Play the Devil Directed
by
Maria Govan Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, USA / 2016 / 89 minutes New York Premiere
Screening
Times and Venues:
Q&A Attendees *subject to change: Maria Govan
SYNOPSIS:
In "Play the Devil", Trinidad's lush beauty, prevailing poverty and pulsating rhythms of Carnival are backdrop to a story where dreams and obsession collide.
Gifted 18-year old Gregory is his family's lone hope for financial success. When he meets James, a powerful, affluent businessman offering friendship and guidance while subtly pursuing the naive young man, his world spins out of control. As James' persistent advances become more intrusive and menacing, Gregory's initial compliance changes to rejection and the fallout threatens to ruin his future and expose his dark secrets.
On Carnival Monday, when young men cover themselves in blue paint, dress as devils and become lost in the frenzy of drumming and howling in the Jab, a symbolic dance that allows them to flirt with evil for a day, Gregory and James face each other once again. "Play the Devil" depicts what can happen when the promise of innocence is broken and the spirit of Jab takes hold of us. -- WFF staff
BIO: Maria Govan is a self-taught filmmaker from the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. After working on sets in Hollywood, she returned home and began making small guerilla-style local documentaries, including
"Junkanoo: The Heartbeat of a People," "Where I'm From: HIV and AIDs in the Bahamas," and "A Man with a Voice: The Life of Norman Solomon,"
to name a few. In 2004, she moved to New York and began writing her first narrative film, "Rain", which premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
and won numerous awards internationally.
The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501c3 organization with a mission to present an
annual program and year-round schedule of film, music,
and art-related activities that promote artists, culture,
inspired learning, and diversity. The Hudson Valley Film
Commission promotes sustainable economic development
by attracting and supporting film, video and media production.
