They have labelled it as Kumar Gaurav's Super Hit.

It's showing at Albion Woodside in Toronto, starting Tomorrow.

A must see.

True to life, that's what we need with Indian films. I take it, this film is more like arthouse?

Seems to be doing pretty good at Albion as it's being expanded to Woodside as well from Tomorrow. More than doubling the # of shows; at the cost of all other films being taken off, except Dhoom.

It sure will get into the art ckt and may even make it to main stream cinemas.

Looks like, this film released on one or two prints only. No chance of bootleg copies, then.

Releasing on two prints, the film is doing extremely well whereever shown. New York first, now in Toronto.

http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2004/0GU38.php

Synopsis
The abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean in 1834 prompts The Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Company in Calcutta, a part of the East India Company, to recruit Coolies from India to fill the resulting labor void. The company hires Sinha, a fierce small timer who sells dreams of El Dorado to the unsuspecting, impoverished Coolies. They are signed to five-year contracts as indentured servants. Upon arrival the Coolies' arrival in British Guiana in 1838, the British planters promptly enslave them to ensure that the growth of sugar in the British West Indies will continue uninterrupted. John Scoble of the British and Foreign Anti Slavery Society arrives on the colony a year later to discover a new form of slavery; this time on the backs of Indians.


Weekend Chart RecordDate Rank Gross % Change Theaters Per Theater Total Gross Days
9/24/2004 48 $70,910 1 $70,910 $70,910 3
10/1/2004 58 $35,970 -49.27% 1 $35,970 $106,880 10
10/8/2004 68 $16,610 -53.82% 1 $16,610 $123,490 17
10/15/2004 68 $21,366 +28.63% 2 $10,683 $144,856 24

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First 3 weeks must be the NY showing and 4th week Toronto & NY.

It seems to be destined to make trips to various cities with the producer present in the showings. Of special interest to West Indian audiences, curious to learn about their roots.

Seems to be doing very well. Now (don't know since when), it has moved to main stream theatre in Toronto. In Toronto listings it shows as 8th week in Toronto, 4 shows daily at Square One.

Still playing in its 10th week at Big Screen Big Sound Theatre in Toronto:

http://www.cinemaclock.com/aw/cmva.aw?p ... uiana_1838

"Guiana 1838"

Playing this week at:

Square One (Cineplex Odeon)
100 City Centre Drive, Mississauga
Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:45

Bump

viewtopic.php?t=8560

Seems to be a money maker! But at what price, I'm apalled to read the the following .



Guiana 1838 POSTED Fri Dec 10 [2:14 AM] BY seacrsd

Rohit Jagessar film Guiana 1838 bring to life colonial struggle and for this Jagessar should be lauded. It is Absconding the way colonialism was practised to its people in many parts of the world. Whats more absconding is the manner the colonial masters fooled the working class during the period od slavery and indenturship. My family share the history of indentur labor when they came to west indies to earn money and work for better lives for themself. Guiana 1838 bring the story of the people for the people to know and understand more and more of what happen in many part of world wide. My great grand father came from india and he said the journey was hard and difficult and many died on the ship whcih bring him and people from india and far countries for working in many country like Guyana and Trinidad and Surinam too. Many people I know live in colonial time and they always talk about how the masters use to work them in the field and not pay them enough money for working in the field of the plantation when the month up. I wish more films will be made to tell the story like what happen in many countries with many people of the many part of the world. Even in Surinam people went to work and they hardly went back to india even now.



I like the history POSTED Tue Nov 9 [1:47 PM] BY filmz1

Guiana 1838 by Rohit Jagessar let us in a marvelous part of colonial history.



Absconding!! POSTED Mon Oct 18 [5:31 PM] BY ebookpublisher

Guess what, the PHONE & FAX numbers of the famous - or should I say infamous direct Rohit Jagessar has been disconnected.

I tried to reach their office today(Monday 18th October) to congratualate him of his marverous achievement and to my surpirse, looks like there is a deliberate effort to vanish!

