The Retrospective programme centres and celebrates the film work of trailblazing Caribbean makers. For TTFF/25 we honour Trinidad and Tobago/Canada filmmaker, Richard Fung.
'Queen of soca’ follows the journey of Olivia, a singer from the slums of Trinidad who uses her talent to escape an impoverished life despite her religious mother’s determination to stop her from getting involved in soca music. As a track she records goes viral, Olivia is invited to participate in “The Greatest Show on […]
‘Queen of soca’ follows the journey of Olivia, a singer from the slums of Trinidad who uses her talent to escape an impoverished life despite her religious mother’s determination to stop her from getting involved in soca music. As a track she records goes viral, Olivia is invited to participate in “The Greatest Show on […]
The Retrospective programme centres and celebrates the film work of trailblazing Caribbean makers. For TTFF/25 we honour Trinidad and Tobago/Canada filmmaker, Richard Fung.
A hushed marvel of observational cinema, ‘Nocturnes’ invites viewers into the shadowy, flickering world of moths in the Eastern Himalayas, a remote ecological hotspot along the India-Bhutan border. With mesmeric micro-cinematography and an attuned sonic recording the film traces the nocturnal investigations of two observers drawn to the delicate grandeur of these often-overlooked creatures. ‘Nocturnes’ […]
Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Quisqueya and a hidden genocide. In 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo ordered the massacre of over 20,000 Haitian immigrants living in the Dominican Republic. Daphné Ménard, a Haitian theatre director, brought together actors from both parts of the island to work on an unprecedented creative […]
In the 18th century, enslaved Africans on an Island in the Caribbean revolted to fight for their freedom by using their forbidden cultural rituals and folklores, that creative resistance movement is the current day , “Caribbean Carnival”.
Forty years ago, scholar Philomena Essed sparked fierce public debate with her groundbreaking book, Everyday Racism. Once seen as controversial, the work is now recognised as a foundational text in the fight against racism. In this intimate and timely documentary, filmmaker Ida Does follows Essed’s enduring journey as a pioneer, thinker, and bridge-builder between generations. […]
‘Possible landscapes’ is a poignant exploration of intergenerational experiences of Caribbean environments, filmed across two seasons in Trinidad and Tobago. Across sugarcane fields, steep hillsides, on fishing boats and through dying coral reefs, the film presents intimate portraits of people in their daily lives and examines the impacts of colonial legacies, post-independence aspirations, and the […]
How do you raise a child when your own mother abandoned you? In a remarkable story of healing and forgiveness, Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin, renowned for performances in Def Poetry Slam and hit solo shows like MotherStruck!, radically re-imagines the essential art of mothering. In seeking her elusive mother – a trail […]
Join us for the Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival’s 2025 gala screening of ‘Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story’, directed by award-winning filmmaker Alison Duke. Share an unforgettable evening celebrating the music of Jamaican dancehall legend Sister Nancy, creator of the iconic anthem “Bam Bam.”
For centuries, Suriname’s Maroons have preserved ancestral traditions and resisted capitalist encroachment. But climate change and gold mining now threaten their way of life.
Born on a sugar plantation in rural Guyana to indentured Indian laborers, Cheddi Jagan rose from humble beginnings to become the Western Hemisphere’s first democratically elected Marxist leader.
‘Olivia and the clouds’ is a surreal exploration of love's complexities.
In the mid-1970s, Rico, a 9-year-old Haitian boy, was brutally taken from his native land along with Erzulie, his mother, to a strange planet called Canada. Since their arrival, a distance seems to have grown between mother and son. To regain the love of his mother, Rico will have to understand this New World populated […]
Harold Sonny Ladoo was the first Trinidadian and second Caribbean novelist published in Canada, yet remains little known beyond a circle of devoted readers.
In a gripping and unpredictable 20-year quest, director Juan Carlos Rodríguez showcases the poignant story of Vieques. Through intimate recollections, community voices, and archival footage, the film exposes the profound hardships endured by Viequenses before and after the US Navy’s departure in 2003, unveiling Vieques’ dire health situation throughout the years.
In this Venice Film Festival-winning feast of magical realist comedy, aging Ghanaian, Atta Oko, sets his sights on finally having his own boat and becoming the envy of his village.
On December 31st, 1999, the United States officially returned the control of the canal to Panama, honoring the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
All families keep secrets, says director Nayibe Tavares-Abel. Hers are intimately intertwined with the democratic history of the Dominican Republic. Tavares-Abel is an election observer for the 2020 elections. In May 1990, her grandfather Froilán Tavares, a respected lawyer and president of the Central Electoral Board, was blamed for the electoral fraud that would prolong […]
An unwanted pregnancy triggers the journey into adulthood for Makenya, a Dominican-Haitian teenager who lives in the Batey...
Featuring a murder, Cold War conspiracies, Black Power, the end of the Empire, and how that connects to the policing and surveillance practices of today, ‘Walter Rodney: what they don't want you to know’ feeds a growing appetite for history from a different perspective...
Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Quisqueya and a hidden genocide. In 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo ordered the massacre of over 20,000 Haitian immigrants living in the Dominican Republic.
Kinshasa, the capital city of 17 million people, is plunged into darkness and insecurity as its inhabitants struggle to access the light.
For centuries, Suriname’s Maroons have preserved ancestral traditions and resisted capitalist encroachment.
‘Isla familia’ follows independent journalist Abraham Jiménez Enoa over three years, from the arrival of the Covid pandemic in Cuba through his political exile in Spain.
In her solitude in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, filmmaker Malaury Eloi Paisley spends five years filming her relationship with people wandering in different worlds of the city.
Harold Sonny Ladoo was the first Trinidadian and second Caribbean novelist published in Canada, yet remains little known beyond a circle of devoted readers.
Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024, ‘All we imagine as light’ is a luminous debut fiction feature by Payal Kapadia that captures the quiet resilience of women navigating life in contemporary Mumbai.
A raw vision of love in a hostile Caribbean city, ‘Bionico’s Bachata’ follows a hopeless romantic, addicted to crack, who must take control of his life if he wants to marry the woman he loves.
On December 31st, 1999, the United States officially returned the control of the canal to Panama, honoring the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Behind the historic signing lay a complex web of international diplomacy and intrigue, steered by General Omar Torrijos.
‘Olivia and the clouds’ is a surreal exploration of love's complexities.
‘Possible landscapes’ is a poignant exploration of intergenerational experiences of Caribbean environments, filmed across two seasons in Trinidad and Tobago.
All families keep secrets, says director Nayibe Tavares-Abel. Hers are intimately intertwined with the democratic history of the Dominican Republic.
In this Venice Film Festival-winning feast of magical realist comedy, aging Ghanaian, Atta Oko, sets his sights on finally having his own boat and becoming the envy of his village.
‘The Disappearance of Miss Scott’ is an intimate and urgent reclamation of the life and legacy of Hazel Scott – Trinidadian born, virtuoso pianist, Hollywood trailblazer, civil rights crusader, and the first Black person to host a nationally syndicated television show.
In 1953, colonized Algeria, Fanon, a young black psychiatrist, was appointed head doctor at the Blida-Joinville Hospital.
After being elected to power in 1957, François Duvalier declared himself Haiti’s President for life in 1964, inaugurating one of the most bloodthirsty dictatorships of the 20th century – maintained through violent repression and brutal obscurantism.
How do you raise a child when your own mother abandoned you?
Forty years ago, scholar Philomena Essed sparked fierce public debate with her groundbreaking book, Everyday Racism.
An unwanted pregnancy triggers the journey into adulthood for Makenya, a Dominican-Haitian teenager who lives in the Batey, a community surrounded by sugarcane fields.
In the mid-1970s, Rico, a 9-year-old Haitian boy, was brutally taken from his native land along with Erzulie, his mother, to a strange planet called Canada.
‘The Disappearance of Miss Scott’ is an intimate and urgent reclamation of the life and legacy of Hazel Scott – Trinidadian born, virtuoso pianist, Hollywood trailblazer, civil rights crusader, and the first Black person to host a nationally syndicated television show.
In a gripping and unpredictable 20-year quest, director Juan Carlos Rodríguez showcases the poignant story of Vieques.
Featuring a murder, Cold War conspiracies, Black Power, the end of the Empire, and how that connects to the policing and surveillance practices of today, ‘Walter Rodney: what they don't want you to know’ feeds a growing appetite for history from a different perspective, as we grapple with the legacy of empire, colonialism, and its […]
In her solitude in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, filmmaker Malaury Eloi Paisley spends five years filming her relationship with people wandering in different worlds of the city.
A raw vision of love in a hostile Caribbean city, ‘Bionico’s Bachata’ follows a hopeless romantic, addicted to crack, who must take control of his life if he wants to marry the woman he loves.
‘Isla familia’ follows independent journalist Abraham Jiménez Enoa over three years, from the arrival of the Covid pandemic in Cuba through his political exile in Spain.
In the 18th century, enslaved Africans on an Island in the Caribbean revolted to fight for their freedom by using their forbidden cultural rituals and folklores, that creative resistance movement is the current day , “Caribbean Carnival”.
Born on a sugar plantation in rural Guyana to indentured Indian laborers, Cheddi Jagan rose from humble beginnings to become the Western Hemisphere’s first democratically elected Marxist leader.
After being elected to power in 1957, François Duvalier declared himself Haiti’s President for life in 1964, inaugurating one of the most bloodthirsty dictatorships of the 20th century – maintained through violent repression and brutal obscurantism.
Set in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, ‘Kidnapping Inc’ is a comedy thriller which follows the trials and tribulations of two inept kidnappers and would-be gangsters, friends Doc and Zoe. NOTE: Kidnapping Inc is the Closing Night Film. 🎟 Tickets for this event must be purchased at Island eTickets