Premieres and Festivals
World Premiere : Tribeca Festival – New York (US) – 29/04
Poland Premiere : Krakow Film Festival – Cracovie (PL) – 28/05
Europe Premiere : Midem Festival – Cannes (FR) – 06/06
Australia Premiere : Sydney Film Festival – Sydney (AU) – 07/06
World Premiere : Unesco – Paris (FR) – 19/06
UK Premiere : Film4 Summer Screen – Londres (GB) – 21/08
SYNOPSIS
A house filled with old vinyls perches on the hilltops of Kingston, surrounded by the ancient and impressive Jamaican scenery. its terrace overlooking the hills.
We hear the sound of percussion, a few guitar chords, brass and piano. Reggae vocals slice through the air, soaring into the mountains, and setting Jamaica alight with the music that has made it famous across the world.
On this very terrace, legendary voices of reggae unite: Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, Cedric Myton, The Viceroys, and Judy Mowatt. They have known each other forever, and the golden age of reggae has a lot to thank them for. They sang with the greats in the backyards of the ghettos, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff.
Now, these legendary musicians want to return to the musical, spiritual and political roots of their art and pass them on to younger generations.
This explains the name of their collective, a tribute to the backyards of houses where reggae was invented, in complete freedom, far from the studios and business deals: Inna de Yard means “in the backyard” in Jamaican patois.
It is an artistic, human and political experience that invites the listener to discover the true soul of reggae as well as its most colourful personalities; those who create, perform, and live it, and to whom it represents so much more than just a musical genre.
THE DIRECTOR PETER WEBBER
Peter Webber is a British director born in 1968.
Feature Films
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth marked the beginning of Peter Webber’s film career. The film received numerous awards, including three Oscar nominations, two Golden Globes nominations, and ten BAFTA nominations. Dino de Laurentis chose Webber to make HANNIBAL RISING . This film, starring Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li and Rhys Ifans, is based on the novel by Thomas Harris. In 2012, he directed EMPEROR, the WWII drama featuring Tommy Lee Jones. He also directed PICKPOCKETS for Netflix.
TV
In television, he directed Simon Russell Beale as Franz Schubert. He also explored the counter-culture of road protesters living in tunnels in UNDERGROUND. He made four mini series of MEN ONLY. In 2016, he directed the Tutankhamun miniseries with Sam Neill.
Documentaries
Webber is an award-winning documentary maker. He has directed several programmes for the BBC about classical music. He has also directed several documentaries about popular science. In 2009, he travelled to the remote Colombian Amazon to film the Macuna tribe in a documentary called THE SAND AND THE RAIN. For two years, he was the creative director of Qatar’s National Day. He also directed several documentaries including FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS, which won the grand prix at the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Grierson Award in 2012 for “best historical documentary”. He recently directed TEN BILLION and co-directed the documentary EARTH: ONE AMAZING DAY.
THE PRODUCERS
Borsalino : Since its creation in 2009, Borsalino Productions has consistently focused on presenting an eclectic line-up, combining popular appeal, cinematographic quality and international ambition. In 2016, its dynamic approach earned the company the “Francophone producer of the year” award at Angoulême Festival as well as numerous selections at major festivals, including four at the Cannes Film Festival.
When Wagram and its Chapter 2 label made us aware of the Inna de Yard collective, with its legendary artists and its acoustic model, it seemed to us the perfect premise for a major film about reggae in all its human and musical glory. Its goal: to touch French and international audiences who have already been won over by films like Buena Vista Social Club, Sugar Man and Amy.
Contact : borsalinoproductions@gmail.com
Wagram Films is the audiovisual production company of the Wagram Stories group. Wagram Films produces projects in which music plays a vital role. After participation in Orelsan and Christophe Offenstein’s film “Uncompleted Song” in 2015, Wagram Films co-produced Peter Webber’s “Inna de Yard” with Borsalino, as well as “Solidarité”, the second feature by Stéphane de Freitas (after “Speak Up”) which will be released on Netflix in early 2020. Wagram Films also develops series (live and animation), feature films and short films.
Contacts :
Arnaud Le Guilcher : arnaud.le.guilcher@wagram-films.com
Hubert Cornet : hubert.cornet@wagram-films.com
THE DISTRIBUTORS
FRANCE : LE PACTE
Le Pacte, created in December 2007, champions an eclectic line-up of French and international films of all genres, for which the defining criteria are enthusiasm, quality and originality.
WORLD : CHARADES
Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, Pierre Mazars and Constantin Briest founded Charades in January 2017, following successful tenures as head and VPs of International Sales at Wild Bunch, Gaumont and StudioCanal, respectively and Constantin Briest, founder of co-production and co-distribution company Asuna, is the financial partner.
A dynamic sales and co-production company based in Paris but with a global reach, Charades offers a fresh perspective and wealth of experience in international sales, packaging and distribution to films that interest the partners.
Contact : Jean Félix Dealberto – jeanfelix@charades.eu
LIST OF FOREIGN DISTRIBUTORS :
Germany/Austria : MFA
Switzerland : Frenetic
Scandinavia : Non-Stop
United Kingdom : Picture House
Australia/New Zealand : Vendetta Films
South Korea : At Nine
Taiwan : Filmware
China : DDDDream
Lebanon : Selim Ramia