I started searching on the www and came across this article, of crew not being paid, and really felt sad for the crew who might have not even got a mention/credit in the film.

Can anybody post here his whereabouts, phone number?



does any one know? POSTED Wed Oct 13 [10:59 AM] BY kalynn jenkins

how many independant theater are there that show indie films?
mailto:kay4production@hotmail.com



He can pay now POSTED Mon Oct 4 [6:54 PM] BY jpsmalwood

I'm glad mister Jagessar's film has done so
well. After reading the comments from the
other Indiewire readers, I can see he, like
many Indie film makers, hasn't paid up his
entire crew. I guess he has no excuses for
not paying them now. The burden of
success.



SHAME ON MR JAGESSAR! POSTED Mon Oct 4 [5:22 PM] BY Registered indieWIRE Member

I am a new york based independant filmmaker and i am shocked to read how mr Jagessar's cast and crew have been treated on his shoot! how can you possibly be so dishonnest with the people who made your vision happen on screen and then run away from your obligations!! how ironic to make a film on slavery and behave like that! shame on you mr Jagessar! you do not deserve the title "filmmaker" you are dishonoring our wonderful profession!



GUIANA 1838 POSTED Mon Oct 4 [2:49 PM] BY robinlaine

It's GREAT news that GUIANA 1838 is breaking box office records. It's BAD news that director Rohit Jagessar has yet to pay many of the actors and technicians who made his film possible. I am a British actor who played a small supporting role in Rohit's movie. I admire his vision and drive in making GUIANA 1838 against all the odds, but he only did it thanks to the good will, skill and endurance of his cast and crew. If you see the movie and like what you see, remember a lot of people who made it possible have yet to be paid and Rohit Jagessar is contractually in default. Write in and support us! E-mail Rohit and tell him what you think: mailto:RBCRADIOINDIA@aol.com




I was a slave in Guiana POSTED Mon Oct 4 [11:45 AM] BY guiana slave

I worked on the "record breaking" film Guiana 1838 and I would like to inform the Indiewire readers that this is a film that exploited it's crew to the extreme and deserves no accolades.

This film was made using a small crew from America (NY and LA) that trained Guyanese locals in the art of filmmaking. Camera, G&E, Art and Makeup departments all had local crews. While it was an amazing experience to work with the wonderful people of Guyana the producers and director were dishonest, deceitful and disrespectful for the entire duration of the project. To date I have not been fully compensated for my work there and know this is the case with the rest of the crew. I have never been treated so poorly on a job and have not even received so much as a "thank you" for my work.

A film like Guiana 1838 should not be praised or credited with breaking any record. I have worked on eleven non-union feature films and know that every film has it's war stories but in this case they simply are too numerous to mention. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about - Guyanese crew members were told repeatedly "whites eat first" and local extras were regularly put into hazardous situations without any safety precautions. They worked with fire when there were no fire extinguishers on set and were put into sinking boats in the middle of the night with not even a list of names of those onboard. ALSO at no point in time were the women of the crew thanked for any of their efforts.

Guiana 1838 is an example of what is wrong with independent film today. There are people in the world who think it is so easy to make a film that anyone can do it. Rohit Jagessar does not seem to realize that he did not make this film, a crew of dedicated professional technicians and the local people of Guyana did. We went to Guyana despite all doubts and reservations about the production team and judging by his total lack of communication with us since we have returned from Guyana he has yet to understand that filmmaking is a collaborative process and he would not have had a premiere if it were not for an amazing cast and crew.


Thank you for listening.



Shady operations in "Guiana 1838" POSTED Mon Oct 4 [10:48 AM] BY ilchick7

I hear the crew of "Guiana 1838" is still waiting to get paid. You guys should rally together and halt the release until you get what's owed you!


http://www.indiewire.com/biz/biz_040929boxoffice.html

I know it's old news, but I hope he took care of his bills!