Ky-Mani Marley Debuts as Actor, Writer, Co-Director, and Producer in “Vendetta”

by Howard Campbell

[SOUTH FLORIDA] – Being the child of Bob Marley, Ky-Mani Marley was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and sing roots, rock, reggae. He has, but inside his heart lies  another passion.

Ky-Mani is big into movies and won strong reviews for his roles in One Love and Shottas. He is currently wrapping production on Vendetta for which he wears multiple hats.

The 45 year-old has the lead role of Ice. He also wrote Vendetta’s screenplay, co-directed it with Antoine Smith and serves as executive producer.

Though he has made several cameos in other films since Shottas, that 2002 drama in which he played Biggs, is Ky-Mani’s most memorable role to date.

It co-starred Spragga Benz, Paul Campbell, Wyclef Jean, DJ Khaled and Assassin (aka Agent Sasco).

Shottas’ raw urban energy has earned it a hardcore following in Jamaica and the Diaspora. That base has grown through regular showing on cable channels like Prime.

Vendetta, Ky-Mani notes, has a different theme.

“It’s not Shottas which was a typical Jamaican movie. For this one, it was important to have an international flavor,” he said.

Vendetta, which is actually its working title, has a budget of $1.5 million.

Ky-Mani was born in Falmouth, Trelawny, western Jamaica. His mother is Anita Belnavis, a Jamaican table tennis prodigy in the 1970s.

He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s and released a number of well-received albums. Many More Roads, released in 2001, was nominated for a Best Reggae Album Grammy Award the following year.

Acting Lessons

Since Shottas, he has been hooked on the movie industry. To sharpen his skills, Ky-Mani has taken online screenplay writing classes and personal acting lessons.

He and his crew began shooting on  Vendetta in South Florida early this year.

Production is expected to wrap by November 22. Ky-Mani hopes Vendetta will be released in spring 2022.