Reggae Films UK was created to help Promote, Preserve, Archive, Document and Distribute all films relating to Reggae music and Jamaican culture. This relatively unknown genre of films is greatly under represented in the worldwide film market, we hope to change this and make this great genre of film more accessible.
Distribution
We're always searching for new films and footage to add to our catalogue which we then make available to broadcasters and distributors worldwide. This helps to make the genre much more accessible worldwide.
We deal with dvd release, tv broadcast, online pay per view sales, footage sales and we also offer Jamaican film programs to film festivals and Reggae events.
If you are a film maker and are seeking distribution, please get in touch, our only requirement is that your film has a Jamaican or Reggae/Rasta theme. The age of the film is not important, it's the content that matters. Get in touch for more details on what we offer.
Access to Information
We also keep records of all known reggae and Jamaican themed films in a database, we hope to eventually make use of this in a public film archive where people can come and learn about the history of Jamaican film and look up films of interest at the click of a mouse. There is currently no one place that provides easily accessible and free detailed information on films made in or about Jamaica, there are Jamaican film archives which house old films but the the main ones only accept individual requests for information for a fee and do not provide film lists or any kind of film database so unless you have money to pay them for the information this important information remains pretty much inaccessible to the average person.
For many people Jamaica is unique for it's Reggae music, this is one of the countries main exports and Reggae is just one of the things to make Jamaica famous. This unique musical genre has captured the minds of people from all over the world, it's a music that has been copied, studied and appreciated far and wide, it's inspired so many people and nations all over the world and along with this music comes the wonderful Rasta message of 'One Love' which promotes peace and harmony amongst all people of all race's. This is why there will always be a great interest in any film that captures the birth and growth of this great musical genre, or even film that captures the social atmosphere of the time.
So there is a great interest in films made about Reggae and Jamaican culture, yet the amount of accurate information available is tiny. So we set out to document Reggae in film and have been doing so for the past 9yrs now. We are happy to answer any specific queries regarding Jamaican film and will answer each and every email we receive.
Archives
There are film archives all over the world which hold films about Reggae and Jamaica, many of these films and footage are yet to feature in any commercial documentary so there's still plenty of so called 'unseen' footage which all you reggae fans will appreciate. One of our goals is to document footage in archives around the world into a central database so that we have a central database of reggae footage.
We feel it's very important to create such a database as we all know how powerful Reggae music is and that it's popularity increases each year globally, we are now seeing university degrees in the subject of reggae and people from all over the world are writing and making films on this wonderful music genre. It's a great shame to know that there is no central database which holds all of this very important information. It's sad for us to know that a lot of the footage of some of the early reggae artists, in some cases the only known footage, will sometimes be lost forever mainly due to the fact that films have yet to be properly documented and archived. In some cases film labs and archives won't even realize the importance of the films that they are throwing away. So many times when tracking down footage I've been told that the original films where simply discarded and thrown in the bin! What a great shame this is but this used to be pretty much standard practice over 20yrs ago.
These days we have hard drives and dvd recorders etc. and everyone in the western world has access to a dvd recorder or cam-corder so today we find that most concerts and public events are filmed and the media formats today are so much more reliable than they once where which means that we don't get the problem of film degradation. So it's the older material on film that we are more concerned about documenting and ensuring its preservation.
We want to ensure that we document footage of the foundation reggae artists and musicians as well as founding members of Rastafari, the whole genre deserves to be properly documented and preserved, it's a shame that this isn't already being done in some kind of official government program but we are lucky in the fact that we do have some very dedicated reggae fans around the world who have some very significant private collections, this is an essential part of perserving Reggae history, one day we hope to see an official public archive where people can donate their collections to be documented and preserved forever.
If you do own a collection of reggae Reggae/Jamaican music or video and want to ensure that it gets preserved and documented then you might think about donating your collection to The National Library Of Jamaica who do a great job in preserving Jamaica's cultural history. For those in the USA then The Library of Congress will accept all collections. It's a good idea to leave instructions in your will along with a copy of this in with your collection. This will ensure that if you pass away your collection will go to a place which can properly care for it so that it can be documented and preserved for future generations. It's also a great way to be remembered, to have a collection in your name that will be around forever and help generations of people interested in learning more about the genre of Reggae.
Appeal for Information
We're are very interested to hear from anyone who has information about old films made in or about Jamaica, we are very keen to document the existence of Jamaican films, even if the film is not physically available just to be able to document it is a very important thing for us so anyone with information or films relating to Reggae or Jamaica then please get in touch with us, we're always very grateful for any information.
For those of you that might own original film content which you own the rights to, we are always looking to aquire new footage and collections to represent. Please get in touch for more info on how we can help you.
