Jamaica secures success at LA and Brazil International Film Festival with JR Sterling LLC’s Debut Film “Sweet Rind”

BY NOEL CUNNINGHAM

Jamaica has dropped yet another pin on the world map, this time with its latest short film sensation, Sweet Rind. Shot in 2019 in Jamaica, Sweet Rind chronicles a woman’s emotions after being the victim of a genocide. Instead of lying helpless, however, the protagonist, “Elsie”, captures the antagonist, “Algie”, and delivers justice using unconventional methods.

We watch Sherando Ferril-Cupid skillfully portray “Elsie” as she takes us through the highs and lows of the character’s emotions triggered mainly by “Algie”, brought to life by Kadeem Wilson. The excellent portrayal of these characters has landed both actors the Best Actress and Best Actor awards in the recently concluded LA Sun Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. Special mention was also made of Andre Wynter of JA Films Ltd for Short Directing. On October 20th, Sweet Rind also collected two awards Best International Medium-Length Film and Best Actress of International Medium-Length Film out of six categories in the Brazil International Monthly Independent Film Festival, in Rio de Janeiro

This is the first taste of success for Sweet Rind on the film festival circuit. However, as the film has been accepted into thirteen other film festivals in eight countries across the globe to date, other announcements are to come. The film is nominated for Best Local Film and Best Original Screenplay in GATFFEST, Jamaica. The film also received finalist status after finishing first in round one of the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions, London and has made it to the semi-finals in the Dumbo Film Festival, Hollywood International Golden Age Festival and Venice Shorts Film Awards, all in the USA.

JR Sterling LLC, the creator and executive producer, is thrilled at the film’s current success and is eagerly anticipating the production of the riveting and thought-provoking feature length rendering, set to commence in 2021. “We want strong social dialogue, introspection and, ultimately, social improvement, to ensue after the consumption and dissection of this film,” says the creator. You can join the discussion and follow their development @sweetrindthefilm across the social media platforms.