BRIDGETOWN, Barbados January 8th 2024 – The Barbados Independent Film Festival is set for six days of fantastic Cinema from across the Globe. Under the theme Bim Film for Change the highly anticipated eighth festival of cinema, with record entries, continues to showcase stories of human adversity from January 15 to 21, 2024.
“We are telling our own stories and seeing ourselves represented in film in a very special way”. BIFF Co- Founder Sir Trevor Carmichael stated “Our film selection for this festival is change-making and echoes our mission statement of resilience and our capacity to overcome adversity. Our new board headed by festival director De Carla Applewhaite is forging an exciting new path forward.”
“BIFF continues to provide an important platform for the pressing issues of our time from sociocultural to environmental issues by listening to those most affected,” said board member Sanna Allsopp “as well as being inclusive to all forms of storytelling. Barbados is the space where these discussions are taking place.” As the festival contributes to the development of and providing the platform for international and Barbadian Filmmakers, festival goers can look forward to the new BIFF Collaboration Grant film ‘When Kites Fly’ by awardee Keya Bartlett and consultant Director Kwame Lestrade nightly. Other Barbadian Films we look forward to sharing are I Stutter by Jomario Goddard, The Bride from Neil Hoyte; Do The Thang from Director Shakhouri Thompson, Abídákun: One Born to End All Future Births Directed by Makalah Harrison and Josiah Haynes; Stoic- Director, Tyquan Neblett
OPENING NIGHT, Wednesday January 16th at the Barbados Museum’s Walled Garden Theatre “That Great British Documentary” By Director Joan Joan. Prompted by the death of her father, filmmaker Joan Joan explores Britain’s colonial past, and the legacy, her dual black Caribbean and white British heritage, has
had on her life. A heartbreaking, funny, timely, and thought-provoking examination of Britain’s attitude to race, told through the story of one woman’s journey of self-discovery. A discussion with Joan Joan follows the film.
CINE CUISINE, with Slow Food Barbados (SFB) will hold its annual Cine Cuisine event on Thursday, January 18th, at Haymans Market, St. Peter. Annually, Cine Cuisine, it’s dinner and movie, a film about environmental stewardship is paired with good, clean and fair food samplings in alignment with SFB’s advocacy for a better food system on the island. The feature film of the night is the 2023 documentary Common Ground (USA), by Directors Josh & Rebecca Tickell. An award-winning, hopeful story about saving the planet one acre at a time, featuring Woody Harrelson, Rosario Dawson, Donald Glover and Jason Momoa. Patrons can also look forward to the Australian short film Just Beneath the Surface (Aus) by Director Jimmy John Thaiday preceding, followed by a discussion with filmmakers and local food heroes. Food and Drinks on sale from your favourite eatery.
BIFF 2024 will hold its RED CARPET GALA for the first time on a Saturday, January 20th, with the Gala film: “Invisible Beauty” Dir: Bethann Hardison/ Frédéric Tcheng about Pioneering Black model, Bethann Hardison, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity. With Barbadian Designers and Jewellery makers, on show and musical performances from Kweku Jelani and you on the runway!
The festival weekend gets underway with evening screenings with our partners at the Barbados Museum with an animated feature Opal from Guadeloupean Director Alan Bidard on Thursday January 18th. Friday January 19th the films The Land of the Forgotten (UK/Greece) by Dir. VladimirNIKOLOUZOS , and The Knowledge an Australian documentary on First Nations’ traditional knowledge on responding to climate change, compliments the Australia Honorary Consul. Films start at 7p.m. nightly.
The Festival Matinees this year return to The Pink Church in Speightstown, adjacent to Local & Co. This year’s Friday film, “Mighty Afrin: in the Time of floods”: by acclaimed filmmaker Angelos Rallis goes beyond the headlines of the climate crisis to tell an epic female coming-of-age story of resilience and survival. Through an immersive and collaborative cinematic approach, Rallis brings us close up to Afrin’s emotional quest and witness her incredible resourcefulness, sense of humor, and heroic determination in the face of humanity’s greatest existential threat. This will be followed by a panel discussion of Barbadian changemakers.
Saturday’s Matinee, starting at 12 noon, will feature the films A Revolution on Canvas by Directors Sara Nodjoumi & Till Schauder a hybrid political thriller and verité portrait documentary, a personal film, diving into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of more than 100 “treasonous” paintings by Sara’s father,
seminal Iranian modern artist Nickzad Nodjoumi. Into Zephyr from Iranian Directors Seyed Morteza Sabzeghaba, Amin Nazari will open the afternoon’s screening.
BIFF continues in its mission to help develop the creative industries in Barbados and again will host industry related Master Classes geared to engage emerging and provide continued professional development of filmmakers in front the camera and behind the scenes. Know your lights?” Saturday January 20th, 10am to 2pm led by the award-winning Film Grip and Gaffer Roger Moore.
Gary Swanson, Actor and renowned Acting Coach from the Actors’ Studio NY will be teaching 2 Acting workshops the festival finale weekend. An introduction of the Method Acting Approach on Saturday 1:30p.m. followed by an Actor’s Panel with Andrea Allan and Jazz Lintott, Black British Theatre Awardee from 4p.m. For the serious actor, Mr. Swanson will host an actors intensive on Sunday January 21 from 10am.
The ever-anticipated Shorts on the Beach – will close the festival on Sunday evening at the Southern Palms Hotel with 19 films from Barbadian filmmakers and shorts from around the world from 6pm. Bring your chairs and baskets!
With the exception of the gala evening, food and drink will be available for purchase.
Tickets and information for all the festival events are available through the festival website www.barbadosfilmfest.org, www.ticketpalcaribbean.com and TicketPal Caribbean Box Offices islandwide.
The Barbados Independent Film Festival is a juried festival, attracting entries globally.
For further information please contact Festival Director, De Carla Applewhaite at our info@barbadosfilmfest.org
Cine Cuisine BIFF 2024 at Haymans Market
In collaboration with the Barbados Independent Film Festival (BIFF), taking place from January 15th-21st, 2024, Slow Food Barbados (SFB) will hold its annual Cine Cuisine event, doors open at 5pm Thursday, January 18th 2024, at Haymans Market, St. Peter.
Every year at Cine Cuisine, a film about environmental stewardship and food is screened, and good, clean and fair food is served, in alignment with SFB’s advocacy for a better food system on the island. The film to be screened this year is the 2023 documentary film Common Ground (USA), dirs. Josh & Rebecca Tickell, an award-winning hopeful story about saving the planet one acre at a time, featuring Woody Harrelson, Rosario Dawson, Donald Glover and Jason Momoa. The feature film will be preceded by the screening of an Australian short film Just Beneath the Surface (Aus). Dir. Jimmy John Thaiday and followed by a discussion with filmmakers and local food heroes. The food court will be open for your purchase of favourites.
The location is sponsored by the newly opened Haymans Market and tickets will include a sampling of three specially crafted small plates from Haymans Market kitchens.
Tickets to the event are available online through TicketPal Caribbean and their Box Offices islandwide.
Early bird tickets start at $75bbd .
Here is the schedule for the evening:
5pm: Arrival and dinner
7pm: Film screening
9pm: Panel discussion
