“Born in Trench Town” is about the interwoven social, architectural and political histories of Jamaica’s most famous neighborhood. Dixon Myers is the executive producer of the film.
“This documentary has grown from a series of short films and video installations,” Pond said. “This process has provided a way to connect the dots across many hours of footage and to piece together a feature-length documentary.”
The film contains interviews and scenes of daily contemporary life in Trench Town. Many of the current residents have lived there since the beginning and have witnessed the entire history.
The small area of Trench Town has had a large impact on Jamaica. The his- tory of the place is told by its residents, with the intent to give them a voice in the national conversations in the 50th year of the country’s independence.
For younger generations who did not know the community before the violence started, perceptions and life are markedly different. The film travels from First to Seventh Street through the maze of holes in the walls that separate the yards, created when it was too dangerous to walk on streets, stopping along the way to consider the conditions that created the Trench Town of today.
“This project is unique; it is the result of many years of work on the part of the work of a handful of very dedicated people,” Pond said.
In addition to Myers, Jamaican ar- chitect Christopher Whyms-Stone is one of the collaborators on the project.
The documentary was shown in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sept. 12. To see Pond and Myers in an interview about the film, go to
“Born in Trench Town” will be shown at the Birmingham (Ala.) Museum of Art on Sept. 28. Pond said it will have a screening in Sewanee in the near future.
Pond is an associate professor of art and art history at the University; Myers is the director of outreach min- istries at All Saints’ Chapel.
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