Human Smuggling Drama 'Cargo' Filming in The Bahamas; Jimmy Jean-Louis, Persia White & Omar J. Dorsey Co-star
By Curtis Caesar John | Shadow and ActDecember 10, 2015 at 1:19PM
There’s a brand new feature film in production from “Children of God” (2011) writer/director Kareem J. Moritmer, who is once more filming in his native Bahamas.
Mortimer’s new film, "Cargo," is loosely based on his most recent multi-award-winning short film "Passage," and explores the dangerous and pitiless world of human smuggling.
"Cargo" stars Warren Brown (BBC’s “Luther”) as a hapless Bahamian fisherman who gets lured into smuggling illegal Haitian migrants through the Bahamas to the United States in order to pay off a gambling debt and provide for his family. According to the film’s publicists, “It’s a story about people who are struggling just to survive, and one that deals with profound, overarching themes relatable to audiences the world over, and especially in the Caribbean.”
Touted as an action/drama, the film also stars Gessica Geneus (“Moloch Tropical”), Jimmy Jean-Louis (“Heroes,” “Toussaint Louverture”), Persia White (“Girlfriends”), and Omar J. Dorsey (“Selma,” “Django Unchained”).
Kareem Mortimer
The issue of human trafficking is one that remains ever growing, hence its reemergence in cinema and media with the upcoming film “Trafficked” and TV pilot’s like Michael “Boogie” Pinckney’s “The Trade,” among others. Even serene islands like The Bahamas are ripe for such depravity. The Homeland Security Affairs Journal website estimates as many as 50,000 individuals attempting illegal entry into the US from the Caribbean by sea each year. The majority of these voyagers originate from Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Bahamas, a geographic stepping stone for contraband and illicit activity since the dawn of the new world, now continues its long history as a gateway in this quest.
With “Cargo” being written, developed, funded and produced in The Bahamas, it currently stands as the largest Bahamian feature film project to date. Says “Cargo” producer Alexander Younis, “This is a unique moment for cinema - a story from an island, told with integrity by one of its indigenous storytellers, in the global context of human smuggling, confronting its audience to reflect on human rights, wealth and individual choices. We are all very excited to make this happen.”
Stay tuned to S&A for more information on this film in the coming months. To see more about Mortimer and his work, visit his production website BestEverFilm.com. You can watch Mortimer’s short film “Passage” on Caribbean film streaming service Studio Anansi.
