Caribbean Creatives Take the Spotlight at Caribbean Film Festival 2025

Caribbean Film Festival 2025 showcases over 70 films from 17 countries, immersive experiences, and a new wave of storytellers redefining regional cinema

The team behind Caribbean Film Festival (Photo: Anya Aching)

Caribbean Film Festival 2025 brought together a new generation of Caribbean storytellers on a stage built for cultural ambition and global recognition. Featuring over 70 films from 17 countries, this year’s festival delivered more than just screenings; it sparked energy, renewal, and a reimagining of what Caribbean cinema can be.

From Jamaica to Guadeloupe to Trinidad, forward to the big screen at CinemaONE IMAX, the festival pulsed with the energy of a creative class that is done waiting for permission. These filmmakers, actors, musicians, writers, and visual artists are certainly not chasing the mainstream but creating something uniquely Caribbean.

Kheyal Meighoo who delivered a breakout moment with Provisions, a beautiful stop-motion short about inheritance, migration, and family memory. Sira Lewis and Raven Irabor’s She Island fused folklore and feminism, while Trinity Rose’s Perturbed delivered a sharp psychological take from a Gen Z perspective.

But the festival went beyond the screen. The energy flowed through rooftop mixers, steelpan factories, cultural tours, and masterclasses. The festival included the selection Carnival: "They Can’t Steal Our Joy" by Ian Kimanje, which highlighted the role of Caribbean Carnival as an act of both defiance and celebration. In Trinidad and Tobago, the film was represented by its local cast members such as Attilah Springer, Muhammad Muwakil of Freetown Collective, and Know Your Caribbean’s Fiona Compton.

Traditional Carnival characters, drummers, and stick-fighters transformed the cinema into a full cultural immersion, with live music, chants, and song creating a 4D experience. Throughout the festival, one message rang clear: the Caribbean isn’t just a setting — it’s a driving creative force.

Whether attendees came from Port of Spain, Kingston, Toronto, or London, these creatives made one thing clear: the future of cinema has a Caribbean accent, and it’s demanding to be heard.