L.A. Lewis - File

Many people think he is a madman, bordering on delusional, but film-maker Lloyd Laing plans to show the other side of L.A. Lewis in his documentary L.A. Lewis, The Real Deal?

Laing, the CEO and co-founder of Reggae News Corporation (operators of Riddim Jamaica Network), said he has known Lewis on a personal level and thought it fitting to make a film about him. However, he said it started out as "something almost like a spook documentary but we realised that there was a multidimensional side to L.A. Lewis. Points in the documentary move from absolutely riveting to absolutely ridiculous."

He said Lewis has been around for over 20 years as a figure in the entertainment industry.

"He's a character that has found himself in the echelons of the entertainment industry and society. Who doesn't know L.A. Lewis?," he questioned.

"We going to leave the viewers to decide whether L.A. Lewis is a comic, an urban legend, a character, or a con man. He's just an interesting multidimensional character that we decided to capture on camera."

natural environment

Laing said the filming process began about a month ago, showing Lewis in his natural environment, onstage at The Settlement that was held in St Thomas recently and where he grew up. At that point, he said Lewis' parents, friends and people who know him also got their chance to give their opinion of him.

"It's been a constant work in progress but we are moving swiftly. We are looking forward to getting it wrapped up. It's going to be of top notch quality," Laing told - THE WEEKEND STAR.

He said he is looking at a June premiere and "it's going to be the biggest local premiere for the year, very g**** root and to the point."

When that time comes, Laing said people will want to watch the film for different reasons.

"I think they (people) are going to come because it's so interesting. I think people going to turn out for different reasons. Many going to come out of curiosity or to get comedic relief and they are going to find that he is a very different character," he said.

"The biggest thing is that you going to see the deeper side to L.A. Lewis. I decided to show Jamaican people that other side for them to reassess and make their own judgement."

But LA Lewis, The Real Deal is part of a bigger picture, as it is part of a project series Laing is doing called Urban Legend. The next personality that will be explored is Althea Laing, Jamaica's and the Caribbean's first model to appear on the cover of Essence an international magazine.