CHILD-PLAY
Writer/Director/Producer: Michelle Mohabeer
Innovative Narrative, 16mm Film,
Canada/Tobago. 14 min, 1996
Set in an imaginary nameless space that closely resembles the Caribbean, Child-Play is an allegorical Dream Tale paralleling the "innocence" of childhood and the elder phases of existence.
Ateesha Mansara, a woman in her early seventies has lived a life colonized by her own fears about the threat of usurpation of her identity by the Dutchman Spirit of a child molester, whom she previously encountered when she was ten years old. The spirit of Georgie De Root revisits Ateesha fifty years later in a final attempt to lay "claim" to her soul. Or does he?
--M.M.
*AWARD:
Honourable Mention Certificate for Best Direction of CHILD-PLAY at 11th IMAGES International Film & Video Festival 1998, Toronto
CAST
Young Ateesha Mandisa......................... Sade Taylor
Elder Ateesha .....................................Julie Roberts
Georgie de Root...................................Jocem Juurlink
Ramona (Ateesha's Mother) .................... Sonia Dhillon
Miss Monica....................................... Anila Soje
Playmates...........................................Ashley Chung & Zachery Polius
KEY PRODUCTION CREDITS
Writer/Director/Producer/Production Designer: Michelle Mohabeer
Toronto & Studio Cinematographer: Kwoi Gin
Tobago Cinematographer: Alina Martiros
Editor: Miume Jan [Sound Editor: Michael Werth
Composer: Donald Quan
Bata drums: Rick Lazar, Ravi Naimpally, Marcus Chonsky
Yoruba Vocals: Eliane Abolicao
Art Director: Alina Martiros
Festival Screenings to Date (1998-99)
*Women In The Director's Chair, Chicago, 1999
*Selected for Competition at The 1st Hollywood Black Film Festival, at University of Southern California 1999.
*Official Selection 17th VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Canada, 1998
*San Juan Cinemafest, Puerto Rico, 1998
(In Caribbean Competition)
*The 5th Annual Victoria Independent Film Festival,
British Columbia, 1999
*2nd SHORTS International Film Fest., New York, 1998
(In Drama Competition)
*11th IMAGES International Film Festival, Toronto {Award: Honourable Mention, BEST DIRECTION, 1998}
*2nd Urban World Film Festival, New York, 199 8
*21st Asian American International Film Festival, New York, 1998
*6th International Caribbean Women's Writers. Scholar's Conference. Grenada, 1998 (Attended as a Panelist & Screened Work)
*7th Desh Pardesh Festival Toronto, 1998
BROADCAST & PURCHASES--CHILD-PLAY
Women's Television Network purchase for Broadcast on Shameless Shorts
January 2nd & 3rd 1999 (Canadian Broadcast Premiere)
DVTV-Cable 54 Philadelphia Purchase for: Unquote Television, June 1999 Broadcast date
Manhattan-Public Access Television. New, York
-Arizona State University Purchase, US
-University of Victoria Library Purchase, Canada
-Claremont University Library Purchase, California
Distributors:
USR: Third World Newsreel (New York
Phone: (212)947-9277 Ext# 308 /Fax: (212)594-6417
Canada: CFMDC Phone: (416) 588-0725 / Fax: (416) 588-7956
RECENT PUBLICATIONS 1997-1998
(Featuring Michelle Mohabeer and films)
Jackson, Claire & Peter Tapp, eds. (1997). The Bent Lens. Australian Catalogue Company.
Redding, Judith & Victoria Brownworth , eds(1998). Film Fatales:
Independent Women Directors. Seal Press.
Contact: Michelle Mohabeer @ Third Eye Productions 90 SPENCER AVENUE, #2. TORONTO, ONTARIO M6K 2J6 /CANADA PH: (416) 539-0076 / FAX: (416) 539-9181 Email: thirdeye@interlog.com
c. Third Eye Productions 1997.
Work