Celebrating Two Many years of Storytelling at CaribbeanTales Worldwide Movie Pageant
CaribbeanTales Worldwide Movie Pageant (CTFF) celebrated its twentieth anniversary, a testomony to 20 years of cinematic storytelling rooted in Caribbean life, the diaspora, and its ever-evolving international resonance within the zeitgeist of recent movie.
From September 3-13, 2025, in Toronto, with on-line programming operating by til October 3, CTFF presents 49 movies from over 15 nations, every providing a singular lens into the tapestry of Caribbean identification, tradition, wrestle, and creativity.
The opening night time featured Bankie Banx: King of the Dune by Nara Garber (Anguilla/USA), a documentary portrait of reggae icon Bankie Banx the “Anguillan Bob Dylan” which set the tone of the pageant: daring, musical, and deeply rooted in Caribbean soil.
What stood out this 12 months is the geographic and thematic variety. Filmmakers and tales come not solely from the islands themselves — Anguilla, Barbados, Dominica, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti — but in addition from the diaspora: Canada, america, the UK, France amongst others. CTFF has lengthy provided that bridge between island and worldwide experiences, and this version reinforces that duality.
Among the standout works embrace quick movies and documentaries that contact on local weather, identification, legacy, music, migration, and tradition. For instance, Territory by Jael Joseph from Dominica and Negra, Yo Soy Bella by Vashni Korin from Puerto Rico (each nominated briefly documentary classes) communicate to intimate but common themes of belonging and reminiscence. In the meantime Right here Ends the World We’ve Recognized from Guadeloupe captures new voices pushing the boundaries of style and narrative kind. Movies produced in Curaçao, Belize/USA co-productions, in addition to rising creators from Canada and the Caribbean diaspora additionally function prominently.
The twentieth Anniversary of CTFF
Twenty years isn’t any small feat within the unpredictable world of movie festivals, particularly these devoted to under-represented voices. For CaribbeanTales, this version is each a celebration and a reckoning; celebrating what has been completed, whereas additionally recognising how way more stays to be achieved. Frances-Anne Solomon, the pageant’s founder and government director, has emphasised this duality— wanting again on groundbreaking movies, whereas additionally calling consideration to the necessity for extra visibility, extra possession, and extra various storytelling.
Over its lifespan, CTFF has screened greater than 1,000 movies and supported lots of of filmmakers. It has additionally performed a significant function in shifting how Caribbean tales are perceived globally — transferring them past stereotypes towards nuanced, multidimensional representations. The inclusion of on-line programming on this version is very important, increasing entry to the Caribbean diaspora world wide and enabling movies and filmmakers to achieve audiences who could not have the chance to attend in particular person.
As CTFF enters its third decade, the challenges stay: funding, distribution, and sustaining infrastructure for Caribbean filmmakers. However this anniversary version, with its sturdy lineup and broad geographical attain alerts optimism. New voices are rising from small island nations to diasporic communities, and their tales are rising bolder, extra experimental, extra wanted. There may be much more to come back.
CTFF 2025 WatchList
Bankie Banx: King of the Dune (Nara Garber, Anguilla / USA)
The opening night time movie for CTFF 2025, a documentary profile of reggae legend Bankie Banx celebrated in Anguilla and past. The movie traces his musical journey, his influence on Caribbean soundscapes, and consists of appearances by artists incl; Jimmy Buffett, Kevin Bacon, and Stephen “Cat” Coore.
The Final Meal (Maryse Legagneur, Canada / Dominican Republic)
The closing night time function tells the story of Reynold, who’s dying of abdomen most cancers, and makes use of his closing meals along with his daughter Vanessa (whom he hasn’t seen for 20 years) as a automobile to mirror on life, reconciliation, legacy, and the emotional weight of parting.
Nomad in No Man’s Land (Hester Jonkhout, Netherlands / Curaçao)
This documentary has its Canadian premiere at CTFF 2025 and delves into the life and work of Felix de Rooy, a pioneering artist and filmmaker from Curaçao. The movie explores his identification as a queer Caribbean artist and his contributions throughout disciplines.
You’ll be able to view movies featured in previous festivals on