Led by award-winning filmmaker Kareem Mortimer, more than 30 Bahamian creatives converged on the island of Eleuthera this summer to film This is Paradise, a six-episode dramedy featuring a plethora of Bahamian talent, including writers, directors, and actors.
This is Paradise tells the story of two women who first encounter each other at a funeral. Polar opposites, the women are shocked to learn that they share a father and now co-own the worn island hotel he left to them both. Conflicted by whether to keep or sell the hotel, the sisters embark on parallel journeys of self-discovery.
This series, "the first scripted TV project of this scale produced locally," according to Producer Henrietta Cartwright-Edgecombe, was developed from the ground up by Bahamian creatives.
Over eight weeks, a team of writers met in a virtual writer's room - joining from Nassau, Freeport, and the United States. Bahamian writers Kerel Pinder and Stephen Hanna, Creator Kareem Mortimer, and Producer Henrietta Cartwright-Edgecombe collaborated with international writer Timothy Papciak and Producer Julia Chatwin to develop the script.
Given the Covid-19 protocols, casting and table reads were done virtually over six weeks, leading up to production. Three Bahamian directors - Henrietta Cartwright-Edgecombe, Kareem Mortimer, and Lavado Stubbs each directed two episodes.
"The Bahamas is saturated with world-class talent that only needs opportunity to be unlocked," shared Mortimer. "It's imperative that when the environment presents itself, we invite as many Bahamians onto the train as possible to develop our creative industries further. It was a no-brainer for me to engage two exceptionally talented directors to lend their genius to this project, and I am grateful for their participation."
Atlanta-based Bahamian actress Dana Deveaux and Julia Chatwin. Comedians Timico "Sawyerboy" Sawyer, Z'haneo "Sarge" Newbold, and actors Patrice Johnson, Tara Woodside, Christine Wilson, and D. Sean Nottage also appear in the series.
Filming, which took place exclusively in Eleuthera, employed a crew of more than 20 persons and injected more than $150,000 into the Eleutheran economy.
"This was an ambitious project to take on, and hopefully, with more funding, community support, and interest, we will see the television industry grow and more productions of this scale in the future," shared Producer Cartwright-Edgecombe.
Looking forward, Mortimer anticipates This Is Paradise will premier in Spring 2022 and has his sights on a second season, "The goal for This Is Paradise is to be on an international platform with a second season."
