Scandal!, a comedy romance set in T&T has won the Caribbean Spotlight Script Competition at the 2008 Bahamas International Film Festival. The project is being produced by New York-based T&T filmmaker Ancil McKain from a script written by Barbadian writer Claire Ince. The jury evaluating this year's scripts included writer/director Malcolm Lee, film festival programmer; Jane Schoettle, screenwriter Murray McRae; and, development executives Alexander Young and Kelly Moore.
According to Schoettle, programmer of the Toronto International Film Festival, Scandal showcases a community rarely seen on the screen and does it with humour and colour and great style. Said Lee (Soul Men, The Best Man) of Scandal!: "It's a very well-written, intriguing screenplay with well-developed characters and very well-written dialogue." McKain was inspired to develop the project out of his love for T&T's diverse culture and sees the feature film, a modern update of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, as fresh, contemporary and relevant.
The film is being co-produced by Generator Entertainment Ltd, UK.
Said McKain: "We are honoured to win at the Bahamas International Film Festival, a venue has launched the career of successful independent filmmakers and we hope the finished film will do justice to the magic and beauty of carnival." Ansbacher (Bahamas) Ltd, sponsor of the Filmmaker Residency Programme and contest, will award US$5,000 to Scandal! which will go directly towards the development of the film.