‘Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution’

Having been screened in ten countries in only nine months, Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution, which is often followed by a post-screening discussion, has generated a buzz of activity worldwide, among analysts of the Grenada revolution, filmmakers and of course the Grenadian diaspora.

The fact that the documentary feature was made and released almost exactly 30 years after the revolution might also have something to do with it; there is the distance of historical perspective, but there are also still enough people around who lived it and who remember the raw details of those events that had such an impact on the region’s politics.

And those who are old enough to remember are not the only ones who flock to Forward Ever. “What I also find compelling is the interest that young people – people who might not have even been born when the revolution took place – have in the film,” said Paddington. “Some of them had older relatives involved, others are just curious about Caribbean history. Either way, it’s extremely gratifying to see that level of interest all around; it means that we did something very right with the production.”

The film has also gained critical acclaim. In St. Lucia, the veteran journalist Earl Bousquet praised the film as a work of art that “allows images to tell stories, accompanying still photos with explanatory narratives while allowing those who were there to tell their unvarnished stories.” Les Slater of Caribbean Life News believes “a huge debt is owed to the film-maker Bruce Paddington for the very important document he assembled for the Caribbean archives.” While John Green of the Morning Star newspaper in the United Kingdom argues, “Paddington’s documentary is a gripping and revealing account of the Grenada revolution as never seen before.”

This year, the film has been screened in London at the prestigious British Library and at the British Film Institute on Southbank as part of its African Odysseys programme. It made its New York City debut in June, with former head of the Transport Workers Union, Roger Toussaint, a Trinidadian, with the Caribbean Awareness group, as a collaborator. Also supporting the film was Michelle Materre, the director of Creatively Speaking, an organisation which highlights important films which feature people of colour and their histories. It was screened at the Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, The Maysles Theatre Harlem and DCTVNY in Soho, and then went on to the Baobab Center in Rochester. These screenings were sandwiched in between sold out screenings in Jamaica, St Kitts, St Lucia and Barbados that were organised by the UWI Open Campus network; so the film’s busy schedule continues. The film has now been released on DVD for the US market at grenadamarket.com and is due to be released by the Third World Newsreel distribution company. The DVD will soon be released in Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to Paddington, he is very grateful to the sponsors of the film – The University of the West Indies for funding the research, Fondashon Bon Intenshon in Curacao for its help with the production, Flow (Columbus Communications) for its support with the production and post-production, and the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company for the marketing and distribution. Without their in put, this film might not have been possible.