CaribbeanTales International Film Festival Focuses on Climate Change

By Neil Armstrong

Jael Joseph's film, Territory, shares the story of the Kalinago People of Dominica

The annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) will celebrate its 18th anniversary under the theme “Eco Survivors” which takes patrons “on a journey through urgent narratives on climate change, along with a multitude of diverse stories from the Caribbean and African diaspora.”

Diana Webley, director of the festival, says a common thread throughout all the stories is how the Caribbean is doing, in terms of climate change, and what people are doing to rebuild their islands.

Denise Herrera Jackson, a member of the board of directors of CTFF, says she remembers a group of them 18 years ago sitting in Frances-Anne’s home — Rita Cox, Frances-Anne and her mother, and two other friends — envisioning what the festival would look like.

She said the opening film will show the diversity of the Caribbean — “The diversity not only of how we look but how we talk, French, Spanish, Papiamento, Portuguese and English.” All of these, she said, are important in bringing us all together.

“It’s 18 years, any birth date that says 18 is an important one,” said Jean Augustine, another board member, alluding to that number as a milestone. “And so in the birth of CaribbeanTales, 18 years is not to be sneezed at, it is to be celebrated, it is to be complimented. And not only in terms of those who over the years have watched Frances-Anne, her board, and the organization grow from something almost like a small seed and then see it blossom, see it grow.”

Describing it as an annual presentation of Caribbean people’s stories, Augustine said she has always been very interested in the way in which CaribbeanTales develops and is known internationally and in every sphere of endeavour. 

“Let’s look forward to the wealth and breadth of the films that will be shown to us so let’s get out there, let’s support something that we could leave and have as a legacy of our presence in the world of film and filmmaking.”

Webley revealed that on September 9, Augustine will celebrate her birthday at the Harbourfront Centre and they will be launching the Jean Augustine Award which will be presented to Trinidadian calypso saxophonist Roy Cape.

Denise Herrera Jackson speaks at the media launch of the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival

Jean Augustine speaking at the media launch of the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival at Blackhurst Cultural Centre on August 8, 2023.

Jael Joseph, a filmmaker from Dominica, will debut her film, Territory, at the festival. “It discusses a few issues within the Kalinago Territory, specifically the issues of political alignments, land, and language lost, and all of those different things.”

The 24-minute film features three main characters: Annette, a politician, senator and a nurse; Natasha who is an entrepreneur; and a tech-savvy man who single handedly established the internet in the territory. Natasha studied tourism and opened a restaurant which she intends to use to help people relearn the Kalinago language because most of their language is practically lost. 

“First of all, capturing the story of the Kalinago People is very important to me. I’m getting emotional, my great grandmother was Kalinago and she was very instrumental in me learning the Creole language. From a young child, I learnt Creole which was not really spoken in my household because my parents spoke English. But they would speak Creole when they would try to talk about you or talk about things that they didn’t want you to understand. My great grandmother only spoke Creole so she was very instrumental in my upbringing and my appreciation for the Kalinago People.”

Joseph said he is appreciative of the Kalinago People allowing her into their space to share their stories. This is a master’s project and it has become something even more because the festival has received it in a very special way, she said. 

The film is different, she said, because a lot of their stories have been told from a perspective of tourism — “almost like a publicity stunt” — whereas with this story it shares their struggles, said Joseph. “It’s not all the pretty things you see in newspapers or magazines, or even on the internet because they are used a lot to market the island of Dominica, but in that regard the film focuses more on their journeys and the different hardships they face within their community. 

A Pile of Dirt, directed by Rhoma Spencer and produced by Janis Mayers will be featured on September 7 at the Harbourfront Centre. The 15-minute short docu-film unearths a Regent Park of the past through the eyes of a new resident and the romanticism of a former resident. “What lies below the mounds of earth everywhere as old buildings are torn down for the new. The more things change, the more some remain the same.”

Diana Webley, director of CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, and Itah Sadu, managing director of Blackhurst Cultural Centre

Michelle Muir, poet and emcee, and Itah Sadu

Sophia Findlay, journalist, and Ross Cadastre, president of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA)

The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival runs from September 6-22 in Toronto and online. For more information, check caribbeantalesfestival.com.