A Jamaican suspense drama triumphs at TINFF

NEW YORK – Behind closed doorsa Jamaican suspense drama produced by Kingston-based Yaad Boiiz Productions Preferably Caribbean film from 2024 at the recently completed Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF). The festival took place from September 8 to 15 in Toronto, Canada and screened nearly 100 films from around the world, including feature films, short films, feature-length and short documentaries, and music videos.

Behind closed doors was one of the big successes of this year’s festival. An additional screening was added on Saturday, September 14th. This decision came after a strong audience reaction to the first screening earlier this week. At the height of the busy Saturday event, a happy audience gave the film loud applause for several minutes.

Film producer accepts award

The CEO of Yaad Boiiz Productions and producer of the film, Orville Matherson, was present the following evening to accept the film’s award at the festival’s closing gala. Matherson paid tribute to those who contributed to the success, including his fellow producers, the production team and the cast.

“I accept this award on behalf of my entire team from Jamaica, who were unable to be here tonight and did such a great job on this film,” he said. “We had an additional screening here last night and the response we received for this labor of love was incredible. As a producer, I can tell you now: I’m in heaven!”

Matherson gave a speech about his film Jamaican Mafia. He mentioned the hard work involved in making it. He and his team worked for six years to complete the film. They started production in 2018. He and his team spent six years bringing it to the screen and began production in 2018.

Shot entirely on location in Jamaica, Behind closed doors Marc Anthony Deacon directs from an original screenplay by Tachelle Ferron. It features Shevrado Oliver (From the Yard-The series), Rachel Seaton, Pepita Little, Darron Donaldson (Von Yard – The Series), Kay-Ann Dennis and Leroy “Tommy Lee Sparta” Russell in leading roles. The film tells the story of a young college student (Seaton) who finds herself in desperate personal and financial straits and reluctantly agrees to accept help from a wealthy young Jamaican entrepreneur (Oliver) – only to find that his help… has a dangerous price.

Joining Matherson as producers are Oraine Gordon, Cheleta Buddo-Gayle, Elvis Griffiths and screenwriter Ferron herself.

Storyline “Behind Closed Doors”.

Matherson was fascinated by the relatable story and wanted a new project after its success Jamaican mafia. He joined as a producer in 2018 when the film was already in pre-production. The production team’s first big decision was to recast the entire project. They wanted actors who could really fit into the complex roles.

After filming was completed in 2019, the team began post-production. They were preparing for reshoots when COVID hit. This resulted in production being shut down for more than two years. By the end of the pandemic, many of those involved had left the island. Some had moved on to other projects while others were unavailable for the film’s sequel. But Matherson kept going.

Recalling those days today, he says, “It took every ounce of perseverance for me and the team around me to stay on track, which is why I mentioned some of that during my acceptance speech in Toronto.” For over six years, we took it day after day I worked on it every day without knowing for sure whether this film would ever be finished and see the light of day. I’m still in disbelief that we made it to where we are today. To receive this recognition in Toronto and to hear from so many people who attended our screenings how much they enjoyed the film and how proud they were to know it was an all-Jamaican production means a lot to us.”

Additional Behind Closed Doors awards

Since hitting festival circuits earlier this year, “Behind Closed Doors” has won several awards. These include “Best International Feature Film”, “Best Director” and “Best Editing” at the Switzerland Film Fest and the Screenplay Competition. “Behind Closed Doors” began its festival journey earlier this year. It has received several awards. These include “Best International Feature Film”, “Best Director” and “Best Editing” at the Switzerland Film Fest and the Screenplay Competition. It also won Best Caribbean Drama from the International Black Diversity Film Festival. Additionally, it won the International Independent Film Festival’s Narrative Feature Silver Award.

Matherson is now actively seeking distribution for the film. He recently returned from South Africa where he was part of the JAMPRO (Jamaica Promotions Corporation) Jamaican delegation to Fame Week Africa in Cape Town, a prestigious week-long networking event that provides a platform for film, arts and media professionals from around the world to interact, collaborate and showcase their work.

His participation was made possible by JAMPRO through the Export Max Mentorship program, in which he is a participant. Therefore, he is currently negotiating with several major distributors and streaming platforms for the film and is also completing work on its soundtrack, which will be ready in time for the film’s official release.

Firsts for Behind closed doors are also planned for Jamaica and several other countries in the future.