| Last night on the news - you heard all the ruckus coming out of the Belize International Film Festival over the judges' choice of the Best Belizean Film.
The film that won is named Mrs. Robinson - a charming story of 83 year old Patricia Robinson - who - after five decades in Belize returned to England to live out her last years.
Robinson was the British wife of a Belizean born creole, Eugene Robinson - and the couple made their life in Belize.
Part of that life is Thomas Hines - Patricia's grandson - who grew up in Belize and is now studying film-making in the UK.
The judges thought his film was the best, but his local competitors thought it somehow wasn't Belizean enough.
Today we spoke to Hines via telephone. He's studying in the UK - and told us his film is Belizean through and through:
Thomas Hines - Winner, Best Belizean Film, BIFF (Via Telephone)
"No, not at all, I am not hurt, I wouldn't say. I entered the film to get a chance in Belize because that's where I'm from, Canaan High School. You really can't more Belizean than that. I didn't enter it thinking I would win, the success is a surprise. I am a bit sorry, not hurt; nor do I feel any agression toward it. I feel that it should be a natural. Everyone is saying that it's a British character, and not a Belizean actor, and it wasn't flimed in Belize. But it is."
Jules Vasquez
"Is this something that may stop you in the future from saying that you are a Belizean film-maker?"
Thomas Hines
"No, not at all, I'm a Belizean film-maker through and through. I was born and raised in Belize. The main reason for me being in the UK is to get my skills in film-making up to a level that I can come back to Belize. Just because we're white or anything like that, doesn't mean that we're not Belizean. As I said, my grandfather moved to the country of Belize, and my grandmother has been there for most her life. So, I don't see why any this even happened. People are actually complaining about it. They should look into the history of our family, and then they'll actually realize that we're Belizean from a long time ago."
You can see his 15 minute film on VIMEO - and you can find a link to that at7newsbelize.com
http://vimeo.com/42588145 | 