Published in Deadline Magazine, 19.08.2025
Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, the latest feature from Canadian filmmaker Alison Duke, will receive a gala screening at this year’s Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival.
The film is an exploration of the life and legacy of Jamaican dancehall pioneer, Sister Nancy, whose 1982 hit ‘Bam Bam’ has become one of the most sampled reggae tracks of all time. U.S. audiences may recognize the legendary song as the sample on Jay-Z’s 2017 song ‘Bam,’ featuring Damian Marley.
The doc weaves together live performances with candid interviews featuring names such as Janelle Monáe, Young Guru, and Pete Rock alongside rare archival footage from the early dancehall era.
“We want to celebrate the Caribbean in all its many forms, and the song is such an anthem of the region. You play it anywhere in the Caribbean and people will know it, recognise it and feel it,” Mariel Brown, Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, said in a statement.
“The film helps us to know more about Sister Nancy, the creator, her life, and her determination as a woman on the mike. It reveals what we have always known to be true, that Caribbean women have tenacity, strength, and in the case of Sister Nancy, talent that transcends borders and time; we could not be happier to be showing Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story.”