Do you work in the Jamaican film industry? we're also interested in talking with Jamaican film producers, editors, cameramen etc. especially those that worked at JBC in the early days. We're trying to compile as much information as we can about the history of Jamaican film so that there can one day be a public record on this relatively undocumented subject.
Collaberations
We're always looking out for new collaberations with others who are interested in Jamaican film or Reggae music. Whether it be to setup a film event in your town or to help digitize and document your archive. We want to make links with anyone interested in the genre of Jamaican film, there are many projects which we have in mind for the future all of which need a team effort. If you have an idea, or a project relating to Jamaican film or want to give some of your time to help an existing project then please get in touch.
We're also looking to help promote any existing members of the Jamaican film industry, eg. film makers, production houses, distributors, script writers, cameramen, location scouts. If you'd like a link on our website then drop us an email and we'll be more than happy to advertize your services for free.
Support
There are many things we'd like to see setup to promote the Jamaican film/documentary genre yet we have no available funding to enable us to implement some of the ideas we have. All of the work we do here at Reggae Films UK is done out of the love of the film genre and Jamaican culture. If your in a position to be able to sponsor or support 'Reggae Films UK' and it's initiatives then we'd love to hear from you. For the past 3yrs we've been struggling to raise enough money to keep the Reggae Film Festival going, despite the hugh success of the event and all the films made as a direct result of the event the organizers have been unable to secure funding to pay for the running costs of this event. Yet the cost of the whole event is really very small compared to the HUGE benefits the event can bring to Jamaica. So we're calling out to anyone who is in a position to help to get in touch. Thankyou
The Jahweb Inititive
Jahweb was setup by Reggae Films UK in December 2009 in conjunction with the Jamaica Film Academy, it is a new initiative to enable any Reggae or Jamaican themed website which promotes Jamaican culture to get free web hosting. We are aware that many aspiring Jamaican artists, musicians and film makers struggle to find a voice in the larger world market. A website is a great way to get yourself noticed and to reach out to others around the world, so www.jahweb.co.cc was setup to provide free webhosting accounts to anyone in need of webspace.
The Jahweb accounts not only provide you with webspace but also many other utilities which will help you to build a website and create a top class website. Included in the package are one click install: forums, blogs, photo galleries, link directories, your own wikkipedia site, surveys, polls plus many, many more features. We've included information on the website which teaches it's users how to keep thier web hosting free forever and have linked to some other free 3rd party website which offer beneficial services, one of which is a free TV studio online which allows users to setup thier own live TV channel on the internet, users can broadcast live via a camcorder or webcam and live events can be broadcast or programs can be put on loop. This new technology is just one of many ways users can promote themselves on the world wide web.
Anyone interested in a Jahweb account can apply directly at www.jahweb.co.cc Some usders have reported problems signing up with Internet Explorer so please use Mozilla Firefox so go through the sign up process, alternatively drop us an email and we'll create the account for you.
Closing note from the owner....
Thank you for taking the time to visit our site, if you've got this far down the page then I'm sure your appreciating the kind of work we do. We're not in this for money; we invest our own time and effort in this to do an important job.
My own personal love of the Reggae/Jamaican genre of film started out shortly after I first got into reggae music, after watching films like Rockers, The Harder They Come and Land of Look Behind, these films inspired me to find out more about this small little island in the sun which I knew nothing about, 22yrs later I still love to find films that capture a glimpse of that something special which was happening on the island in the mid to late 70's when roots reggae was at it's peak.
I've also developed a great respect for Rastafari, which without there would be no reggae music. Rasta's are the original soul rebels fighting against Babylon oppression and use music as their weapons as a way of peaceful protest, but their weapons seem to have a much greater effect than any gun; this is what makes the music and Rastafari so special. Reggae is a great example to all nations and shows how music has the power to move the masses which is what's needed for change.
Rasta's came from the people who where stripped of their culture, identity and language through slavery, so they where what you might see as a new race of people without baggage apart from the obvious hurt caused by slavery, they started from scratch, a fresh, with a clear vision, they strived for peace and harmony and Rastafari was created and is now the living legacy of the brave warriors who choose not to comply with Babylon's rules. They chose to live in peace and harmony on this earth as god intended, this earth which has been turned into what some may see as a physical heaven turned into a living hell with all the corruption, pollution, oppression etc. Rastafari stands for natural and peaceful living as one and they have succeeded where so many others have failed.
Rastafari's vision has spread globally with Rasta's all over the world who have learnt from the original Jamaican Rasta's and it's following continues to grow each year. The internal structure of Rastafari isn't a strong one but this does not make it weak, i think this is part of it's uniqueness and strength where it doesn't need a governing body, the message is pretty simple, live natural as nature intended, promote one love, unity and harmony, and chant down all oppressors, where ever you get this you have Rastafari.
Thanks for your support....
Reggae Films UK