There’s a brand new feature film in
production from “Children of God” (2011) writer/director Kareem J. Moritmer, who is once more filming in
his native Bahamas.
Mortimer’s new film, "Cargo," is loosely based on his most
recent multi-award-winning short film "Passage," and explores the dangerous and pitiless world of human smuggling.
"Cargo" stars Warren Brown (BBC’s “Luther”) as a hapless Bahamian fisherman who gets
lured into smuggling illegal Haitian migrants through the Bahamas to the United
States in order to pay off a gambling debt and provide for his family. According to the film’s publicists, “It’s
a story about people who are struggling just to survive, and one that deals
with profound, overarching themes relatable to audiences the world over, and
especially in the Caribbean.”
Touted as an
action/drama, the film also stars Gessica Geneus (“Moloch Tropical”), Jimmy Jean-Louis
(“Heroes,” “Toussaint Louverture”), Persia White (“Girlfriends”), and Omar J.
Dorsey (“Selma,” “Django Unchained”).
The issue of human trafficking is
one that remains ever growing, hence its reemergence in cinema and media with the
upcoming film “Trafficked”
and TV pilot’s like Michael “Boogie” Pinckney’s “The
Trade,” among others. Even
serene islands like The Bahamas are ripe for such depravity. The Homeland
Security Affairs Journal website estimates as many as 50,000 individuals
attempting illegal entry into the US from the Caribbean by sea each year. The majority of these voyagers
originate from Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Bahamas, a geographic stepping
stone for contraband and illicit activity since the dawn of the new world, now
continues its long history as a gateway in this quest.
With “Cargo”
being written, developed, funded and produced in The Bahamas, it currently
stands as the largest Bahamian feature film project to date. Says “Cargo” producer
Alexander Younis, “This is a unique moment for cinema – a story from an island,
told with integrity by one of its indigenous storytellers, in the global
context of human smuggling, confronting its audience to reflect on human
rights, wealth and individual choices. We are all very excited to make this
happen.”
Stay tuned
to S&A for more information on this film in the coming months. To see more about Mortimer and his
work, visit his production website BestEverFilm.com. You can watch Mortimer’s short film
“Passage” on Caribbean film streaming service Studio Anansi.