can’t (afford to) produce for other people to steal. Protection is necessary.”
She pointed out that this is the reason for the “no-show” of CineGuyana films in Guyana.

Over the past five years the then President Jagdeo’s grant and private investors’ funding have thus far managed to sustain CineGuyana. However, operations have been temporarily halted pending the company securing further funding for its operations.

Dr Mohamed believes that should the company be able to secure annual government funding, and once this is augmented by private investors, the company would be able to produce one film per year.
She suggested that funding through loans and grants can also come from commercial banks, as Guyana is gradually being recognised as a growing cultural industry.

The project was originally designed to fund five short films by five local film-makers under the guidance of international scholars, but was later morphed into an eight-film project. Its first world premiere was held in 2011. Each film had a cast and crew of 30 persons, all of whom had undergone four months of rigorous training consisting of 12 hour sessions each day, inclusive of weekends.

Having tasted success, CineGuyana Inc. is now geared to put Guyana on the international map by repositioning Guyanese Cinema.

At CineGuyana Inc’s launch, staged at the newly opened Giftland Mall last Thursday, Guyanese were fortunate to witness first-hand the aptitudes of local artists, as snippets of the eleven films produced were shown. Topping the list were the films Hope, Beach, Backyard, Three Cards, and Luck Beats Handsome.

Eight of these films were showcased around Guyana, in parts of the Caribbean, the United States and the United Kingdom, and also entered film festivals around the world.

CineGuyana President, Phillip Williams, said the company’s primary goal at present is to establish training schools across Guyana to train members of the public who are highly intrigued in video production and the overall aspects of filming.

He said that filming in Guyana will serve as the ideal avenue for writers, actors and producers to network their innovative energies.

The industry will also amplify the advertising dome, as businesses and products can be featured in the films and be shown internationally.

Guyana has, for years, been faced with limited resources for video production.

By Shivanie Sugrim