Film and stage mogul, Tyler Perry, is releasing the sequel to his popular movie, Why Did I Get Married? this Friday. The highly anticipated Why Did I Get Married Too? has been introduced via two premieres, one held in New York and, virtually unprecedented, the other in the Bahamas, where the movie was filmed.
Island officials want to use the U.S. attention as a platform to help people around the world to discover the true beauty of the Carribean Islands with “the clearest waters on the globe.”
“The last film of such magnitude that premiered here was 30 years [ago] for Sidney Poitier’s Buck and the Preacher,” said Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, the Minister of Tourism for the country.
Perry, being the groundbreaker that he is, has possibly — if the Tourism Ministry has anything to do with it — ended the drought.
“It’s not every day that we have somebody of the stature of Tyler Perry, who loves The Bahamas… enough that he not only shot a film [here] but he also purchased real estate. So he’s showing his commitment to the country; he loves this country,” said Tourism Director General, Vernice Walkine.
By shining the light on not only the country’s lesser-known jewels like the island of Eleuthera, where the movie was shot, but also the Bahamian people and their culture via the red carpet, black-tie movie premiere, Bahamian officials believe there will be a surge in interest from both the film industry and American tourists. The opulent affair was held at the breathtaking Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island and rivaled some of the most extravagant held stateside.
“I think for him to be able to say what a wonderful destination this is for a vacation, for filming and to live is the best testimonial we could ever hope for. Since he filmed in Eleuthera we saw it as a great opportunity for us to begin to communicate more effectively that we are more than just Nassau and Paradise Island,” Walkine added.
Perry expressed his adoration for the country: “It was great to come here to the Bahamas to let everybody know how much I appreciate them,” he said.
Eleuthera has been a quietly kept secret of the Bahamas, but it has captured the hearts of celebrities such as Mariah Carey, who owns property and married there; Lenny Kravitz, who built his dream recording studio there; and actor Johnny Depp, who built a private getaway on the tranquil island for himself and his kids.
There are many more great escapes besides Eleuthera, since Nassau only makes up 1.5 percent of the 29 islands that comprise the Bahamas.
–gerald radford
