Jamaican-born actor and filmmaker Delroy Lindo is urging the Jamaican Government and private sector to invest more heavily in the island’s creative talent, arguing that greater support and opportunity could help local artists make an impact on the global stage.
Lindo appealed while in Jamaica, completing production on Jabari’s People, his feature directorial debut, in which he also stars. The film offers the British-born American actor a personal opportunity to contribute to his parents’ country and present a different portrayal of Jamaica to international audiences.
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Lindo, 73, was born in London to Jamaican parents, with family roots in Ocho Rios, St Ann. He said the screenplay for Jabari’s People came to him in 2015 and that he saw the project as an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to Jamaican culture while helping to take a Jamaican story to audiences overseas.
The film follows a troubled New York teenager who, after the death of his mother, is sent to Jamaica to live with his grandfather. Lindo said he wanted the production to offer an image of Jamaica beyond portrayals that frequently focus on crime and other stereotypes.
“It’s not about gangsters, it’s not about ganja,” Lindo said, describing the project as a different presentation of Jamaica that explores Jamaican identity, spirituality and culture.
Lindo said the production’s approach created difficulties in securing financing because some potential Hollywood investors were hesitant to support a Jamaican story that did not conform to familiar commercial formulas. The project has instead received backing from private investors, including Sue Rockefeller, Regina K. Scully, Melony Lewis and Adam Lewis, while also seeking support through the Government’s Jamaica Screen Development Initiative.
A major priority for Lindo was ensuring that Jamaicans were employed throughout the production. He said the project had deliberately recruited local talent and urged the Government and wealthy Jamaicans with the capacity to invest in the industry to provide greater support.
“Do not sleep on the talent that is here,” Lindo said, arguing that while some Jamaican talent remains raw, it can be developed through nurturing, resources and opportunity. He said the talent on the island has the potential to achieve global impact.
Jamaican-Canadian costume designer Antoinette Messam, whose credits include The Harder They Fall, Creed and The Book of Clarence, also called for stronger investment in Jamaica’s film ecosystem. She said keeping more production spending within Jamaica would require local businesses to develop the capacity to supply productions with goods and services.
The production also involved Jamaican-Canadian producer Lena Cordina, whose television credits include Reasonable Doubt, The Hot Zone and Hemlock Grove. Cordina said productions such as Jabari’s People can generate economic activity beyond the film set by creating business for hotels, restaurants, transportation providers and other local suppliers.
For Lindo, the project is therefore intended to do more than tell a Jamaican story. It is also an attempt to demonstrate the depth of talent available in Jamaica and the potential for the island’s creative industry to produce work capable of reaching audiences around the world. The film’s release date has not been finalized, although Lindo said he hopes it will be released in 2027.
