As Panazz: The Story is celebrated in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to mark World Steelpan Day, former Panazz leader and musical director Barry Bartholomew is reflecting on the unlikely journey that transformed a Harvard school assignment into an internationally acclaimed documentary.
The screening, hosted at the Martin Luther King Auditorium in collaboration with the T&T Embassy, will be followed by a question-and-answer session featuring Bartholomew and featured pannist Dane Gulston.
For Bartholomew, the occasion is more than another international screening. It marks another milestone for a project that began with no ambitions beyond helping his nephew complete a university assignment.
The story began in the spring of 2023, when Harvard student Adam Bartholomew approached his uncle after being assigned to write a report on a music group that had broken boundaries. Choosing Panazz was an easy decision. The group was a Trinidadian jazz Steelpan ensemble formed in 1992 that featured Bartholomew, Gulston and renowned pannist Natasha Joseph, among others.
Bartholomew said his kitchen became the first production set, where the pair mapped out the band’s history and timeline before interviewing former members. At the time, there were no thoughts of producing a feature film.
“It was just an uncle helping his nephew with a school project,” Bartholomew recalled. “We honestly had no clue this was going to go any further than hopefully a good grade.”
Interviews with Dane Gulston and Donnel Thomas quickly convinced him the project held far greater potential.
As the musicians revisited memories of the band’s pioneering years, Bartholomew said the conversations revealed an emotional and entertaining story that deserved a wider audience.
After Adam returned to Harvard, he spent two months editing the interviews, archival material and music into a documentary that earned an A+ from his professors.
Rather than ending there, Bartholomew believed the documentary could become a feature-length film capable of connecting with audiences throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
He secured a late entry into the T&T Film Festival in 2023 under the Student Film category after submissions had officially closed. The following months were spent reshaping the project, trimming its running time, expanding its emotional depth and searching for photographs, video footage and music that would bring Panazz’s story to life.
Bartholomew said he wanted viewers to understand not only the band’s musical achievements but also the close family bond shared by its members.
One of the most significant changes was renaming the documentary from The Story of Panazz to Panazz: The Story, a title he felt carried greater impact and produced a stronger visual identity.
Some of the film’s most moving moments came while recording interviews with former members Yohan Popwell and Keith Coombs.
Both men had faced serious health challenges in recent years.
Popwell, despite his illness, insisted on participating in the documentary. Coombs, whom Bartholomew had spent years trying to locate, was eventually found through one of his brothers living in a care facility.
Bartholomew described both interviews as deeply emotional and among the most memorable moments of the production.
Like many film projects, the production also encountered unexpected setbacks that threatened its completion, although Bartholomew chose not to elaborate on those challenges.
The hard work paid off when Panazz: The Story captured the People’s Choice Award at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.
He credited numerous photographers and filmmakers who freely provided archival material, including Abigail Hadeed, Maria Nunes, Lisa Fernandez, Earl Lovelace, Lukkee Chong and Timmy Mora, saying their generosity strengthened the final production.
The documentary entered a second phase of development in 2024 after Carnival, when Bartholomew began thinking beyond local audiences.
Although Adam initially believed the film was already complete, Bartholomew persuaded him that several additions could significantly improve its international appeal.
The production underwent extensive technical upgrades, including conversion to surround sound at a London studio to better showcase Panazz’s recordings in cinemas. Trinidadian sound engineer Graham Carr joined the team, helping oversee audio improvements, enhanced visuals and multilingual subtitles.
Bartholomew also expanded the documentary by incorporating sweeping images of Trinidad and Tobago’s culture and landscapes, allowing international audiences to experience the country alongside its music while also creating a sense of nostalgia for nationals living abroad.
Additional interviews featured managers Lisa Ghany and Barry Tom Yew, Trinidad All Stars manager Nigel Williams, drummer Richard Joseph, pannist Sheldon Webster, saxophonist Arturo Tappin and percussionist Ernesto Garcia.
Among Bartholomew’s favourite additions were appearances by his mother, Marina, whom he credits as being instrumental in Panazz’s formation, and Pasqualina “Aunty Pasqui” Villain, whose warmth and support made her beloved by every band member.
The upgraded version premiered in August 2024 to coincide with World Steelpan Day, receiving an enthusiastic response from audiences impressed by the improvements.
The film’s international journey accelerated throughout 2025 with screenings across Barbados, London, Toronto, Washington DC, Japan, New York and Miami.
For the New York and Miami events, Trinidad All Stars joined the programme, creating what Bartholomew described as the perfect partnership given the close ties between Panazz and the legendary steel orchestra.
He said the emotional reactions and packed audiences at every destination made the demanding international tour worthwhile.
Looking back, Bartholomew said he remains grateful for the decade he spent performing alongside musicians who became family and for the opportunity to preserve their story on film.
His one regret, he said, is that his father, Courtenay, who loved jazz and was immensely proud of Panazz, was not alive to witness the documentary.
He also acknowledged the support that helped bring the production to audiences around the world, thanking sponsors Carib Beer, Antron Forte, Robin Cumberbatch, John Hadad, former trade minister Paula Gopee-Scoon and Akua Leith of Mittco, whose partnership helped secure promotional support through the Harvard Steel programme co-founded by Adam.
