Film phase:Production
SYNOPSIS
Swimming on Dry Land examines the lives of young gay Jamaicans, at a time when the island is debating homosexuality publicly in politics, the press and in churches. The film’s title makes reference to the concept of ‘fish’, a term used in Jamaica to refer to homosexuals, but also references their marginalization, coupled with an equally strong determination by some of the characters to live and love in Jamaica, despite the odds.
Swimming on Dry Land participated in the 2016 Diversity Fellows Initiative (past program).
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Michelle Serieux is an independent filmmaker from St Lucia currently residing in Jamaica. She holds a BA (Hons) in Media and Communication with Minors in Drama and Cultural Studies from the University of the West Indies Mona Jamaica campus, and a MA in Film/Cinema Studies from the Columbia University School of the Arts in New York. In 2013 she became the first Caribbean recipient of the Tribeca Film Institute/World View Latin American Media Arts Grant for her first documentary feature Swimming on Dry Land. Michelle is a cultural activist interested in developing work in video and new media that addresses the social and developmental issues in the Caribbean and connects them to a larger Pan African / Global context. She is a committed art-ivist who is inspired by innovation, excellence and originality. Michelle’s guiding mission is to produce work that challenges the limitations inherent in her geo-political background as a female descendant of enslaved Africans in the Underdeveloped “New” World.