Garifuna in Peril explained

Garifuna in Peril
Native Name:
Director:Alí Allié
Rubén Reyes
Producer:Alí Allié
Rubén Reyes
Starring:
  • Rubén Reyes
  • Julián Castillo
  • Gloria Garnett
  • Etsil Arnold
  • Belice E.J. Mejía Jr.
  • Yessica Álvarez
  • Luisito Martínez
  • Arleny Escobar
  • Aubrey Wakeling
  • Bill Flores
  • Araceli Núñez
Cinematography:Alí Allié
Runtime:99 minutes
Country:United States
Honduras
Language:Garifuna
English
Spanish

Garifuna in Peril is a low-budget independent fiction docufiction feature film directed, written, and produced by Alí Allié and Rubén Reyes.[1] The film depicts historical and contemporary issues within the Garinagu (plural of Garifuna) Afro-Honduran indigenous community and features a cast of actors from Honduras and Belize.[2]

The film was shot in Garifuna, English and Spanish, and is notable for being one of the first, if only, contemporary feature films shot in the Garifuna language.[3] The Garifuna language and culture depicted in the film is also noteworthy as it was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, under threat of extinction[4] as at that time there was almost no surviving record of the language and it was not formally taught outside of the countries of Honduras and Belize.[5] The language and this film features music that is an oral tradition of storytelling of song and dance that is a unique blend of African and Amerindian cultures[6] that are often quite satirical in nature.[7]

Plot

The movie follows the journey of a Garifuna language teacher Ricardo, played by co-director Rubén Reyes, in Los Angeles as he struggles to be a good father, husband, and brother while taking responsibility to preserve his native language, traditional culture and community lands against the expansion of tourism. Ricardo's plans to build a Garifuna language school on the north coast of Honduras become complicated by the expansion plans of a tourist resort in the area. Personal betrayal pushes him to travel to Honduras and directly confront land issues in tandem with his educational mission.[8]

Meanwhile, Ricardo's son Elijah, played by E.J. Mejia Jr., rehearses a theater play dramatizing an episode from the life of Garifuna Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer / Satuyé and his last stand against the British on the island of St. Vincent, the same historical events dramatized in William A. Brown’s now-lost play The Drama of King Shotaway, a play that is credited as being the first Black play in the United States. Ricardo's daughter Helena, a teenager also must deal with her parents' disapproval of her relations with a man considerably older than her.

Cast

Production and development

Originally part of a trilogy called the Garifuna Film Trilogy,[11] the film was shot in Los Angeles, California, and Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras after being in development for over 10 years. The project began after Alí Allié and Rubén Reyes met at the 1999 Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles.[12]

Co-director, co-writer, co-producer, and cinematographer Alí Allié is an American filmmaker who is known for his work directing the 1999 independent film, Spirit of My Mother (El Espíritu de mi Mamá), a Spanish-language film distributed by Vanguard Cinema about a Garifuna woman from Honduras.[13] Co-director, co-writer, co-producer, and actor Rubén Reyes is a linguist and expert on the history and culture of the Garifuna people, who created the world's first tri-lingual dictionary of Garifuna, Garudia: Garifuna Trilingual Dictionary (Garifuna-English-Spanish). Bill Flores, a co-writer of the film, wrote the initial play of the same name upon which the film was based and is a member of the Garifuna Writers Group that is based in Los Angeles.[14] The traditional Garifuna dance was choreographed by Georgette Lambey.

The film had both a grassroots base of investors as well as 11 private investors, many from the Garifuna community in Los Angeles, with the Garifuna Coalition USA Inc in New York City providing assistance and guidance with publicity and marketing while the Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United (GAHFU) organization of Los Angeles helped outreach for casting of the film. All members of the cast and crew had jobs, so the film was scheduled around their jobs and was dependent upon funding streams.

As the filmmakers began to cast the film, they faced the realities of a language in decline. Co-director Alí Allié said that they were "shocked that there was almost no one under 18 years old who spoke the language, and that was something we were kind of in denial about. And that’s when the film took on more urgency, and that’s when we came up with the title, Garifuna in Peril." All of the cast members were of Garifuna descent from Honduras and Belize, with the film being their first time performing for the majority of the cast.

The film is unique in that it is one of the first narrative fictional films to tell the story of a little known ethnic group with Caribbean origins with the filmmakers attempting to use film to preserve and rescue what was a critically fast-fading culture.[15] [16] The film dramatizes and highlights the challenges indigenous people across the world face as they fight "to keep their lands against larger economic interests while struggling to preserve their culture amid globalization and migration."

Critical reception

Response to the film was positive. Film critic Mark Bell of Film Threat noted that Garifuna in Peril has a "unique and distinct vibe." When writing about the strength of the film's characterizations, performances and film-making he explains that, "there’s something matter-of-fact about the movie that makes it feel natural...the scenes play out as if they would in real life, if we were suddenly interrupting a moment."[17] Journalist Steve Furay of the Michigan Citizen called Garifuna in Peril provocative.

