Celebrating the Caribbean on Screen
To coincide with the run of Martina Laird’s new, Trinidad-set play Driftwood in our theatre, Kiln is thrilled to present a series of three classic feature films – and three shorts – from the Caribbean, a celebration of the region’s rich and vibrant history and culture. Spanning the period from the coming of independence to almost the present day, the films in this mini season, a mix of fiction and documentary works, paint a colourful portrait of the Caribbean and the strivings of its people.
Comprising films from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda plus Guyana, the season comprises three classic feature films, each with a short film preceding. While they are all diverse in the stories they tell, these films – some of them directed by acclaimed filmmakers from the region – have one memorable thing in common: an empathetic gaze that reflects a true understanding of the Caribbean and the people who call it home.
We follow all of the screenings with in depth conversations with experts that deepen the perspective on these visions of Caribbean life and culture.
Curated by Jonathan Ali of Twelve30 Collective.
Rockers
17th June
A sensation when it was first released in 1978, the reputation of Rockers has only grown over the last fifty years as perhaps the defining cinematic tribute to roots reggae and the culture it emerged from. Featuring a who’s who of Jamaica’s greatest reggae artists, and set to a classic soundtrack, Rockers is now seen in a stunning 4K restoration. Kilburn reggae historian and DJ Colin Brown will join us on stage to discuss the influence of Rockers and its immortal soundtrack on several generations of reggae musicians and lovers.
No Place Like Home
24th June
A year after his momentous first feature The Harder They Come hit cinema screens, Jamaican filmmaker Perry Henzell began work on a new film. Not completed until 2006, No Place Like Home is a more-than-worthy follow up to its predecessor, a jaunty road trip through Jamaica, a love letter to its natural beauty and the spirit of its people. Historian and documentary filmmaker Matthew J. Smith will join us on stage to discuss Perry Henzell’s underseen follow up to The Harder They Come and the film’s exploration of 1970s Jamaica.
King Carnival + Carnival Fantastique + Q&A
1st July
Made for the BBC in 1973, King Carnival, directed by pioneering Trinidadian-British filmmaker Horace Ové, is a pulsating deep dive into Trinidad’s famed Carnival celebrations. Nicole-Rachelle Moore, Curator of Caribbean Collections at the British Library, will join us on stage to discuss the history of Trinidad’s Carnival and its evolution through the years.