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Reclaiming The Time: 8:46 Films | Presented by Procter & Gamble
“Pearl and Henry” Featured on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
NY Daily News Article Featuring “Pearl and Henry” by Gibrey Allen
Allen said that with his film, he wanted to tell “as quiet a story as possible, to add reverence to the moment.”
His short highlights two characters in their later years, a husband lovingly caring for his longtime wife after she’s suffered a stroke.
“Normally in Black films, older Black characters are the voice of wisdom, taking care of everyone else. We don’t really see them in their intimate, vulnerable moments,” he said.
His favorite scene is when Pearl and Henry are dancing together, he said.
“It’s so intimate. You can see their whole history, not just them doing it on that day. They’re basking in each other’s love. Pearl, she doesn’t say anything, really. She communicates with her fingers and hands. You can feel they’re having a conversation, speaking volumes, right there in that moment,” he said.
“We wanted to isolate that time period — eight minutes and 46 seconds — and give people the space to live in that moment and see happiness and joy and togetherness onscreen,” he said.
“We wanted people to take that moment to breathe. I want the audience to recognize the simple pleasures of their daily routine.”
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK— Dear May Pictures is proud to announce the release of Excuses For Jeff, a screenplay brimming with Jamaican authenticity and modern relevancy, exploring the macho-ism and homophobia that still exists in the Caribbean country.
Excuses is a character study of four boyhood friends, now grown and leading vastly different lives. The fifth, Jeff, you never meet, as he’s been beaten to death on the streets of Mandeville, Manchester for being an openly gay man. In documentary-style, his friends are all interviewed, explaining their reasons for not attending his funeral.
Allen is captivatingly believable in his portrayal of each man, and his heart-wrenching performances bring attention to the alarming bigotry still found in Jamaica’s present culture.
“Americans are fighting for the worthy cause of marriage equality, while Jamaicans are still getting killed for their sexual orientation,” says Allen. “I wanted to bring attention to that. To how far we’ve come, and how far the world has to go when it comes to equality.”
