‘Behind Closed Doors film drew strong audience reactions

Jamaican suspense drama, Behind Closed Doors’ produced by Kingston-based Yaad Boiiz Productions, has been named the Best Caribbean Film of 2024 at Toronto’s International Nollywood Film Festival.

The festival, held from September 8 to 15, featured nearly 100 films from around the world, including feature films, short films, documentaries, and music videos. Behind Closed Doors emerged as one of the standout films of the festival, drawing such strong audience reactions that an additional screening was scheduled on September 14.

At the end of the screening, the film received a prolonged ovation from the audience, reflecting its success at the event. Behind Closed Doors, directed by Marc Anthony Deacon and written by Tachelle Ferron, was filmed entirely in Jamaica.

CEO of Yaad Boiiz Productions and producer of the film, Orville Matherson, , accepted the award during the festival’s closing night gala.

Behind Closed Doors’ story line

The story follows a young college student, played by Rachel Seaton, who turns to a wealthy Jamaican entrepreneur, portrayed by Shevrado Oliver, for financial help, only to discover that his aid comes at a dangerous cost. The cast also includes Pepita Little, Darron Donaldson, Kay-Ann Dennis, and Leroy ‘Tommy Lee Sparta’ Russell.

Since debuting on the festival circuit earlier this year, Behind Closed Doors has won several awards, including Best International Feature Film at the Switzerland Film Fest and Best Caribbean Drama at the International Black Diversity Film Festival. Premieres for Behind Closed Doors are planned for Jamaica and other international locations in the near future.

Working to securing worldwide distribution

Matherson is now working on securing distribution for the film and recently participated in Fame Week Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, as part of the JAMPRO Export Max Mentorship Programme. Negotiations with major distributors and streaming platforms are ongoing, and work on the film’s soundtrack is nearing completion.

In reflecting on the challenges the team faced in completing the film, which began production in 2018, Matherson explains that the journey spanned six years, with delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes to the cast and crew.

According to him, It took every ounce of perseverance from myself and the team around me to stay the course. Day in and day out for over six years we kept at it, without knowing for sure if this film would ever get done and see the light of day. So to receive this acclaim in Toronto… means a great deal.”

In his acceptance speech, Matherson acknowledged the hard work of his team in Jamaica and expressed gratitude for their contributions saying, “I’m accepting this award on behalf of my entire team from Jamaica who couldn’t be here tonight and who did such an amazing job on this film. We had an additional screening here last night and the reaction that we received for this labour of love was incredible. As a producer I can tell you right now, I am in heaven!”