A new documentary, Poetry is an Island, on St Lucian poet, playwright and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott is currently in post production and expected to premiere later this year. A fundraising campaign for the project was launched on the Web site Indiegogo.com on April 12 by director Ida Does.
In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian, Does, who is based in Holland, shared that she got the idea for the project in 2007 while working on another film, I Am Not I Trefossa, about the poet Henri de Ziel, in her native Suriname. De Ziel wrote in an esoteric Surinamese creole and Does felt her next film subject needed to have wider appeal. It was during this time that she stumbled upon Walcott's Nobel lecture. In 1992, Walcott became the first Caribbean-born author to receive the Nobel Prize for literature–a feat which Does believes brought the Caribbean to the world's attention.
"I had heard of him before, but never dove into his work," said Does. "When I read his lecture everything came together because he accepted the Nobel Prize on behalf of the people of the supposed broken languages and that drew my attention. It was the way he spoke about my own history."
Does immediately began reading more of Walcott's work. "He gets to me on an existential base. His lines and his verses really make you feel like this is part of you and your history. He touches the subconscious in ways that cannot always be explained."
Does, who has worked with many media houses in Holland, Suriname and Aruba, got the chance to meet Walcott in 2008 while filming one of his lectures for a Dutch TV station. She introduced herself to Walcott and pitched him the documentary. Does would not begin filming until 2012, however.
Last year, she and her team spent nearly two weeks in St Lucia shooting areas on the island described in Walcott's poetry and getting footage of Walcott at home painting and reading his poetry. They also spoke to childhood friends and family. People interviewed included Walcott's son Peter, artist Sir Dunstan St Omer and Walcott's partner Sigrid Nama.
The film is not a biopic, however, and focuses primarily on Walcott's process and his dedication to art. Does describes him as someone who is obsessed. "We all have our own survival mode and working is Derek's way of life," she said. Although Walcott is 82, he continues to actively produce new work. In May, his latest play, O Starry Starry Night will premiere at the University of Essex in England where he has been a visiting professor since 2009.
Does also made the decision not to do a biopic because Walcott's life is simply too large to cover in one film. Walcott has received numerous awards including a Mac Arthur Fellowship or "genius grant" and the TS Elliot Prize for his 2011 collection White Egrets. He has written nearly 20 books of poetry and more than 20 plays. His epic, book-length poem Omeros (1990) is often compared to Homer's Iliad.
Walcott's vast body of work made choosing poetry to include in the film a difficult task for Does. While the main focus of the film is Walcott's everyday life in St Lucia, Poetry is an Island opens with scenes from Trinidad. Walcott lived and worked in T&T for many years and founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop in 1959. He has also worked as a professor at the Boston University and the University of Alberta.
Although Walcott has lived an international life, his poetry is about the Caribbean and Does makes sure to focus on that in the film. "I think that the most important experience we can have as Caribbean people with our environment is to see the poetic charge that is in our daily lives and that is the main message. That's where Derek's work comes, that poetic charge of the Caribbean."
For the post production of Poetry is an Island, Does is trying to raise US$35,000. She chose crowd funding–a system of raising money through networking and donations usually done on the Internet–because she wanted to reach out to Walcott's admirers around the world. "Derek is really a treasure of the Caribbean and to everybody who loves the Caribbean and Caribbean art.
"And the film will allow these people to hold onto his being and his legacy," said Does.
About Ida Does
Ida Does is an independent documentary filmmaker and producer. She is the head of Ida Does Productions. She is a former journalist and editor who has worked in print, radio and television media in Holland, Suriname and Aruba. In 2009, her film I Am Not I Trefossa received special mention at the T&T Film Festival (ttff) and in 2010 the Public Award at the Africa in the Picture Film Festival in Amsterdam. Her film, Peace, Memories of Anton de Kom won Best Short Film at the ttff in 2012. Does was educated at the Media Academy in Hilversum and the Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam.?
To find out more about Poetry is an Island, view the trailer or donate to the project visit: www.walcottfilm.com or Facebook (Poetry is an Island).
