It was an exciting evening for movie-goers and local film stars who gathered at MovieTowne Port of Spain on Saturday for the screening of ‘That’s Fresh’, a locally produced film that drew crowds to celebrate authentic talent.
Set in the San Juan/Barataria area, the movie explores themes of gang violence and a passion for roller skating as the main character navigates the tension between the two worlds.
Protagonist of the film, Renaldo Andrews, said the movie is a real-life depiction of a deeper issue that plagues many of our nation’s youths.
“I on two different paths, I want to skate, and I also want to lime with friends, who are gangsters doing all the wrong things, but I am looking for an easy way to make money because my landlord drilling me. He wants me to pay his rent, so I just decide, ‘Boy, I have to think.’ I can’t just rush into something and go and decide to rob.”
Described as more than just a movie, ‘That’s Fresh’ delivered a powerful message to T&T’s youth, highlighting the consequences of one’s choices while offering positive alternatives to challenges.
“I hope that everybody out here is really looking and seeing what is going on in the country right now, and they make a different choice, think about what I am saying because I was going down the wrong road once. At the age of 17, I knew how hard it is to rent, how hard it is to buy something for yourself, right? So I changed. So all this now is to bring the youths and them together and let them see they could make a change in life.”
Director and writer of the film, Roger Brewster, shared the inspiration for the film.
“I used to carry my little daughter to skate, and when I saw Renaldo, he told me, ‘Roger, why you don’t do a roller skating movie?’ So I watched him like this and said, ‘I’ll think about it.’ But when I was watching them little children and them, I said, ‘Not me. I’m not going and fuss with these little children.’ But every time I go and see, I said, ‘Roger, you could help these children and them, you know.’ So I called him and I told him, ‘Get the skaters together, spread the word, and if we see it looking good, then I’ll put them together and then I will get a sponsor,’ and that’s how everything come.”
The movie has been described as ‘the start of something great’, as it aims to make a difference in communities while also spotlighting Trinidad and Tobago’s film industry.