Show Me

Your Motion

Show Me Your Motion explores issues of gender, national identity, globalization, class and race in The Bahamas, a prosperous Caribbean nation renowned for its tourism. Producer and Director Ian Strachan addresses these issues through candid, often humorous interviews and live recordings of the ribald children’s songs and dances that are a part of “Ringplay.” Along the way Bahamians of many walks of life weigh in on the issues: artists, politicians, scholars, teachers, and children too. The film, narrated by Strachan, opens with the statement, “I know what the world thinks of The Bahamas; what they see. I know what we sell. The fantasy, the dream of a vacation in Paradise. No rain, no worries . . . But who do we believe we are?” By celebrating the laughter, joy and freedom that epitomize Ringplay, the film affords us a compelling glance at complex issues through an often-overlooked lens: the eyes of our children. Strachan takes his cameras throughout schoolyards in The Bahamas and even travels as far south as St. Lucia and Trinidad to reveal the inspiring passion for invention and celebration that so many Caribbean children possess. During the process it becomes clear that Bahamian society has changed greatly since the days of British colonialism and the onslaught of American popular culture. However, the film suggests that there is as much beauty and strength to be found in the country’s links with its neighbors as there is in all that remains unique and different about its culture.

Marble Head Films (Copyright 2006) 88 mins.

Director: Ian Gregory Strachan

Edited by: Ian Gregory Strachan, Matthew B. Kelly

DVD Copies of Show Me Your Motion: The Ringplay Games of The Bahamas are avaliable in these locations in Nassau Bahamas:

The Juke Box, Mall at Marathon, Nassau

Chapter One Bookstore, College of The Bahamas

You may also email a request at: strachantalk@gmail.com

FIVE

Written by Ian Gregory Strachan, Directed by Jackson Petit-Homme

Five centers around a young Bahamian male named OD (Odarion) involved in a shooting in Nassau’s inner city. OD, a young man who is seeking to save face after being dumped by his girlfriend, shoots Anton, the new object of her affections.  However, this fit of jealousy sets off an unexpected chain of events. Told from five different points of view, from five individuals who are all affected by OD’s act of violence, Five is an artful meditation on cycles of poverty, violence and revenge in The Bahamas.    Five touches on subjects such as media culture, violence, family life, love, loss, revenge and atonement.  This film is written by Ian Gregory Strachan (Director of Show Me Your Motion (2006), a UNESCO Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase 2007 selection) and directed by Jackson Petit-Homme (Director of Jackson’s Autobiography, BIFF short film submission 2007).  It also features a score by Quincy Parker.

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 2010