By IPS Correspondents
KINGSTON, Dec 23 1997 (IPS)

Six months after it was released in Jamaica, the low-budget movie Dancehall Queen – buoyed by an extended run at select theatres in the United States – is gearing up for similar success on the video market.

The movie, about a struggling single mother who finds independence in Jamaica’s outrageous dancehall scene, has just hit video stores throughout the Caribbean, Europe and North America.

To date, Dancehall Queen, which carried a production tag of 14,285 dollars reportedly has made more than 571,428 dollars – a significant improvement on recent Jamaican films which have failed to attract international distribution.

Funded by Island Films, Dancehall Queen was recently released for the home video market, and its producers say all indications point to continued success. Dancehall Queen has been regarded as a Godsend for the ailing Jamaican film community which had seen little success since Perry Henzell’s 1971 classic, The Harder They Come.

Following an impressive opening run in Kingston during July, in which it broke longstanding box office records, Dancehall Queen hit the road in September, playing throughout the Caribbean and Caribbean-strong locations of the United States.

According to Kristy Barber of Island’s New York office, the response to Dancehall Queen has been so overwhelming in states like New York and Florida, that the film’s producers anticipate similar reaction once it is available on video in the United States.

“We are definitely looking at selling variable and going beyond the ethnic boundaries,” said Barber. Carl Bradshaw, the film’s producer, was also upbeat about Dancehall Queen scoring well in the video medium despite competition from video pirates. “We have no fear really, we’ll be coming straight from DVD so it will be better quality,” Bradshaw assured. “We don’t think the pirates’ version can stand up to ours.”

Where Bradshaw fears Island may have a problem, is with the language barrier. The Jamaican dialect has been a problem spot for musicians in the past. And Bradshaw has admitted it was a bit of a snag for Americans who viewed Dancehall Queen.

Not that the movie fared badly in North America, though its run in the United States was limited to theatres in the boroughs of Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, all areas with strong Caribbean presence.

Barber pointed out that Island placed the film in strategic areas so as to get the word out in ethnic circles. Once that was achieved, she said, Dancehall Queen found itself in highly-rated non-ethnic theatres.

Among those theatres was the multi-complex Sunrise Movieplex, reportedly one of the largest facilities in the tri-borough area. Says Barber, Dancehall Queen at the peak of its popularity, was being shown in the same complex as box office blockbusters like Kiss The Girls.

While it has not been a multi-million dollar smash, Dancehall Queen has transformed the careers of some of its stars. Some of them, including Audrey Reid, who played the lead role of Marcia, have become overnight celebrities.

Reid, 34, made her film debut in Dancehall Queen. Prior to being snapped up by director Dan Letts for the role, she had made a name for herself on the Jamaican stage, appearing in a host of “roots plays,” popular slapstick productions.

Since Dancehall Queen’s release, Reid has become a virtual celebrity, appearing in numerous television and radio commercials. “For me, the impact has been overwhelming; I have no more private life,” she said with a laugh.

The role of Marcia seemed almost tailor-made for Reid. Like her alter-ego, Reid grew up in the ghettoes of Kingston and was a teenage mother and single parent. “At times when I read the script it was like a reflection on my life,” said Reid, a mother of two. “The lines are a bit similar.”

The plot is built around a struggling woman form the ghetto who searches for a better life through the glamour of Kingston’s dancehall. Marcia, a single parent, is forced to take that route after the man who has acted as provider for her two children becomes attracted to her older daughter. What results is Marcia’s entry into the dancehall, heavily disguised and unknown to those who knew her as a poor street side vendor.

The film takes a look at the dancehall world, the outrageous costumes and suggestive dance routines, as well as the criminal elements that follow it.

Meanwhile, life has not been that hectic for singer Chevelle Franklyn who sang the movie’s theme song alongside ace deejay Beenie Man. Long considered one of reggae’s most unheralded vocalists the 23-year-old Franklyn’s popularity pales to that of Reid’s.

Dancehall Queen (the song) has been one of reggae’s few bright lights in 1997. And with Franklyn’s debut album for Island Records scheduled to be released in March, the company, and the singer, are hoping the film’s momentum will be a booster for sales.

“The song showed people that Chevelle was still around and it kept me in rotation in the dancehalls,” said Franklyn. “I’m thankful for that, but I’m looking for bigger things.” With its first project a sleeper hit of sorts, Island Films are already looking ahead to 1998 when more feature films will be in the works.

“We are going to weigh the possibilities, we are not rushing into anything now,” said Bradshaw. “But we’ve definitely got a few things lined up.”

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