With determination, adequate financial support, and a whole lot of luck, a simple idea can become a full-on production, destined for the big screen. Just ask Ina Sotirova, the Bulgarian-born Jamaican film director who recently unveiled her idea in the form of the short film Stinky Mango, a story of a grieving father who is left to raise his child after the death of the child’s mother and the love of his life.
The short film is emotional and uncompromising in its portrayal of grief, but tapping into the psyche of a grieving Jamaican man was not something taken lightly. “Obviously, I’m neither a man nor someone who was in Jamaica in the ’80s, and Stinky Mango happens in the ’80s,” said Sotirova.
In an effort to maintain authenticity, Sotirova and her producer, Joan Webley, acting on the advice of a mutual friend, gathered a group of Jamaican men together and asked them what they thought. “A friend came over … she was, like, ‘Why don’t we just get some of our male friends together and just pick their brains?’ I was, like, that is one fabulous idea. So each of the three of us invited a few of our male friends under a mango tree,” recalled Sotirova.
The session provided insight into how the men in her social circle thought, giving her a foundation to develop her characters, but perhaps an even greater revelation from the activity was the title Stinky Mango. “I was looking up different ice-breaker ideas, and one of those was called Stinky Fish … . for everybody to draw a fish on a piece of paper and to write inside something that really bothers them that they don’t really talk about. So I changed it to a mango.”
Each member of the group was confronted with ideas that relied on their deep introspection. “It was really interesting and touching to see how the themes just resonated with everybody … I was asking them questions like, what are some of your childhood memories or memories of your grandfather or challenges with your father? … I was able to get some really interesting insights into their experiences.”
Aside from research for a short film, the gathering was spoken of fondly by all involved. “They all said it was really amazing …They did feel like it was a really great outlet to be in that safe space and to talk about things they don’t often get to talk about … or the emotions they don’t have anywhere else to let out,” shared Sotirova.
Stinky Mango is intended to spark such cathartic conversations like the one she hosted under a mango tree. “Ultimately, we do want the film to be a doorway to change the conversation around mental and emotional well-being, particularly in men and boys. One of the things I’ve been trying to push is a social impact campaign to take the film into schools, workplaces, [and] communities,” Sotirova told The Sunday Gleaner.
The conversations under the mango tree broke through, and within days, Sotirova went from a blank page to a starting point. “That happened on a Saturday, and by Monday, I had the first draft of the script,” she recalled.
The film stars Sheldon Shepherd, who is billed as both co-writer and producer of the short. Shepherd was not only among the gathering of men assembled by Sotirova but was her first choice to play the role.
“I did invite him because I had him in the back of my mind that I wanted him to be the lead,” she said. Shepherd and Sotirova had discussed working together previously, but when Stinky Mango began to take shape, Shepherd’s familiarity with the project made him an easy choice.
Shepherd’s performance in the film is heartbreaking, but it would be nothing without his frequent scene partner, Menackem Wilmot, who makes his on-screen debut with the film. Sotirova knew Wilmot as the older brother to her son’s friend, and despite several screen test auditions, it was Wilmot who stuck in her mind as her choice.
Casting the film was an instinctive process for Sotirova, with many of her choices made while relying on her gut. At one point she describes coming to the realisation that the person she had started working with to play a key role in the film wasn’t the right choice, an epiphany brought to the director while dancing. “Dancing is like my meditation and my ultimate place of peace and complete freedom … I just remember suddenly thinking, ‘Why am I working with somebody else when I wrote that character with someone else in mind?’” recalled Sotirova.
The short film marks her first foray into a live-action narrative. Previously, her film-making eye gave way to the animated short Agwe in 2018, and the documentary film freedom2dance in 2012. With no experience in live action, and tackling the precarious issue of men’s mental health, it is not surprising that Sotirova had to overcome a handful of doubts.
Sotirova’s real passion is to develop the world of Stinky Mango into a feature film dubbed Mango Magic. “That’s where the whole idea of Stinky Mango came about. I didn’t want to just do a fundraising trailer or to just film one scene and have that speak for the movie … There’s no satisfactory ending that way. I wanted it to have a life of its own, and so I said I want to do a short film. So that’s how I decided I could do the backstory,” said Sotirova.
Premiering at the Skylark Film Festival in 2024, S tinky Mango has certainly been satisfying. The short film received the award for Innovative Storytelling at the Films That Move Film Festival. Sotirova hopes the short’s success will prove that she’s more than worthy of the investment that will bring Mango Magic closer to being a reality.
Stinky Mango had a sold-out showing on Thursday at the Bob Marley Museum, with Sotirova performing a live audio description for visually impaired members of the audience, ensuring that the film’s emotional message would be heard loud and clear.
Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.