Co-director Alí Allié described audience responses during screenings: "It's [''Garifuna in Peril''] related to indigenous cultures. At different screenings we’ve had people stand up and make comments. We’ve had a Native American woman stand up and say ‘thank you for telling this story; this is my story.’ Mayan women in Honduras said ‘this is also our story.’ It's specific to Garifuna in one sense, but these are the issues — the cultural loss, the economic problems and the land grab — really relevant to all indigenous peoples." According to co-director (and lead of the film) Rubén Reyes the film speaks to a matter that is timely, the Garifuna people, "are now facing imminent danger. We could eventually lose our land, our culture, our identity and just become simple workers."

Awards

Release and distribution

After the film's premier at the London Latin American Film Festival on November 25, 2012,[22] the film was self-distributed, and was mostly shown at many international film festivals that had themes and focus on the African diaspora and Afro-Caribbean and Latin American culture, which highlighted the difficulty of distributing an independent film about Garifuna history. The film was further screened as part of a film tour of Central America focusing on villages and towns with Garifuna populations in Belize (as part of the Belize International Film Festival), Guatemala, and Honduras. It was also screened in universities in both the United States and Central America. An American on-demand theatrical distribution platform called TUGG was used to screen the film in select U.S. cities.

Notes and References

  1. News: Alamo. Hector Luis. Tu Cultura: The Story Behind 'Garifuna in Peril'. 14 October 2015. Gozamos. 25 April 2013.
  2. News: 8th Edition of the Belize International Film Festival. 14 October 2015. San Pedro Sun. 9 July 2013.
  3. News: Independent Honduran-American Film "Garifuna in Peril" Will Premiere in Honduras. 14 October 2015. Honduras Weekly. 17 October 2013.
  4. Web site: UNESCO - Culture - Intangible Heritage - Projects: Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Garifuna Language, Music and Dance. UNESCO. 14 October 2015. April 2006.
  5. Web site: Proclamation of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity: The Garifuna Language, Dance and Music. UNESCO. 14 October 2015. 18 May 2001.
  6. Web site: UNESCO - Culture - Intangible Heritage - Lists - Inscribed elements. UNESCO. 14 October 2015. 2001.
  7. Web site: UNESCO - Culture - Subject: Intangible heritage: Rhythm of the Blue Horizon, Garifuna Culture. 2002. UNESCO. 14 October 2015.
  8. News: Gari-News. Garifuna Film Trilogy Completes Principal Photography of Part 1. 14 October 2015. Garinet. 8 September 2010.
  9. News: Furay. Steve. Film about Garifuna culture highlights African diaspora in the Caribbean. 14 October 2015. The Michigan Citizen. 7 November 2013. https://archive.today/20140901091003/http://michigancitizen.com/film-about-garifuna-culture-highlights-african-diaspora-in-the-caribbean/. 1 September 2014.
  10. News: "Garifuna in Peril" movie World Premieres in London. 14 October 2015. The Afro News. 22 November 2012.
  11. Web site: La Prensa de Honduras, 13 Abril 2010. Garifuna Film Trilogy: Ürüwa Iseri Dawa. 14 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20100830133542/http://www.garifunafilmtrilogy.com/. 30 August 2010. 10 May 2010.
  12. News: Griffin. Wendy. The Making of the Movie Garifuna in Peril. 14 October 2015. Honduras Weekly. 29 April 2013.
  13. News: Baseline StudioSystems. Spirit of My Mother (Alternate title: El Espiritu de mi Mama). https://web.archive.org/web/20160308183939/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/438416/Spirit-of-My-Mother/overview. dead. 2016-03-08. 14 October 2015. Movies & TV Dept.. The New York Times. 2016.
  14. Web site: Producers. Garifuna Film Trilogy: Ürüwa Iseri Dawa. 14 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20100507134503/http://www.garifunafilmtrilogy.com/producers/. 7 May 2010. 23 August 2009.
  15. News: McCallister. Jared. An anticipated Manhattan screening of 'Garifuna in Peril' is in jeopardy of cancellation unless advance sales soar by early this week. 14 October 2015. Daily News (New York). 22 September 2013.
  16. News: Gould. Jens Erik Gould. Jens Erik. Learning Garifuna: The filmmakers - members of a unique culture - want to make sure their heritage and language survives. 14 October 2015. Poder Hispanic Magazine. June 2013.
  17. News: Bell. Mark. Garifuna in Peril. 14 October 2015. Film Threat. 14 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140217225015/http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/73144/. 17 February 2014.
