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Kingston, Jamaica: – On Thursday, November 30, Jamaica’s film community lost its greatest legend. Legendary filmmaker and author, Perry Henzell, died at the age of 70.

Perry Henzell first came to worldwide acclaim when he wrote, directed and produced Jamaica’s first feature film, ‘The Harder They Come’. He authored ‘Power Game’: a powerful novel based on the political violence that wracked Jamaica in the seventies and a historical novel and ‘Cane’: set in the Caribbean during the turbulent era of 1780-1815 about an engineer who is deported to Jamaica as an indentured worker and deals with what Henzell calls “the geopolitics of sugar.”

Henzell’s second film, ‘No Place Like Home’ is an exploration and revelation of a tropical culture that is breathtakingly beautiful, spontaneously surprising, musically entertaining and politically revealing all at the same time.

Henzell’s most recently spearheaded the successful opening of the stage version of London’s newest hit musical, ‘The Harder They Come’, to rave reviews.

“Perry has been an icon in the Jamaican film industry and his legacy will live on. He will be deeply missed. I feel he had much more to give and hope that what he has done will help others. He was honoured in Toronto this year and I am delighted to know that he could see that he was not only recognised locally but also recognised internationally. It is so amazing that even after 30 years ‘The Harder They Come’ can have such a following, he has truly made a mark on Jamaica and Jamaicans. JAMPRO would like to convey our deepest sympathy to his family.” – Del Crooks, Film Commissioner, JAMPRO

“Perry is the godfather of film in Jamaica and as a filmmaker, I only hope to carry on his adventurous spirit and to carry the torch. He achieved the dream of any filmmaker: to create something that will forever be remembered as a classic. He set the bar very high and for that we are grateful because it means we have to do our absolute best. His spirit and energy is inspiring and we hope to be able to capture that spirit and energy at the Festival.” – Filmmaker Storm

“It is truly the death of a legend. Perry has always been a friend and a mentor to Jamaican filmmakers; he set the standard for us as filmmakers in Jamaica. Perry had been a patron saint to flashpoint and it is a honour to be premiering his last film, ‘No Place Like Home’ on Friday at the Flashpoint Film Festival.” – Co-Founder of Flashpoint, Paul Bucknor.

‘No Place Like Home’ was first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September this year but finally returns home at its Gala premiere at 7pm on Friday, December 1st at the 2006 staging of the annual Flashpoint Film Festival at The Caves, Negril. Firefly Films, The Caves, Island Outpost, JAMPRO, Phase 3, DB&G, Rockers Its Dangerous, 120DBF FILMS, Women’s Film Network, Palm Pictures, Final Draft, Digital Edge, On Que Productions, JTB, CVM TV and HYPE TV sponsor the festival.