The 'Carnival' gets 'thumbs up' from community at its premiere
30 August 2012
Mayor Lisa Higginbottom with Sarah Hernandez, George Mighty, Daniel Romero and Sean Ford
George Mighty at the 'Carnival' premiere reception
Angella Mighty with members of the West Indian community
A documentary film made by University of Derby graduates and financed by the University was premiered recently at Derby's QUAD cinema in the city centre.
The Carnival which celebrates more than 25 years of the Derby Caribbean Carnival was shown on Thursday 12 July. The audience included members of Derby's West Indian Community Association including its Chair, George Mighty, the Mayor of Derby, Councillor Lisa Higginbottom, and the Mayor's Consort, Sarah Hernandez.
University graduates and film-makers Daniel Romero and Sean Ford made the film in collaboration with members of the West Indian community and Peter Walker, Community Relations Officer at the University.
The hour-long film about the carnival and its history included archive footage of previous carnivals going back to the very first one in 1975. It was enjoyed and well received by the audience and included several moments of laughter and applause as people recognised themselves, family and friends on-screen.
Held annually in July, the two-day carnival includes music, costumes and dancing and attracts thousands of visitors every year. A procession winds through Derby's streets with the main festival held in Derby's Osmaston Park.
Throughout the film, members of the West Indian community expressed concerns in the struggle for funding to keep the carnival running and the problems encouraging younger generations in its organisation. These concerns take place as Jamaica and Trinidad celebrate 50 years of independence and as the so-called 'Windrush generation' ages: people who came to England from the West Indies in the late 1940s and 1950s.
The Carnival was premiered to coincide with this year's carnival procession, which took place on Saturday 21 July. A limited run of DVD copies of the film is due to be released soon with profits going to the West Indian community.
For more information about this University of Derby Community Relations news story contact Jason Nichols on 01332 592844 or email j.nichols@derby.ac.uk
