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“Conchsaladesque” Wins 4th Annual COB Short Film Festival
By The College Of The Bahamas Office of Communication
Apr 30, 2014 - 11:58:19 PM

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Bahamas Film Commissioner Craig Woods, one of the judges in the short film festival, explains the importance of filmmaking by Bahamian filmmakers and marketing The Bahamas as the ideal location for films.

Nassau, Bahamas - For four years, students at The College of The Bahamas have been collaborating across academic disciplines to create short films and documentaries that reflect Bahamian drama and heritage.

The School of Communication and Creative Arts has named its latest team of student winners in the 4th Annual College of The Bahamas Short Film Festival held recently. The festival has become an important vehicle for new perspectives from emerging filmmakers on the Bahamian way of life.

“Conchsaladesque” was the winning short film, a thoughtful reflection of how the lives of average Bahamian citizens converged to expose hypocrisy, irony and conflict. The winning team comprised COB students Nathan Rolle, Amajahl Knowles, Kelile Campbell, Ashley Whitney and Hermes Laing. Three teams of student filmmakers had advanced to the final round of judging.

“As you know, conch salad is a very tasty dish made up of a lot of different ingredients and we felt like the Bahamian society is the same way. It’s a culture of different people of different personalities with different mannerisms,” explained Ashley Whitney, one of film’s creators.  “In this film we highlight various social ills that plague our society and we follow the lives of people who have their own struggles. In the end their struggle is the only thing that holds them together.”

Again, a panel of external judges – Bahamas Film Commissioner Mr. Craig Woods and filmmakers Maria Govan and Kareem Mortimer – evaluated the films.

Mr. Woods called Mr. Mortimer and Ms. Govan – both award winning artists – “two of the most accomplished film makers of our generation.”

“They are the ones who are going to be taking film making in The Bahamas to greater heights than we can ever imagine. For film students, journalism students, communication students, these are your role models….because they have made films that can stand up to the best films anywhere in Hollywood and anywhere in the world,” he said.

Over the years, The College has been building capacity in the arts, both visual and performing, as well as providing the platform for this creative genius to the celebrated.

A three-time judge for the short film festival, Mr. Mortimer was pleased about its evolution. He shared with the audience his personal story of embracing his passion for storytelling on the big screen.

“I am a Bahamian filmmaker. I was born in the 80s to a teen mother and I felt like I had a story to tell and the people around me had stories to tell, so when I was 17 years old I said I wanted to make films and everybody thought that was impossible,” he shared. “I did it because I had people that believed in me and, more importantly, I believed in myself.”

He advised his contemporaries to also believe in themselves and their ability to tell their stories through film.

“My advice to you, as you take on your careers, is to believe in yourself and to believe that anything is possible because anything is possible. Put one foot in front of the other and you will get it,” he added.

Maria Govan acknowledged that her career in film making was grounded in humble beginnings and she explained her determination to overcome her shortcomings.

“Like Kareem, I had a real urge and desire to make films. I loved films as a child…I didn’t study film. I didn’t go to college. I taught myself…and started making documentaries,” she said. “…Sometimes I think it is about taking that giant leap of faith and you will be surprised at what the universe supports when we dare to dream big enough.”

The second place film was “Ashley’s Diary”, while third place went to “Re-discovering the Island of Discovery”, a documentary.


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In the audience of students, faculty and staff were judges Kareem Mortimer, Maria Govan and Craig Woods.


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