Shotta Culture: Jamaican Movie ‘Out The Gate’ to Play U.S Theaters

Words by Jesse Serwer

Jamaica has produced its share of well-known movies (The Harder They Come, Dancehall Queen, etc.), but very few have caught on at theaters internationally, even in the diaspora capital of New York City. According to R. Steven Johnson and Qmillion (collectively known as the Village Brothers), the directors of the upcoming Out the Gate, their film will be the first to screen at multiple NYC theaters since the 1990s, starting in May. The movie, about a Jamaican who moves to Los Angeles to make it in the music industry only to get caught in the usual shotta business when the Don of LA wants his due, stars Paul Campbell (of Dancehall Queen, Third World Cop and Shottas fame), dancehall artist Everton “E-Dee” Dennis and yardie TV/comedy legend Oliver Samuels. It opens at AMC Bay Plaza Cinema 13 and Whitestone Multiplex Cinemas in the Bronx,  Linden Blvd Multiplex Cinemas in Brooklyn, and Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas in Queens on May 13, before heading back home to Jamaica and traveling to the other key expat markets: Miami, Toronto and London. Check the trailer below, and read an interview with the directors here.