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Roy T. Anderson, director. Akwantu: The Journey. 2012. 87 minutes. English with English subtitles. United States. Art 4 Reel Filmworks, LLC. $23.99.
Akwantu: The Journey is a documentary that marks Roy T. Anderson's featurelength directorial debut, and tells the story of the Maroons of Accompong, in Jamaica. Anderson, a veteran stuntman in several box office Hollywood films, addresses the origins, history, and culture of Maroons with virtuosity and imagination, especially since this documentary marks the filmmaker's personal effort to discover his own roots (http://akwantuthemovie. com/). The film was made by Anderson's own production company, Art 4 Reel Filmworks, LLC, and was an official selection in the Africa in the Picture Film Festival (2012) and the Pan African film festival (FESPACO, 2013), and received the Special jury Award in the Belize International Film Festival (2012).
From Newjersey in the United States, to Canada, Jamaica, and Ghana, and back to Jamaica, the filmmaker undertakes a personaljourney in search of his ancestral origins, and takes the viewer along, as if giving glimpses of his family photo albums, personal travelogues, and testimonials. The filmmaker's voice-over narration gives emphasis to the feeling of openness and sharing as we encounter his home videos, birth certificates, conversations, reunions,...