Friday 24 November saw the world premiere of Panomundo Part 2: Pan Worldwide, taking place at the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Panomundo, by award winning filmmakers Keith Musaman Morton and Charysse Tia Harper, is told in two sections. Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan was released in 2015 in London, and officially selected for seven international film festivals. Focusing on the birth of the instrument up until its international debut at the Festival of Britain in 1951, Part 1 paves the way for an exploration of steelpan’s international reach in Part 2. Canada, Japan, Nigeria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States are the six countries highlighted in Pan Worldwide.
In 2012, Harper and Morton travelled to Trinidad to begin production on what they believed would be an hour-long documentary. After amassing over 60 hours of footage, they decided that they’d actually need to make the film in two sections. The premiere of Part 1 took place in London in 2015, at the Southbank Centre where the Trinidad All-Star Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) had its international baptism. The upcoming premiere for Part 2 took place back in the land of the instrument’s birth.
The film’s producer, Trinidadian-American Harper, said, “This is a very exciting time for us. We have been working on this film for over five years and it has been our dream to have the world premiere of Part 2 where the instrument was born.” British director Morton speaks of it being a, “Real challenge to condense the material into a coherent story and we hope that it will be accepted by the tough Trinidad audience.”
The premiere on 24 November, hosted by Xplore the World and Komonopromo, featured a steel band performance, recognition of steel pan legends and a Q&A session with the filmmakers.
Further information at thefancarpet.com/movie_news/world-premiere-steelpan-film-nalis-filmmakers-travel-trinidad-tobago-screen-panomundo-part-2-pan-worldwide or you can check tinyurl.com/panpart1 or www.facebook.com/panomundo
