Grace Peters-Clarke is winner of Hairouna Film Lab 2021

Hairouna Film Festival has announced that Grace Peters-Clarke, writer of “Cart Man”, is the winner of Hairouna Film Lab 2021.

Peters-Clarke is the recipient of a monetary award to cover the cost of producing the short film and a global lifetime membership to Soho House, a release states. Hairouna Film Lab is designed to support Vincentians, and non-nationals residing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, looking to take the next step as screenwriters and filmmakers. The inaugural talent incubator, initially announced on March 19, 2022, is the result of an ongoing collaboration with Hairoun Film Festival’s (HFF) partner, Soho House.

On November 8, 2021, Grace Peters-Clarke was announced as a finalist in the competition alongside Christina Smith. Both participants underwent a three-week virtual residency where they were mentored on screenwriting and story development by accomplished script writers Abraham Adeyemi and Michelle Serieux. After careful consideration, Grace’s script “Cart Man” was selected as the winning script having shown the most overall development.

“I have a background in writing stage plays but I’ve always wanted to start writing screenplays because I think so many of our stories translate well through the medium of film. Being a finalist in the Hairouna Film Lab scriptwriting competition gave me so much insight into my craft as a writer. The rigor of the mentoring process was exactly what I needed to sharpen my writing for the screen,” Peters-Clarke said.

“As we move into the pre-production phase, I am really excited about bringing this story to life and the opportunity to work with a talented Vincentian cast and crew, in order to produce something that is uniquely Vincy,” the Hairouna Film Lab 2021 winner added.

Grace Peters-Clarke is a Vincentian teacher residing in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She has written and directed for youth and community theatre and also enjoys writing and performing poetry. A member of ‘The Nucleus’, a Vincentian women-writers’ group, her work has been featured on BOCAS Lit Fest’s Stand and Deliver event and Intersect (Antigua).

At the heart of the story, “Cart Man” pays homage to an often overlooked part of Vincentian society. Peters-Clarke said she hopes that the film resonates with Vincentians and a wider audience, who will connect with Vince’s quest to rise above the challenges of poverty.

“Cart Man” will be further developed in the coming months and is scheduled to begin production this summer. Persons interested in auditioning for roles in the short film, “Cart Man”, are asked to email their particulars to cartmanfilmsvg.

Hairouna Film Festival is an equal opportunities social impact project that uses film to engage, revitalize and celebrate our beloved Caribbean culture. As a registered NGO, HFF is committed to promoting Vincentian and Caribbean creative voices across the globe through its annual film festival and mentorship programs.