The Department of Literatures in English, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona takes great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Mr. Storm Saulter as Filmmaker in Residence. Mr. Saulter’s appointment is for the second semester of the 2014/15 academic year and will run from January to May.
 
Jamaican-born Saulter created a sensation in Jamaica with the release of his debut feature, the award winning film, Better Mus’ Come, in 2011. The film is a sensitive and haunting account of Jamaica in the seventies, told from the perspective of a young man caught up in the violence of intense inter-party rivalry. The film attracted both popular and critical attention in the region and beyond, and has been described as heralding the arrival of a major new talent in Caribbean cinema. A graduate of The Los Angeles Film School, Saulter was director, screenwriter and director of photography for the film.
 
LA Times writer, Glenn Whipp, has said of Saulter that he “has a poet’s eye for detail” and captures “the beauty of his native country, even in its most extreme poverty.” Whipp stated that the movie’s title is a message of hope for the future but could easily apply to the filmmaker as well. Paying tribute to Better Mus’ Come, Craig Carpenter of the Huffington Post wrote: "There are some films that mesmerize like a slowly burning fire. The embers, glowing shades of red, gold, and orange, mixed with smoky black, pop and explode unexpectedly, and the sparks keep the onlooker from getting too close. That is exactly the feeling that is evoked in the new film by Storm Saulter....”
 
Better Mus Come has had theatrical releases in Jamaica and several cities in the USA as well as a television release on BBC in the UK. It has also been screened at numerous film festivals and has won several prizes including, Best Feature Film (Audience Award) at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, 2011; Best Feature Film (Viewer’s Choice) and Honorable Mention, Spirit of Freedom Award, both at the Bahamas International Film Festival, 2011; Best Director Award, Pan African Film Festival, 2012 in the USA; and Best Actor Award (for Sheldon Shepherd) at the American Black Film Festival, 2012 in the USA.
 
More recently, Saulter was Executive Producer for the groundbreaking anthology film, Ring Di Alarm! This film pioneered a new collective approach to filmmaking that may well be a successful model for independent film production in small localities. Produced by the New Caribbean Cinema (Film Collective), of which Saulter is Co-Founder, Ring Di Alarm! was released in Jamaica, Europe, the USA and Trinidad & Tobago.  
Saulter has been lauded locally for his contribution to cinema in Jamaica. He is the recipient of  The Jamaica Gleaner Honor Award in Entertainment for work in developing Jamaica’s Film Industry and was identified by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) as one of “50 Under Fifty Business Leaders Shaping Jamaica’s Future.” He was named by The Jamaica Observer as one of Jamaica’s most influential people. 
 
 Saulter’s impressive commercial credits include directing the music videos “Who Knows,” performed by Protoje and featuring Chronixx,   and Tarrus Riley’s “Shaka Zulu Pickney.” He has done commercial work for a number of big names in the corporate world including Puma, Digicel and Virgin Media, to name a few.
 
Saulter is also a talented photographer and visual artist whose work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Jamaica.
 
During his tenure at the UWI, Mr. Saulter will be responsible for delivery of the course, “Creative Writing: Screen/Stage”. He will also be available to interact with students and offer guidance to those who are interested in the exciting world of filmmaking. Mr. Saulter’s presence at Mona will greatly enhance the Department’s Film Studies programme. Since 2012 the department has offered a Minor in Film Studies as part of its effort to diversify its programmes in order to meet the demands and diverse interests of a new generation of undergraduates.
 
The Department of Literatures in English Writer/Filmmaker in Residence programme was inaugurated in 2013 when writer, Dr. Kei Miller, who is also a graduate of the Department, was appointed to the post. Author, historian and social scientist, Dr. Erna Brodber, held the position in 2014.