A Bahamian gargoyle and werewolf K-I-S-S-I-N-G?
Yup! Get ready for a brand new homemade film that’s looking to shake up what we typically know about Bahamian films. The short film being teased by local production group Cine Morphosis has a new movie called “Growing Up Gen” which tells the story of a young Bahamian girl who is going through the issues of being a teen and growing up…different. She’s actually a gargoyle! The short film stars veteran Bahamian Actress Leah Eneas who plays “Gen” and was created by local writer and film maker Tara Woodside who says the idea for the short film came on a whim.
“Cine Morphosis was actually doing a tutorial; a breakdown of a particular look that I was fascinated with since I was a child, which is Gargoyles, the animated series.
We decided to make a special effects prosthetic of a gargoyle, and the script, nothing was written for it, when we were doing the breakdown I actually paused and doing improv and everyone started laughing and I asked if they’d actually like to watch something like that. They said yes and in 48 hours I wrote the script and that’s how Gen came about!”
Watch Trailer Below!
Leah told eLIFE242 in an interview that while the movie is centered around mythical creatures, it tackles everyday issues we see right here in the 242!
“This is a Bahamian teen gargoyle didn’t really grow up with her father, doesn’t really know who he is and asks her mother about her dad all the time. And she has a werewolf lil’ boyfriend and tells her mother that she’s pregnant and that unleashes an entire chain of events to reveal who her father is. It’s a really interesting story, I love it!”
Tara says it was important to bring some of the issues that haunt so many Bahamians to the film because of the longterm impact they have on Bahamian youth and to encourage Bahamians to talk more openly on these topics and not sweep them under the rug.
Leah says thinks that having Bahamian gargoyles and werewolves grace local screens will boost morale and the range of creativity for Bahamian actors and filmmakers.
“She (Tara) told me I’d have to play a gargoyle and I was like, ‘I’m in!!’ I felt like the prettiest little gargoyle in Nassau! This is sci-fi and Bahamian sci-fi at that! felt amazing!
I felt like the first Wonder Woman! To me this means as much as being a Marvel character. Think about it; I’m the first Bahamian gargoyle! I don’t care how far this movie goes, at the end of the day history will write that I was the first Bahamian gargoyle!”
So when can you see Growing Up Gen? Tara says, very soon!
“As we were filming it we thought it would be a great series, but we’d definitely need funding for that one! But the goal is to release it (the short film) next month!”