From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Behind the scenes on Bahamian documentary, "On the Wings of Men" with the Rt Hon Perry Christie
By Calvin Harris
Aug 24, 2010 - 7:50:28 AM
SLIDE SHOW: The Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition in The Bahamas will be featured in the upcoming documentary.
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Bahamian film maker, Calvin Harris is nearing completion of his documentary film called
"On the Wings of Men" about the Life & Times
of the late Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling.
In this film he interviews many political figures from The Bahamas. Enclosed are photos and excerpts of his interview with
the Rt. Hon. Perry
Christie, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition in The Bahamas.
Harris' film is set to be released in late 2010.
Perry Gladstone Christie was born August
21, 1944. He parents were Gladstone L. Christie, a Cab Driver and Naomi
Christie, a Nurse. He went aboard to London to study Law in 1963 and
returned to the Bahamas in 1971, even though he was called to the Bar
in 1970.
Movie Quote:
“I remember in 1962 going to public meetings,
driven by my father…In those days, we had meetings on Windsor Park,
Southern Recreational Grounds and streets corner, and listening to the
real expectation being built up, that the PLP would win in 1962”.
Mr. Christie is married to Bernadette
Joan Christie and they have three children; Steffan, Adam, and daughter,
Alexandra “Alex C” Christie.
A former protégée of the late Rt. Hon.
Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, M.P., The Rt. Hon. Perry Christie became
Leader of the PLP Party and the Opposition, after being elected on April
5, 1997.
Movie Quote:
“Now one of the interesting things I found
in this whole process with my relationship with Lynden Pindling, was
that Pindling had the capacity to make everyone feel like he was there…you
know, just a part of them…He had this ability to understand that there
must be renewal in politics. That no matter how strong a political organization
was that organization must go through periods of change, and being seen
to go through periods of change”.
He went on to serve as the third ever
Prime Minister of the Bahamas
from 2002 to 2007.
FILM SYNOPSIS: "On the Wings of Men" is about the Life & Times
of the late Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling; first ever Prime Minister of
the Bahamas.
Sir Lynden was born in Nassau, Bahamas
in 1930. He was the only child to Viola & Arnold Pindling. His father
was a policeman who originated from Jamaica. His parents, wanting the
best education for their son, dedicated all of their resources to send
him to England for a college education. Sir Lynden didn’t disappoint
them, returning home in 1952 with his Law Degree from the University
of London,
He became a lawyer, and was later called
to the Bahamas Bar in June 1953. Wanting to see a change in the political
landscape in the Bahamas, Sir Lynden decided to join an up and coming
political group known as the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), headed
by then leader and founder; H.M Taylor. Not satisfied with the direction
of the party, Sir Lynden was eventually elected leader of the PLP in
1956.
His ultimate goal, along with the other
members of the PLP, was to fight for equal rights for every Bahamian,
especially the black majority. They constantly appealed to the British
Parliament to revise the Constitution so that all adults regardless
of race or wealth would have an equal opportunity to vote towards the
political future of the country. Towards this goal, Pindling and the
PLP fought an uphill battle against the white British Oligarchy of White
Merchants ruling the country at that time. A group known as the Bay
Street Boys.
Pindling, in 1956 married a light skinned
island girl from Andros named Marguerite McKenzie. They eventually had
four children; Obi, Leslie, Monique, & Michelle.
Pindling showed his political talent
by bringing the world’s attention to the black man’s plight. With
the support from such notable black leaders of the Civil Rights Movement
in the United States; Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., & the Rev. Jesse
Jackson, Pindling continued his antics until he wore down the White
Oligarchy and eventually lead the PLP to a landslide victory January
10th, 1967.
With the title of Premier (1967-1969),
Pindling eventually became Prime Minister (1969 -1992) of the Commonwealth
of the Bahamas. He successfully led the country to Independence from
England July 10th, 1973.
In 1983, Prime Minister, Lynden Pindling
became The Right Honorable Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, after being knighted
by Queen.
Pindling’s life wasn’t without controversy.
He faced two major hurdles in the 1980's. First, his decision, along
with then Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, to push the political
process forward which lead to the release of prisoner Nelson Mandela,
who eventually became President of South Africa. To show his appreciation,
Nelson Mandela first flight from prison was to the Bahamas, to personally
thank his good friend, a fellow student at the University of London
in the 1950's, Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling.
His second major obstacle was being accused
as a drug conspirator by the United States Government. After a year
long Royal Commission of Inquiry in 1984, Pindling was cleared of any
and all charges. Though his reputation challenged, Pindling still lead
the PLP to another election victory in 1987. This would be his last
term as reining Prime Minister. He would eventually serve 5 consecutive
terms (25 years), the longest only behind Cuba’s Fidel Castro.
In the 1992, Pindling & PLP was defeated
by a former protégée of Pindling; The Right Honorable Hubert Ingraham
and the Free National Movement (FNM).
Before retiring from politics in 1997,
Pindling faced his third Commission of Inquiry. This time regarding
the Hotel Corporation. Defended by The Right Honorable Perry Christie,
another protégée of Pindling’s, he was again cleared of all charges.
Diagnosed with prostate Cancer, Pindling
eventually died August, 26th 2000. He was laid to rest in
September 4th, 2000.
Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, who many Bahamians
referred to as “
Black Moses”, will forever be remembered
as man, though faced with many controversies, still carries the mantle
“
Father of the Nation”.
Film maker Calvin Harris seen here with Sir Sidney Poitier in 2010.
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ABOUT CALVIN HARRIS:
Calvin Dwight Harris was born on the
sunny Caribbean island of New Providence, which is among the seven hundred
islands and chains that make up the Bahamas. In 1988, at the age of
18, Calvin left home on a track and field scholarship to attend Murray
State University. After transferring to the University of Idaho in 1990,
Calvin graduated with an Engineering Degree in 1994 and soon afterward
moved to Denver, Colorado. His love for watching movies and a passion
to one day make a difference in the film industry is what inspired Calvin
to become a film maker.
With an inspired vision, Calvin founded
Harris Entertainment in the spring of 2004. The first film released
under the Harris Entertainment banner was; “The Great Recession”.
This film explores the history of America’s Economic woes from
the Great Depression to the current financial meltdown facing the United
States. Many of the country’s best economist are calling this current
storm; “The Great Recession”. This film, completed in the spring
of 2010, is currently out to several distributors in the United States.
Calvin’s second feature length film;
“On the Wings of Men”, is about the Life & Times of the first
ever Prime Minister of the Bahamas; Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling and his
fight against US foreign policies in the1980's. This film is currently
in post production with an anticipated release date of December, 2010.
Calvin has also co-written several screenplays
including “Cable Cal Center” and “Black Moses”. “Cable Call
Center” is about a group of employees who band together to blackmail
the Vice President of Cable World into a one year severance package
before their jobs are outsourced to a company in India.
“Black Moses” is the narrative script
that was developed about the Life of Sir Lynden. Calvin hopes to use
the projected success of the feature length documentary film about Sir
Lynden’s life; “On the Wings of Men”, as a vehicle to secure funding
to eventually bring this film “Black Moses” to the Big Screen.
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