Filmmaker recognised in Japan

By Coretta Joe

Barbadian filmmaker Vonley Smith continues to rack up awards and accolades while telling authentic Barbadian stories.

His latest achievement is a Tokyo Film Award for his short film, Murphy’s Law, his submission for the 2019 48-hour Film Challenge put on by the Barbados Film & Video Association.

Although the award came three years after the film was made, Smith was grateful for the recognition and the opportunity to represent his homeland.

“I was contacted by the Tokyo Film Festival and they have this award system where they look for films worldwide and you are selected by a committee. There are three categories — gold, silver and bronze – and the film won bronze in comedy,” he told Barbados TODAY.

With Japanese borders being restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith had to settle for a virtual screening of the awards, but he is in the process of working out the details of a possible in-person ceremony.

The crew for Murphy’s Law consisted of Smith as director and editor, Jason Russell who is credited as an actor and cinematographer, and actor Prince ‘Dippy’ Alfay.

“It is very Bajan. We didn’t shy away from using our accents and poking fun at the competition that we were in. To see that three years later the film was online and these people found it, it’s amazing. It is really a filmmaker’s film — people who make films will get it and they will laugh,” he said.

Smith is currently trying to raise funds to create a Japanese dub version since the crew is big on Japanese culture.

“I’m very big on Japanese culture, my friend Jason is big on Japanese culture. That [award] signifies to us that the world is watching and the world is ready for Bajan stories. We have to find a way to do universal topics and maintain our own cultures and put ourselves out there,” he asserted.