THE inaugural Jamaica Film Festival is being hailed as a success by organisers as well as several international guest presenters who attended the five-day event.

Film commissioner Carole Beckford was all smiles as she presided over the closing ceremony inside the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on Saturday night.

She told the Jamaica Observer that having screened 20 hours of films, the international community now has better idea of the breadth and scope of talent and technical expertise that exists in Jamaica.

“The greatest thing for me is that we were able to lock down five venues in city Kingston while there were other options, including sports, and being able to coexist and pack the houses is great for me. There are obvious gaps which we have to work on. One of the most glaring is the quality of our scripts. Scriptwriting has to be tapped into and improved. We are strong technically, but we simply have to improve our scripts as we move forward,” said Beckford.

She further noted that the long-term yard sticks by which the festival’s success will be measured is how locally made films will progress through the international film festival circuit, and how much business will be generated for the networking opportunities which presented themselves.

Meanwhile, American actor Stephen Bishop announced that, based on his trip, he is going back to work on the possibility of creating “something”.

“This has been a really fantastic week. I have certainly learned a lot and this film festival is such a beautiful this which has the potential to grow. There is so much inspiration and passion here in Jamaica… you can see, feel and hear it. This is a burgeoning festival, so keep pushing and keep supporting,” said Bishop, who is best known for his work on the hit BET series Being Mary Jane.

American actor Basil Wallace, who sat on the festival’s advisory board, called for it to be supported.

“This is like the birth of a child. We have to help the festival grow and get stronger and become something of which we can be proud.”

Wallace, who has Jamaican roots, also charged local industry players to take advantage of their rich history and heritage.

“You have it here. It’s in the books we read as children and the stories we told. We don’t look in our own back yards. There is so much here to contribute…do it, the world is yours.”