  18. Web site: 2013 Arizona International Film Festival Best of Category. Arizona International Film Festival. 14 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20130605051459/http://www.filmfestivalarizona.com/index.php?pg=15. 5 June 2013.
  19. Web site: BIFF 2013 Awards Winners . . 10 October 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091203110129/http://www.bifilmfestival.com/biffpress.html . 3 December 2009 .
  20. Web site: Pryce. Vinette K.. Fantasia fantastic 'After Midnight'. 11 November 2013. Caribbean Life. 10 October 2015.
  21. Web site: Garifuna Movie Wins Audience Award in Italy and Tours Central America. 1 November 2013. ARC Magazine. 10 October 2015.
  22. News: Álvarez. Andrea. Película "Garífuna en Peligro" llega a Honduras. 14 October 2015. La Prensa. 18 October 2013.
  23. News: Película hondureña se presenta en Festival de Cine. 14 October 2015. El Heraldo. 28 November 2012.
  24. Web site: Obenson . Tambay A.. PAFF 2013 Review - Alí Allié's & Ruben Reyes' Thoughtful, Enlightening 'Garifuna In Peril'. Indiewire. 13 February 2013. 10 October 2015.
  25. Web site: Unguahabuni. Wasinubei. Wasinubei Unguahabuni: A Preview of "Garifuna in Peril". . 8 December 2012. 10 October 2015.
  26. Web site: The Best of ADIFF: Garifuna in Peril. African Diaspora International Film Festival. 10 October 2015.
  27. Web site: Marks. Scott. San Diego Black Film Festival Jan. 31 - Feb. 3 at Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15. San Diego Reader. 31 January 2013. 10 October 2015.
  28. Web site: Ofole-Prince. Samantha. The Pan African Film Festival: Six Reasons to Attend. CaribPress. 10 February 2013. 10 October 2015.
  29. Web site: Arizona International Film Festival: Garifuna in Peril. Arizona International Film Festival. 10 October 2015.
  30. Web site: Athens Film Festival 2013 . Athenacinema.com . 10 October 2015.
  31. Web site: Garifuna in Peril . 29th Chicago Latino Film Festival . 10 October 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130415100431/http://chicagolatinofilmfestival.org/film/garifuna-in-peril/ . April 15, 2013 .
  32. Web site: Programme / Program . Festival International du Film Panafricain - Cannes . 12 October 2015 . fr . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130422075332/http://www.festivaldufilmpanafricain.org/dossiers/dossiers.php?val=301_grille+-+programme++program+-+festival+international+film+panafricain+-+cannes+-+april+17+-+21+avril+2013+ . April 22, 2013 .
  33. Web site: 2013 Langston Hughes African American Film Festival features 50 films, 35 premieres. Central District News. 10 October 2015.
  34. Web site: 2013 African American Film Festival . Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute . 11 October 2015. GARIFU .
  35. Web site: Boston Garifuna In Peril 4/20/13. allevents.in. 10 October 2015.
  36. Web site: GARIFUNA IN PERIL (HONDORUS). Ticketleap. 10 October 2015.
  37. Web site: XXVIII. Black International Cinema Berlin/Germany & U.S.A. 2013. B.W.I.E (™). blackwomenineurope.com. 10 October 2015.
  38. Web site: Garifuna International Film Festival Opens May 25 In Venice. smmirror.com. 10 October 2015.
  39. Web site: Zanzibar International Film Festival. boxofficeindia.co.in. 10 October 2015.
  40. Web site: VIMOOZ - Independent Films, Documentary & Film Festivals. VIMOOZ. 10 October 2015. dead. https://archive.today/20140901091007/http://www.vimooz.com/news/honduran-film-garifuna-in-peril-at-8th-annual-caribbeantales-toronto-film-showcase-trailer. 1 September 2014.
  41. Web site: Thursday's pick: Capital City Black Film Fest. austin360.com. 10 October 2015.
  42. Web site: African American - Latino World. Bill Smith. ahorasecreto.blogspot.com. 10 October 2015.
  43. Web site: New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema. tribunedigital-thecourant. 10 October 2015.
  44. Web site: Festival del Cinema Latino Americano a Trieste - XXVIII edizione, dal 19 al 27 ottobre 2013, Trieste, Museo Revoltella. cinelatinotrieste.org. 10 October 2015.
  45. Web site: Englewood Film Fest: Issues reflect neighborhood, city. WGN-TV. 10 October 2015.
  46. Web site: 3rd Annual Englewood International Film Festival. englewoodportal.org. 10 October 2015.
  47. Web site: thebahamasweekly.com - Bahamas International Film Festival Unveils Official Program Lineup For 10th Anniversary Edition. thebahamasweekly.com. 10 October 2015.
  48. Web site: The Festival : Garifuna In Peril : Bahamas International Film Festival. bintlfilmfest.com. 10 October 2015.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Garifuna in Peril".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.