The LargeUp Interview: “God Loves The Fighter” Director Damian Marcano

Interview by Jesse Serwer and Tishanna Williams

It’s been two years since Trinidadian director Damian Marcano’s God Loves the Fighter first caught our attention with its intriguing trailer and another since it became the talk of last year’s Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, the Caribbean’s largest annual film showcase. A redemption story set against the seedy underbelly of Port of Spain, it’s a strikingly dark film that’s in stark contrast to the images of Carnival, soca and sun that Trinidad prefers to beam out to the world. Yet it’s one that has been surprisingly well embraced at home, having sold out Trinidad’s largest movie theater night after night during its theatrical run there.

Now making the international festival rounds, the 96-minute feature (which co-stars our own Tishanna Williams) lands in New York City for its U.S. premiere at the UrbanWorld Film Festival in Manhattan this Saturday, Sept. 20th. We spoke with the Los Angeles-based Marcano—also he director of Machel Montano’s “H.M.A.,” among other videos for the soca star—about his debut feature, how Trinidad has changed.

Watch the trailer below, and click here to read the interview.

LargeUp: Tell us about your background, as a Trinidadian and as a film director?

Damian Marcano: I come from Morvant, Laventille. #21 Cassia St to be exact. I started directing when someone told me to study glass. Lenses to be exact.

LU: You’re based in California. How long had you been working toward making a full-length feature back home in Trinidad?

DM: Sitting in LA about four years ago, I was getting a little burnt out of the projects I was working on. So one weekend I took some time out and just wrote. I had an idea…but then I read a poem from Muhammad Muwakil of Freetown Collective. It made me feel like the entire idea I had written. And to sum it up….there was one line that I thought made sense…”God Loves The Fighter.”

LU: How did you go about finding and selecting the cast?

DM: The casting process was helped by Sonya Hernandez, a casting director out of Trinidad. But there were few roles that I didn’t think we would find from traditional casting. Roles like that of “Stone” played by Abdi Waithe.

LU: The movie is told by a vagrant. You made some shorts featuring actual vagrants from Port of Spain early on in the promotion of the film. What were you trying to show?

DM: They are regular people too. I see eye to eye with the vagrants. They are members of our society. I wanted them to be a part of the entire process. I saw a vagrant everyday on my way to school as a child. I was always amazed that no one ever paid attention to them. They actually made sense to me. Maybe I’ll be a vagrant one day.

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LU: Trinidad is known internationally for positive vibes–Carnival, soca, etc. Were you surprised that Trini audiences would embrace a movie this dark?

DM: I’m surprised that anyone other than the people who made this movie actually want to see it. Those who embrace it’s darkness are most likely privy to this view of our society. The others are most likely curious. Because they don’t go there.

LU: What other Trinidadian movies were you influenced, or would you recommend?

DM: Our film industry in Trinidad is developing, so I can’t say I had any influence. But I do watch everything. I like Santana. No, I love Santana. When LA gets too stressful, someone always sends me a clip of a new Santana episode and it always has me dying laughing. I think Roger Alexis has really caught onto our spirit of laughter. I hope he becomes world famous and can eventually increase his production value.

LU: What are your future plans as a director?
DM: I’m headed to Europe for the next three months, before our worldwide release. I’ll be shooting a short film that will also play at 2015 IFFR. Also I’m working on a US feature titled June.

LU: Soca is becoming more visually oriented. The videos have been upgraded significantly the last two years, and you’ve been a part of that with Machel’s “Represent” and “HMA” videos. Will you be making more soca videos? Where would you like to see them go stylistically?

DM: I definitely hope to make more soca videos. I can actually say that I have been affected by the soca culture. I enjoy bringing the artists’ ideas to life…along with a few of mine. Stylistically, I hope we can be up for international video awards. It’s not only a good opportunity for the artists but the filmmakers. Involving more brands is a way I’ve seen this advance in the U.S.

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LU:  Directors and writers are usually very attached to their projects and scripts yet you started the project with a script, and ended with an almost fully improvised movie. What made you change from one to the other?

DM: Well the script that we had was never to be orally delivered in that way. As I told the actors…those lines were for the subtitles. I wanted real “Trini”….and for that began the improvisation.

LU: How has the film been doing internationally since it’s release?

DM: After premiering at the TTFF13 the film has went on to CIFFR in Curacao, winning the Yellow Robin Award (excellence in Caribbean cinema). We then got invited to BET & HBOs URBANWORLD 2014. Next we will be heading onto Europe before our worldwide release.

LU: You sold out Movie Towne, the largest cinema in Trinidad multiple times during the film festival. Are there plans to show it again for local audiences?

DM: GLTF will definitely be in Trinidad again. We are working on distribution for the entire West Indies at the same time.

LU: There are so many actors, directors, authors that have made their mark on the world and are of Trinbagonian descent but never promote that part of their identity or “come back home” to work. What drives you to return?

DM: I am like Crix. You can find Crix in a house in West, East, North and South Trinidad. People love Crix.

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LU: 100% local talent portraying 100% local “behind the mas” life in T&T. Why portray something portraying that most  would rather hide about the place ?

DM: I am from that place they would rather hide. I am what happens when you give a young man from Morvant a chance. And I want those young men to be proud of where they come from. Lead by example.

LU: What would you like this movie to do for Trinidad and Tobago?

DM: I would like it to enhance and grow our film industry. You can’t help but care about your cast and crew. People you’ve spent three years of your life with. They took the biggest chance on me. So I hope others will take a chance on them. Trinidad has a lot of talent. GLTF is just one example.

LU: Having left Morvant, Trinidad at a young age, what stood out to you about the areas you returned to for the shoot?

DM: That the young men are still good at their core! Maybe more of us could stop pointing at a man when he’s down and offer him a hand to help him back up.