by Howard Campbell
PORT ST. LUCIE – “Foolish Advice”, Jamaican Stavan Whyte’s Bible-inspired drama, premiered at the Tradition Town Hall in Port St. Lucie on September 22.
Whyte described audience reception to his first movie as overwhelming and plans to show it in other Florida cities with strong Jamaican and West Indian populations.
“The next shows will be in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale in November. Pre-sold tickets will go on sale shortly,” he disclosed.
Whyte said the Jamaican community in Port St. Lucie came out in numbers for the premiere. He estimates over 400 patrons were in attendance including religious leaders.
He and his wife Zaina are the driving force behind marketing the independently-funded movie which took two years to complete. It has an all-Jamaican cast headed by Whyte who plays Jonathan; Sandra Chin plays his wife Suzie.
An ordained minister, the South Florida-based Whyte wrote the screenplay which is based on Hosea, the Old Testament prophet, and his troubled relationship with his wife Gomer.
Whyte, who is originally from Kingston, put up most of the $10,000 to produce Foolish Advice which was filmed in Port St. Lucie, Palm Bay and Miami. His previous credits include the theatrical plays, For Better For Worse and God Over Obeah.
Shirley Petersen as Suzie’s mother; Belinda Bartley as Dawn and Tano Bogle, who plays Jonathan’s boss, are the other main characters in Foolish Advice.
Though he studied film at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Whyte is known in Jamaica as Stavan Peninsilyn, who along with Eric Donaldson has the distinction of being the only artists to win the Festival Song Contest in successive years.
His victories came in 2003 and 2004 with Jamaican Tour Guide and Ole Time Jamaica.
