‘Second Eulogy: Mind the Gap’ by Grenadian
filmmaker screened at Brooklyn Museum
Caribbean Life, February 7-13, 2020 47
By Tangerine Clarke
Grenadian-born artist Billy
Gerard Frank received loud
applause for his arresting short
film, “Second Eulogy: Mind The
Gap,” after a special screening at
Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays,
on Feb. 1.
The autobiographical film deconstruction
and re-positioning
of memories of his father’s life,
and their complicated relationship.
The movie, filmed entirely
on the island of Grenada, gave
a glimpse of life on the island
in colonial times, and the filmmaker’s
childhood experience
growing up as a gay man.
“These memories became
the instigator and compass of
this new body of work. Sifting
through my personal effects,
I came across answered and
unanswered letters exchanged
between my father and I across
continents, similar letters
exchanged between him and my
grandfather who had abandoned
his family to live with another
woman in Tobago, as well as
letters exchanged between my
father and his sister who migrated
to America,” said Frank.
“The letters formed a pattern
starting with my grandfather
that marked our family’s ancestry
of global seafarers and mirrored
my own early escape from
home, a great divide not just by
water but the emotional gulf that
is the spine of these personal
and collective narratives of loss,
grief, displacement, and longing
— the hitherto narratives of
diasporas and exile experience,”
according to the artist’s notes.
During a Q&A, the Brooklynbased
filmmaker spoke of living
aboard for many years, returning
to visit his sick father, and rediscovered
the beautiful Caribbean
island.
“Even though it had always
been in my thought process as
a writer and artist, influenced
by intellectuals, Derrick Walcott
and Stuart Hall, returning and
working with local artists was an
incredible experience.”
“I hadn’t returned for a long
time because of internalize
homophobia, and fear for my
life and my body,” said the filmmaker,
who embraced the love
he received from Granada, where
the next generation of queer people
lives freely, and with a sense
of openness.
The film, he said, has good and
bad experiences, and applauded
the powerful knowledge he, the
founder of Nova Frontier Film
Festival shares by showcasing
films in the diaspora, by talented
artists, from the Caribbean, that
has a complex rich history, and
untouched art.
Frank, who shared his journey
on a panel with Jamaicanborn
artist and activist, Renee
Cox, and Jamaican-heritage artist,
Christopher Udemezue, moderated
by Trinidadian writer and
curator, Ebony L Haynes, spoke
of rituals, religion and colonial
influences he grew up with in
the seventies, and portrayed in
the film, still present in the Caribbean.
A general audience in Grenada,
and more so, the young
Queer community and many
intellectuals who had studied
abroad and re-migrated had a
positive response to the film.
“It was amazing to see the
shift and change in the younger
Queer generation, who had a
special screening,” said Frank.
“The main thing I want audiences
to take away from this film
is that there are complexities and
nuances of the Caribbean, the
beauty, landscape, and a sense
of beauty within. The film is a
celebration of culture, people,
and the Queer. It’s all about who
we are as people from the Caribbean.
We have a rich legacy
of history, of slavery, colonialism,
and the Caribs and Arawaks
who lived there before,” shared
Frank.
Frank’s work is based on
research, personal, political and
social histories, that explore
themes of migration, race, gender
and queerness, related to
post colonial subjects, presented
in festivals and museums internationally.
Movie Producer, Lauren Beck,
thanked the audience for attending
the screening to celebrate
Frank, a multi disciplinary, multi
media artist, and film director.
“The experience of making
this film with Billy was incredible.
His spirit, and energy, during
this process was incredibly
invigorating.”
She thanked Susan Mains for
facilitating the film’s debut at
the Grenada Pavilion Biennale
di Venezia, at the 29th Venice
Vianale, and the Brooklyn Museum,
and who, Beck called, ‘a
tenacious champion of artists in
the Caribbean.’
Credits
The film was shot in five production
days, prior to casting,
and pre production, scouting
and casting was done in two
days upon arrival.
The team traveled through
most parishes between scouting
and shooting from Gouyave to
Grand Anse — where the Tower
Estate in the film was shot, to St.
Paul’s, St. David’s, and beyond.
The owner of The Tower
Estate, Isabelle Slinger, was
organically cast as the role of
the mother. She also supported
by lending the location. The La
Boucan Creative Centre, which
included the local theater company,
run by Francis Urias &
Ann Peters, supported through
casting, art direction and wardrobe.
Urias Peters starred as the
father. His wife, Ann, was the
production design and wardrobe
hand.
Jonty was a local non-actor,
who Billy auditioned.
Adam Donald, cinematographer,
shot the film and island
beautifully, with little support
and lights made on the island,
with a four-member crew.
Two of the hired crew, were
local Grenadians working and
learning with the red camera,
gear and areas of craft, new to
them. It was a great exchange
for all.
James William Blades, a genius
composer and sound artist
from London, is new to Brooklyn.
http://www.jameswilliamblades.
com/about/
Brian Gonzalez, editor, lives in
Brooklyn. He has a deep understanding
of image. He is an artist,
creator, and professor.
Actors, father (Urias Peters) and son in a boat, in a scene from “Second Eulogy - Mind the
Gap,” by Grenada-born artist, fi lmmaker, Billy Gerard Frank.
On stage at the Brooklyn Museum: Trinidadian writer and curator, Ebony L Haynes, moderator,
Grenada-born, artist and fi lmmaker Billy Gerard Frank, Jamaica-born artist, activist,
Renee Cox, and Jamaican-heritage, artist, Christopher Udemezue, at a special screening of
“Second Eulogy - Mind the Gap” by fi lmmaker, Billy Gerard Frank. Photo by Tangerine Clarke
Movie Producer, Lauren Beck addressing the crowd at
Brooklyn Museum, before a special screening of “Second
Eulogy - Mind the Gap” by Grenadian fi lmmaker, Billy Gerard
Frank. Photo by Tangerine Clarke
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