Barbados Today

More and more Barbadians are getting involved in the filmmaking industry and the latest to do so is Gibbons Creative Education.

The company in association with the National Cultural Foundation will be releasing Barbados’ first musical entitled You Never Know, a musical Barbadian parable. The film will be officially available online from November 15.

You Never Know was written and directed by Jade Gibbons and stars Dario Squires, Dereja Mason, Donna Gibbons-Browne, Jamal Dawe, Abigail Gall and Ki’Ann Browne. Music on the film was done by Shakiel Stoute of Spiritledd Studios with choreography by Tania Whitby-Best. The film was produced by Anika Collymore-Taylor and Jade Gibbons with editing done by Manendra Singh Lodhi.

Gibbons, a graduate of Harrison College, Winchester University, Hampshire, and the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, told Barbados TODAY that she was grateful to all those who had made the venture a reality, and indicated this was the first of what she hoped to be a significant thrust into film-making that depicted Barbadian people and their lives. “I am grateful to God that we pulled it off,” she said.

Gibbons noted that although it was a lot of hard work with many challenges along the way, bringing the project to fruition was mainly an enjoyable experience particularly due to the diligent crew with whom she worked.

“It was mainly fun times with the production team, especially making set decorations. I must really say special thanks to my friend and advisor Bharat Pillai, who is an assistant director in Mumbai. He was with me from the beginning, advising me on how to get things done to industry standards. When I couldn’t find solutions to difficulties, he solved them for me,” she said.

The film explores a number of important themes within its musical genre. A synopsis of the film highlights the character of Rebekah Bell (Dereja Mason) whose last memory

of her mother is of her lying on the kitchen floor bleeding to death. Rebekah has no respect for her father Walton Bell (Dario Squires), who wasn’t home to save her mother, nor for the God he serves, who as she sees it allowed her mother to die.

Walton values hard work but Rebekah values cash. So to make quick money she sells weed-based desserts. Rebekah thinks she knows everything but doesn’t know that her supplier is her mother’s killer. Life is unpredictable. You can never tell what the consequences of your actions will be. The thing you thought would break you may actually make you stronger. That decision you thought was clever may actually be the dumbest ever. You never know. (WG)