Words by Romola Lucas
Caribbean filmmakers are making their mark in world cinema, telling stories which take viewers beyond the sun, sea and Carnival fun. Tapping into our rich story-telling heritage, from the likes of Br’er Anansi to Paul Keens-Douglas to the Mighty Sparrow, they are offering deeper, darker, more-nuanced stories about what island life is really like, and shaping their collective creative vision.
This year, we saw the global theatrical release of Bazodee, starring Machel Montano; the premiere of two locally-produced feature films at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival; and an Oscar-qualifying run for Haitian director Raoul Peck’s latest documentary. There was also the entrance of a third significant film festival dedicated specifically to Caribbean film, in Miami’s Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival.
Much still needs to be done. Greater accessibility to films for people living in the region, and more opportunities to see films made in other Caribbean countries, including the French, Spanish and Dutch Caribbean, would be welcomed. But we are looking forward to 2017, and the release of the many upcoming films we know are in the works.