Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan - Film screening

Join us at Kensington Central Library for a special screening of 'Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan', an award-winning documentary about the history of the steelpan (or steeldrum) from its inception in Trinidad & Tobago to reaching various parts of the world. This 42-minute piece is the first half of a two-part documentary.

The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with the producer Charysse Tia Harper and the director Keith Musaman Morton and a 20 minute live steelpan session.

About the film makers:

Charysse Tia HARPER

Being a dual citizen of the United States and Trinidad & Tobago, Charysse Tia Harper has focused projects on her Trinidad culture: award-winning film, The Other Side of Carnival; T&T 50 in Fifteen and Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan and Part 2: Pan Worldwide; and on her American identity: award-winning documentary, 12 Months, First Weekend February and Insurance: Putting Newark on the Map. She created Xplore the World in 2010 to further this mission.

Charysse holds BA degrees in Cinema and Journalism, an MA in Management/Leadership and International Relations and MSc in International Diplomacy and Security. Under Xplore the World, she has worked with various organizations, including the American Red Cross, British Film Institute, National Health System (NHS) and CNC 3 (national news network of Trinidad & Tobago). This coincides with her love of experiencing new cultures and meeting new people as she has lived in Trinidad & Tobago, the United States and United Kingdom.

Amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, Charysse made The Jill of the Trade (2021), a documentary short that highlights women from around the world who work in male-dominated industries. It won Best Documentary at Conch Shell International Film Festival and received an honorable mention at Fem Film Festival. Charysse is in the development stage of Las Matadoras, a feature-length documentary about three female bullfighters. She is also the producer of an ongoing Nigerian miniseries, Not In Our Culture, which showcases unique tribal customs in the country. Charysse currently resides in London.

Keith Musaman MORTON

Keith Musaman Morton is an award-winning filmmaker from Birmingham, UK. He holds a BA in Third World Studies and History from Middlesex University in London, along with qualifications in Video and Audio Techniques from Kensington and Chelsea College.

A lifelong passion for Black History, arts, culture and literature led him to establish his production company, KOMONOPROMO in 2010. That same year, he completed his debut film Day One, a short drama exploring motherhood, love and sacrifice. The film won the Audience Award at the New York International Film Festival in 2011.

Keith later shifted his focus to documentary filmmaking, co-creating Panomundo, a two-part exploration of the steelpan's origins and its global cultural impact: Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan and Part 2: Pan Worldwide.

He is currently developing two major projects: Homecoming, a documentary examining Ghana's Project Joseph initiative inviting descendants of enslaved Africans to return, live and work in the country; and Muscle, a narrative feature following a security company owner determined to uncover who is trying to take his life.

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