“Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution,” a documentary film that examines the rise and implosion of the Maurice Bishop-led People’s Revolutionary Government (1979-1983) of Grenada will have its New York premiere on Friday, June 20 at the Main Auditorium, Medgar Evers College, CUNY, commencing at 6:00 p.m. The film, which runs approximately two hours, focuses on events in 1983 surrounding the execution of Prime Minister Bishop, cabinet members and civilians and the subsequent U.S. military invasion in alliance with certain governments in the region.
The film was produced and directed by the noted documentary filmmaker Dr. Bruce Paddington. This special screening is being presented by the Caribbean Awareness Committee in conjunction with the Medgar Evers College Film & Culture Series and the film’s producer.
“Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution” utilizes archival footage, some of it never before publicly shown, and interviews with a number of key participants to raise some profound questions about this tragic and pivotal turn of events in Caribbean history – a sequence that began in 1979 with the dramatic wresting of power from Grenada’s then prime minister Eric Gairy by Bishop’s New Jewel Movement.
Roger Toussaint, former president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and a member of the Caribbean Awareness Committee, said: “The Grenada experience impacted the course of struggles throughout the Caribbean and beyond. This film makes a valuable contribution to those of us concerned about the way forward to a progressive Caribbean.”
The film’s New York premiere at Medgar Evers was deliberate scheduling, in light of and intended for the large Caribbean immigrant population domiciled in the borough. Other screenings of the film are scheduled for Harlem (June 21), Lower Manhattan (June 26) and Rochester, NY (June 27).
The Medgar Evers screening will be followed by a Q & A session with a panel comprising Dr. Paddington, Grenadian academic Dr. Paul Clement and Toussaint as moderator. Admission to this screening is free and open to the general public. The Medgar Evers College auditorium is located in the main campus building, 1650 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, at Crown Street.
For further information, contact Caribbean Awareness Committee at: 718-532-6347. The film’s trailer may be accessed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzDAIZFESkQ.
