JP Williams recalls the devastation of ‘The 1938 Unrest’

The experimental short from Jamaican director JP Williams recounts the history-making events in 1938 that marked a shift in Jamaica’s political system and labour landscape.

Set in the sugarcane fields of Frome, Westmoreland, The 1938 Unrest shows the emotional turmoil of a labourer (Jayden Chambers) whose angst is matched by the narrative from artist Jahlil and later Karlene Grant and tied together with imagery and text from the headlines of the time to deliver this creative history lesson.

The film premiered on JP Williams’ YouTube Channel on April 30, 2021 – bringing us into the world of the hero who is “determined to create significant change by advocating on behalf of other workers for the improvement of working conditions, increase wages and the removal of colonial oppression. These riots forever changed the landscape of the Jamaican people. It signalled the birth of modern Jamaica with the formation of the BITU and other trade unions,” reads the description.

The 1938 Unrest was executive produced by The Studio Eight with music by Teflon Zinc Fence and Jahlil.

Watch the film below (run time 6:07)