‘Fear’ is the mental wellness film we didn’t know we needed
The instances of crippling anxiety in Fear is a glaring example of the need for more awareness and changing attitudes towards mental health issues in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Fear follows the afternoon of a man, John, who struggles with some crippling mental health issues that keep him pretty isolated in his apartment. An innocent mistake by a child, his neighbour Danny, leads to a surprising outcome.
Writer-director Sosiessia Nixon and executive producer Horane Henry chat with juliemango.tv about the film’s journey, how they built a film division on the strength of strong writing, and their commitment to telling socially relevant Jamaican stories.
Sosiessia Nixon knows how to turn a real-life experience into a well-crafted story. She used her own grief and fear to pen the screenplay for Fear, the award-winning short film produced by IKON Media in Jamaica.
Executive producer Horane Henry recounts how his team went from a script for a test shoot to building a film division, led by Sosiessia. The collaborators are committed to telling Jamaican stories that are social drivers for change.
The duo shares what we can expect for the future of Fear (there is a spoiler if you haven’t seen the short). The story isn’t over and we'll see John and Danny again as the team tackles indie distribution while working on Fear the feature and a slate of other short films.
‘Fear’ was screened virtually at the 2021 Conch Shell International Film Festival.
