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Producers Jacinth Headlam and Pastor Dr Otis Manning are bringing a true story to the screen in Redeemed, a film they hope will show that “everyone is redeemable”.
Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner while on set on Friday, Manning, who is also the movie’s conceptualiser, said he needed to share this story, which is a mix of crime, love, faith, suspense and drama, as it’s one of “hope”.
“It’s based off true life events – I did a counselling session with a young lady couple years ago and I said to her, ‘while this is your story of what you’ve been through, with your permission I’d love to put this on a tape’ and she said ‘Absolutely’ and hence forth, we’re all redeemed,” Manning said with a laugh.
“For me, it was a story worth telling because it’s a real-life story which started from a life of crime and violence, and right now [the person] is [doing well as a school administrator]. But I [also] want to show the world the reality that no matter what you go through in life, there’s hope and there’s redemption…We want to tell people that no matter how bad your life is or how messed up you are, there’s hope,” said the clergyman who owns and operates the God Family Ministry International.
Manning stressed the importance of spinning the negativities that are captivating the minds of especially young people and filter it with some positivity. In agreement, Headlam, who also acts in the film, shared that the message will be a timely one that connects with people from all walks of life. “After seeing Redeemed, it’s gonna spark many conversations; it can also be controversial. It touches on so many different aspects where anyone [watching], whether you’re on the opposite side of the law or within the law, you’re gonna be touched in some way, shape or form where you have no choice but to surrender to the Holy Spirit. It’s going to be a mighty move of God happening in this film because there were times when we were filming and it wasn’t even about the cameras or acting, but God showed up and showed out, and it was no longer about performance, it literally became a ministry,” Headlam told The Sunday Gleaner, adding that no matter the challenges, she was comforted by the mantra that “If God gave you a vision, he already made the provision”.
“Every single day there’s a challenge, but every day God carried us through. We had one major funder, and on the day [that] we were to start filming, that’s the day they cancelled,” Manning shared. “It has never been without its own drama, but God is faithful, I can’t complain; he’s been awesome and he opens doors and gave us great favour and we’re grateful for that.”
Challenges included actors withdrawing last minute and multiple recastings; tests, which, for Manning, were “testimonies that had to be told”. With this being a project he wanted to make since 2022, the ordained minister said upon sharing his idea with Headlam in that year, he had a clear vision of where he wanted to go, but never expected the outcome to be this “grand”. He is hoping “several lives will be impacted”.
Headlam shared that based on the plot revealed, she specifically wanted to handpick local, raw talents to drive this message home while remaining authentic to both the story and the rich Jamaican culture. “I came down and did an audition – before we even [took] the filming to our pre-production stage, we came to Jamaica, we did the filming [and] put the casting all over the internet. But the main talents that we were gonna use were [Hollywood star] Malik Yoba, Safaree, and we have [gospel-dancehall powerhouse] Prince Saj. But it was important for me as a Jamaican female film writer and actor to have the authentic Caribbean culture and the authentic Jamaican actors, and I’m happy I did,” shared Headlam. Juliet ‘Julie Mango’ Bodley and Cornelius Grant also act in the film.
The passionate producer and actor is confident that Redeemed will be another great Jamaican film to hit the global market. “Dem seh wi likkle but wi tallahwah, but we have so many talented individuals in Jamaica, but they don’t get the opportunity as they would abroad…and I always wanted to do films back home, so I thank Pastor Manning for making that a reality – this is a dream come true,” she underscored.
With the film set to be released in 2026, the plan is to have its premiere in Jamaica at the top of the year. Thereafter, it will be featured in film festivals, then later packaged for streaming locally and internationally.
Redeemed was also a special opportunity for Yoba, the Cool Runnings star with Jamaican roots told THE STAR that returning to Jamaica to shoot carries special meaning, as last week marked the anniversary of his quadruple bypass surgery. Calling himself “a walking miracle”, Yoba, who also survived a gunshot wound to the neck, said these near-death experiences continue to fuel his purpose.
“I got shot when I was 15 years old, 10 years to the day when I went to do Cool Runnings. There [are] a lot of anniversaries for me in terms of my work as an actor, storyteller and minister. I have never felt like I take time for granted, but when you have life events just happening, it made me more productive, and I am doing all types of things all over the world. You just should not take things for granted,” Yoba added.
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