The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

CINEMA-GOERS have one final opportunity to see the acclaimed ‘12 Years a Slave’ which has been brought back to local theatres.

Though the movie is up for several major awards and received good reviews, it did not do well in the Bahamas, which led Galleria Cinemas to discontinue the movie after only two weeks of its release in December.

As part of a new project, Bahamian film maker Travolta Cooper spearheaded efforts to get the movie back. His efforts proved fruitful and the movie is currently on the listings until February 6.

‘12 Years A Slave’ was released internationally in November 2013. It is a British-American historical drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free negro who was kidnapped in Washington DC in 1841 and sold into slavery. He worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before his release.

“Initially when we brought the movie in we did not have that much people come out to watch it. It had a very low attendance in the Christmas week which was the reason why we discontinued it. But after bringing it back last week, we had a much better turn out,” said Felton Capron, general manager of Galleria Cinemas.

Travolta Cooper recently launched a new movie web critic show to create a more vibrant movie community.

For the first episode, Mr Cooper highlighted ‘12 Years a Slave’ and shared his views as the views of the other movie goers who saw it.

“A lot my friends missed the movie. I even missed it. I ended up seeing it in New York over the holidays. We thought this was a great movie to bring back. I spoke to the management and I told them we have been observing lots of comments about the movie on Facebook and Twitter. There were a lot of people who missed the movie,” Mr Cooper said.  

After the meeting, the management team at Galleria Cinemas agreed a final week.

Mr Cooper said ‘12 Years a Slave’ is a classic story that should be seen by as much persons as possible.

“Teej Grant is on The Cinemas with me and he said he loves the parallels in the movie and I feel the same way too. He saw a lot of the legacy and slavery of colonialism in the Caribbean and in the Bahamas in the movie. “The movie took place pre civil war and there is so much it can relate to today.

“After showcasing my film, ‘The Black Moses’, I was already coming off that space. I think it was just an excellent story and it reminded me of those Disney animated stories - simple stories with heroes and villains. But what is going to make a good Disney movie almost cartoon good is the villain. The villain is always going to make the movies. I think the villain of ‘12 Years a Slave’ was the institution of slavery and it is this evil beast that our hero is up against. That blew me away and the level of that story telling was just classic, gripping and intense,” he said.