Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution, a feature-length documentary about the 1979 Grenada revolution and the murder of prime minister Maurice Bishop four years later, will have its Tobago premiere at the Kariwak Hotel on Sunday November 9, at 6.00pm. The screening is free.
Directed and produced by Bruce Paddington, the film has been screened in 16 countries since its premiere at the 2013 trinidad+tobago film festival. With successful screenings in England, Canada, North America, Latin America and a number of Caribbean countries, screenings have attracted large audiences, followed by lively Q&A sessions.
The film explores the achievements and shortcomings of the People’s Revolutionary Government (1979-1983) of Grenada as it attempted to forge a new revolutionary society. The film focuses on the year 1983, with gripping and previously unseen archival footage, as well as first-hand recollections of persons who witnessed the tragic events of October 19. It examines the circumstances surrounding the execution of Maurice Bishop and his close colleagues, whose bodies were never recovered. With its multiple perspectives and different narratives, the film raises questions that must be answered about this key event in the recent history of the Caribbean.
Playwright and director Kwame Kwei-Amah calls the film “a spectacular and honest piece of filmmaking” while filmmaker Anup Singh praised “its nuanced concern, compassion and restrained rage”. The film was produced with the assistance of the University of the West Indies, The Fundashon Bon Intenshon, Flow (Columbus Communications), and the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company. The Tobago screening is supported by the trinidad+tobago film festival and the Kariwak Hotel.