A bestselling book about Bermuda’s 1977 riots could be turned into a feature-length film.

Author Jonathan Smith, director Lucinda Spurling, writer and actress Liana Hall and film-maker Alia Hamza have entered into a screenplay contract to write the adaptation of Island Flames .

“The all-Bermudian team is working on the screenplay and I’m confident in the vision that the compelling story of Island Flames can find a place in the global film marketplace,” said Mr Smith, a former Commissioner of Police and Progressive Labour Party senator.

“This Bermuda story of injustice, struggle, racial discrimination, transformation and reform resonates universally. It is essentially a triumph out of tragedy story, with moral issues, murder, social uprising, intrigue and elements of a political thriller.”

The screenplay was given a $10,000 financial boost by the Bermuda Government’s Cultural Legacy Fund last month and is set to be completed this year, at which time work on getting production and investment partners on board can begin.

“In the film industry, the screenplay is the commodity and is essential before any prospective producers and movie investors become contractually engaged to convert the screenplay into a successful feature film,” Ms Spurling, the owner of Afflare Films Ltd, said.

Mr Smith and Ms Spurling have previously worked together on an award-winning and internationally acclaimed documentary based on Mr Smith’s book, In the Hour of Victory.

Ms Spurling is certain that the film adaptation of Island Flames can be another global success, saying: “True stories crowd the Oscar podium every year and we are convinced there is room for Bermuda.”

Island Flames was released in October last year and is now in its second printing after selling out in 20 days. It is the first book about the murders, executions, Bermuda’s race problems and British policy that resulted in the “most extensive and deadly” riots in the island’s history.

Ms Hamza, a photographer and former broadcast journalist, described the collaboration to write the screenplay as an “incredible opportunity” for Bermuda to “tell its story to the world”.

“Gaining an understanding into the intricacies and influences of the period of history encompassed in Island Flames is not only fundamental to understanding the Bermuda we now live in and thus ourselves, but also to better understanding the dynamics of power and struggle,” she said.

Ms Hall added that there was an “increasingly vocal demand” internationally for diverse films, specifically those addressing the issue of minorities.

“Such subject matter allows for the involvement of actors and filmmakers who have historically been mostly excluded from these productions,” she said.

“The momentum in Hollywood for such stories and minority involvement is growing in force and the Island Flames team is committed to bringing this Bermudian story with universal themes to a wider audience.”

But Mr Smith stressed that the philosophy behind the collaboration also falls in line with the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s vision for the island as a film destination.

He said the film version of Island Flames had potential to put Bermuda on the map as a film production site, while also creating jobs and an injection of foreign capital in the production stage.

“We have the opportunity to produce this dramatic Bermudian story on an international scale with overseas partners,” he added.