New FOCUS documentary starring Ms Dynamite for the BBC Abolition Season

BBC Specialist Factual recently commissioned Focus to make a one hour documentary in which Mercury Music Prize winner, singing star Ms Dynamite travels to Jamaica to unravel the legend of Nanny Maroon – the 18th century female rebel leader who masterminded a slave rebellion against the British Army.

The film to be shown as part of the BBC’s Abolition Season on Sunday March 25th at 8.00pm on BBC2 was shot all over Jamaica in January this year. Scenes were also shot in London where Ms Dynamite first heard about Nanny Maroon at a Saturday Club which she used to attend as a child.

Skillfully directed by Krishna Govender, produced by Lizzie White and shot by DOP Richard Ranken the film is a visual and musical delight, telling a largely-unknown historical story about Jamaica’s only National Heroine, Nanny of the Maroons.

The film is made in the style of a journey of exploration through Jamaica by Niomi Daley (aka Ms Dynamite). The stylized graphics produced by Emmy and Bafta-winning designers Burrell Durrant Hifle – BDH of Bristol give the film a highly original look. This combined with the brilliant colour grading and online editing by Malcolm Meredith captures the depth and atmosphere of Jamaica in a rich and powerful way. Moreover, the offline edit performed by the young and extremely gifted editor Gary Thomas has given the film a highly experiential feel which unconsciously provokes the viewer to see more in the film than the merely the sum of its wonderful parts.

Fascinated since childhood by stories of Nanny of the Maroons, Niomi Daley (aka Ms. Dynamite), who is of Jamaican descent, sets off to discover 250 years on, why this C18 resistance leader is still such an important cultural icon in Jamaica and remains its only female national heroine.

Nanny was leader of the Maroons, a daring group of slaves who  ran away  from enslavement in the British sugar plantations in Jamaica  and  set up secret  communities in the mountains. Setting off on  her journey of discovery Ms Dynamite uncovers tantalising clues and stories about Nanny the warrior woman who led escaped slaves in their struggle against  the British Army. It is claimed that her army of rebel slaves was never defeated by the British.
 
Did Nanny use special spirit powers to defeat the British? Some historians even claim that Nanny could catch  the British bullets in her buttocks – Niomi investigates these extraordinary claims. Ms D also discovers the way the Maroons used to camouflage  themselves, dressing up as trees in a remarkable early form of guerilla  tactics. To discover what Nanny may have looked like Niomi meets  Renee Cox- an artist  who has created her own provocative images of Nanny. Visiting an historic sugar plantation Niomi challenges a modern  white descendant of the slaver traders about his views on slavery.  

 Ms Dynamite is  greeted  by the top Jamaican DJ, MutaBaraka as a guest on his FM radio show and then is serenaded by a Kingston  taxi-driver on her way to explore archives  and documents which may   prove Nanny’s existence.  She  then joins thousands of  Maroons flocking to witness rituals at an annual celebration to commemorate  their peace treaty with the British. High in the Blue Mountains visiting  contemporary Maroon communities, Ms Dynamite meets a woman who claims to be  ’seventh granddaughter’ of Nanny. Taking the pulse of modern day Jamaica Ms D  begins to appreciate just how much Nanny Maroon and the legacy of slavery  continues to influence daily life in present day Jamaica. The  legendary  female warrior  remains an important cultural icon more than 200 years  after her original exploits against the British.

The Real Rainman Our film about the amazing Kim Peek - inspiration for the Film Rainman staring Dustin Hoffman, was transmitted for the first time on Monday 27th February at 9.00pm on Five. The worldwide version will be transmitted on Discovery Channel soon. Click here to read the story

Awards success for Focus

Brainman/The Boy with the Incredible Brain wins Royal Television Society Awards plus a BAFTA nomination

TV personality Adam Hart-Davis presented director Steve Gooder and producer Martin Weitz with the RTS award for the Best Network Feature of the year, also the craft award went to the editor of the film Rupert Troskie at the West of England (Bristol) awards ceremony held at the Marriot Royal Hotel on December 9th 2005. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA IN 2006.

A Worldwide audience for the film

The Boy with the Incredible Brain has now been sold to over 40 countries by its distributors Channel 4 International. When it was transmitted on Five TV it obtained their highest ever viewing figures for a factual documentary.

Daniel Tammet descibes his mind's eye

World PREMIERE of Focus Production Fantasia on Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Focus Productions "Fantasia on Vivaldi's Four Seasons" was premiered on Saturday November 26th 2005 at the St George's Concert Hall in Bristol. A packed concert hall clapped, cheered and stamped their feet in approval after seeing four films Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter to accompany Vivaldis' Four Seasons.

Supported by the BBC Motion Gallery, Aardman Features, BDH graphics, Granada TV plus the services of two ace editors Ben King and Matt Purgaus.

The production was inspired by Walt Disney's Fantasia and sonnets written reputedly by Vivaldi which inspired his celebrated music. The films were displayed on a giant cinema type screen above the musicians whilst they played live, this music-film fusion show will have another airing on Sunday December 18th 2005 at Stroud Subscription Rooms, for information on tickets go to Emerald Ensemble bookings on 0117 924 3159 www.emeraldensemble.com

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