Kingston Creative shone a spotlight on film-makers, animators, gamers, digital photographers, digital artists, and YouTubers at its monthly art walk event held last Sunday.

Hosting the event in collaboration with Red Stripe Flavours, Main Event, iCool and KSAMC, Kingston Creative provided a platform for the upcoming creatives to exhibit their work.

During the staging there was the Kingston Creative Film and Digital Festival, during which over 30 film-makers and digital content creators were given an opportunity to showcase their talents. After tallying the scores, Jahmeel Thwaites collected the ‘New Kid on the Block’ award for his short film, Marooned.

“Marooned is about a young man preparing for a taekwondo fight. While physically trained, he grapples with mental unreadiness. By writing a letter to his grandfather, he embarks on healing his mind, preparing himself internally for the impending battle. Every action depicted in the film represents the protagonist’s internal struggles, portraying themes of overcoming fear and grief,” he explained. 

Thwaites also expressed appreciation to the Kingston Creative team for allowing the film-makers to share their stories.

Commenting on his achievement, he said, “Winning this award means a lot to me; I am overwhelmed with emotions. I also have to thank my team, who put much effort into this film. It is great to see that our efforts were not in vain. I hope this project can propel us to create more films and eventually work internationally.”

Kibbieshe Kennedy claimed the runner-up spot in the “New Kid On The Block” competition for her short film Before You Break, while Delroy Millwood secured third place with his YouTube video showcasing the process of painting the iconic Spanish Bridge.

President of Jamaica Animation Nation Network Kevin Jackson noted his appreciation for the Kingston Creative film showcase, noting, “We have a wealth of talent in Jamaica that we must nurture and continue to harness.”

To add a digital experience to the monthly event, Kingston Creative recently launched the Kulcha Connect app, an e-commerce platform that allows visitors to view the augmented reality features on 15 murals.

As such, a high point of the festival was Kingston Creative’s first-ever augmented reality art tour. By utilising augmented reality, the tour provided visitors with an extraordinary experience by seamlessly integrating computer-generated images or videos into their real-world surroundings, enhancing existing works of art with added dimensions of shape, motion, and sound. 

“Creativity and technology are closely connected sectors and both are needed to drive innovation. The Augmented Reality Tour owes much to the collaboration of muralists and musicians such as Kabaka Pyramid and digital graphic artist Kianne Patrice Hutchinson. This partnership allows everyone to experience the Water Lane murals in a captivating new way through their mobile phones,” stated Kingston Creative Executive Director Andrea Dempster Chung.

The monthly art walk event also featured over 40 artisans offering a diverse range of handcrafted Jamaican products, from art and books to fashion and jewellery. The Kulcha Connect app provides customers anywhere in the world an easy way to buy goods online from Jamaican artisans or purchase their tour and event tickets. 

“Kingston Creative’s emphasis on film and digital is vital in today’s industry as it embraces the growing mediums of storytelling. Showcasing diverse films and content provides film-makers and content creators with valuable exposure and encouragement. The Red Stripe Flavours team will ensure that they get the platform to foster their growth, and we look forward to witnessing their success stories,” Red Stripe Flavours Brand Manager Jodi-Ann Campbell shared.