THE Saint Martin-filmed domestic violence drama ‘Choke Hold’, co-starring Jamaican actress Sherando Ferril, premiered Sunday afternoon at Carib 5 cinema to rapturous applause from an audience of government officials, creatives and film industry insiders.

Finding inspiration in his knowledge of an actual case of intimate partner violence, the movie’s writer, producer and director Joel Ayuk penned the script during the COVID pandemic and shot the film a year ago across the dual-nation island, with a diverse cast and crew of Caribbean, African and North American nationals.

“I am a filmmaker and storyteller, so whenever I see people in struggles and situations where they are being affected, I am touched by it as a human,” the multi-hyphenate Ayuk told Loop News, after courting rave reviews and multiple camera snaps with newly converted fans inside the Carib auditorium after the film’s final credits had rolled.

“In this instance of writing the script, it boiled within me to be able to tell that story, so that others could know that domestic violence victims are suffering, because a lot of times they suffer in silence and the abuse continues. If that situation is exposed, what happens is that the victims or perpetrators of the act can be watched by the general public,” he explained.

‘Choke Hold’ marks Ayuk’s feature-length film debut.

Born in Cameroon and a Saint Martin resident for more than 20 years, during which he founded the local channel Cani TV and is a director of the Saint Martin International Film Festival, he’s only too happy to expand his professional wings even further.

“I had done short films before; I could have made any other film, but I chose to do one at the standard of Hollywood, so I studied for 11 years to prepare myself for this feature,” he said, noting that it was shot in two intervals.

“We had budget issues when we started, so shoot time was a combined 25 days… we had to fly back the directors of photography and the sound guys to be able to get some beautiful drone shots of the island,” he said.

Ayuk’s celluloid creation tells the story of an emotionally disturbed policeman, Mike (portrayed by Nigerian actor Enyinne Nwigwe), and his psychologically damaged wife, Victoria (Ferril), whose marriage is fraught with tension and physical abuse.

The film deftly explores the complications of the couple’s union, and the resulting impact on their friends and family. The supporting cast include Oremeyi Kareem, Simeon Henderson, Brely Evans, Kenneth Okolie, and Victoria Duchene.

In channelling a victimised spouse, Ferril explained that she had to dig deep to become the character.

“I am actually the opposite of Victoria. I’m not the girl that gets hit and doesn’t hit back, and so this role is outside my natural purview. I had to do a lot of reading on [certain types of] victims of domestic violence and how their headspace works and put myself in a position where I am vulnerable onscreen that the character reads real, and it doesn’t look like a tough girl trying to play soft. But I was able, I believe, to step into the soul of who Victoria is. I even spoke to my therapist about how this may even affect me,” the actress told Loop Entertainment.

Relaying treasured memories of the weekslong period of filming, Ferril said: “It was an overall interesting experience shooting ‘Choke Hold’ on another Caribbean island.

“I had never been to Saint Martin before, so going there and discovering how many things we had in common and how we differed in many ways, the languages and even some of the foods that we ate. Shooting it from that perspective was very interesting.

“What was even more interesting was that we had an international cast. Bringing in Enyinne from Nigeria, bringing in Brely from Hollywood, Simeon from Chicago, and myself from Jamaica; it was a multicultural experience, and we understood the assignment and delivered,” she said.

As to audience feedback, theatre and performing arts reviewer Michael Reckord found favour, for the most part, with what had unfolded onscreen.

He told Loop Entertainment: “Everyone you felt was in character, and I thought it was very well-directed. They go into the feelings of the characters and the director shows you that with his close-ups.

“Really superb acting. The only shortcoming… he ends the film unhappily without showing us that there is a solution to this major problem, for me it is a lazy writer who gives us a problem and doesn’t solve it,” said Reckord.

For Dr Deborah Hickling Gordon, lecturer at the Institute of Caribbean Studies, The University of the West Indies, Mona , the making of ‘Choke Hold’ is a welcome opportunity to develop synergies between Africa and the Caribbean to grow the film industry.

“I thought it was an important indicator of what we can do if we are given both the opportunities and the resources to do it. I really believe that there needs to be an examination of the incentive structures that allow for us to do more of this kind of work within the region.

“With the African Caribbean Summit in August, these linkages are critical and important, and we need to follow them through and ensure that the creative industries are at the centre of them,” Hickling Gordon elaborated to Loop Entertainment.

Ayuk shared that what’s next is his second feature film with the working title ‘Free’, which he described as a musical-meets-thriller.

“I would love to shoot in Jamaica as one of two locations. I love the creativity and potential that I see in Jamaica, the history, the people, the food. I worked with a Jamaican lead actress, and that was intentional. So, I definitely want to work with the Jamaican film industry and creatives,” he said. (Loop News)