Young Filmmaker Brings Belizean Childhood to Screen

At just twenty-two, Belizean filmmaker Niya Villanueva is turning a familiar childhood mission into a distinctly Belizean adventure. Her short comedy, Nine Ninety-Nine, follows two siblings as they hustle to buy their dream gaming console, only to discover there is plenty of fun beyond the screen. Produced through Good Gyal Productions, the film celebrates childhood, culture and outdoor play. Villanueva spoke with us about bringing the story to life and why she hopes local businesses will join the project by showcasing their brands through partnerships.

 

Niya Villanueva, Filmmaker

“Nine Ninety-Nine is this lighthearted Belizean children’s comedy about two siblings. Their names are Junior and Rella, and they go off on this crazy adventure of trying to raise money to buy their own gaming console. So they come up with these little childish, crazy ideas to try and raise money. The film is really a celebration of childhood. It’s kind of a callback to how the previous generation of children grew up, just playing outside, being rambunctious. Nine Ninety-Nine starts with these two siblings. They’re just entranced by this video game that they’re playing, and their mom is saying, You need to live your lives. You need to go outside.” So that’s when she destroys their gaming console and sends them outside, and they kind of go on this adventure. We’re actually giving Belizean businesses the chance to actually advertise their products within the film. So we have three partnership tiers based on your marketing budget and how much exposure you want to have in the film. So we have space for small businesses. We have space for larger businesses based on how much you can afford to spend with your marketing budget.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And how can anyone that wants to get in contact with you reach you?”

 

Niya Villanueva

“Yes. So on our website,  has a lot more information, and you can contact us on WhatsApp at 606-2608.”

 

The project is currently in its funding phase, with casting expected to begin in November and a release targeted for March.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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