Just as Hollywood has been waiting to see what Oscar-nominated Benh Zeitlin would deliver for his second feature film, so have the people of Montserrat, but for a different reason.
Zeitlin spent a lot of time from 2012 to 2014 visiting Montserrat and writing his much anticipated film Wendy. Which is his take on the classic story of Peter Pan through the eyes of Wendy Darling, a little girl who takes off to Neverland with her little brothers. The 37-year-old filmmaker later returned in 2017 to film major portions of Wendy in the Exclusion Zone. Antigua and Barbuda, Mexico and New Orleans were also locations in the production.
Local residents and actors from Antigua also make appearances in the film. Yashua Mack, a little boy from the Nyabinghi Tribe at Creekside in Antigua stars as Peter Pan in the movie.
Local officials are working to host a screening of the movie once it makes it’s American debut on February 28, 2020. You can watch the first trailer below which includes stunning images of Montserrat and the Soufriere Hills Volcano. Please note the volcano has not erupted since 2010 and so the visuals in the film were created from old footage and CGI.
Co-writing credit on the movie belongs to his younger sister Eliza.
About the film – Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.
