Emiel Martens is a Dutch film scholar-practitioner exploring film, tourism and empire in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. An Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam and founding director of Caribbean Creativity, he has produced award-winning Caribbean films. Elsie Vermeer is a Kingston-based Dutch documentary filmmaker and journalist with a background in visual anthropology. Her work examines social inequality through close, respectful collaboration with participants. Together, they co-directed Beach Inna Bondage: The Fight for Jamaica’s Coastline.

Mikey T Campbell sees film as a tool for shifting perspectives and starting meaningful conversations. Born in the United States and grounded in his Jamaican heritage, he began filmmaking in 2018 after becoming determined to challenge how Jamaica is represented in media. His first production, Jamaica Story, launched a six-year journey of learning the craft and documenting Jamaican experiences across the globe. His work celebrates the richness of Jamaican culture while connecting local stories with wider audiences.

Jerel Ramsey is a filmmaker based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, working primarily in speculative short-form cinema. Drawing from lineage, ancestry and Caribbean folklore, he uses sound, atmosphere and environment to explore the relationship between human emotion and ecology. His practice centres stories shaped by the land and the unseen histories carried by Caribbean people. Jerel is co-founder of SOLA, a creative studio where he develops and produces his films. His previous works include Siren and Proximity, created in connection with his music project Sarkastik Ambassador.

Sádé Budhlall is an Odissi artist working across screendance, stage and public space at the intersection of dance politics, Caribbean embodied research and postcolonial theory. Her practice explores how movement carries memory, identity, resistance and cultural inheritance. Grounded in decolonial perspectives and Caribbean embodied research, she brings dance into dialogue with place and ancestral knowledge. She co-directed DOUGLA with Jerel Ramsey, creating a choreographic encounter between Odissi and Moko Jumbie movement traditions.

Born and raised in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, George W. Cannon is committed to expanding Caribbean representation in front of and behind the camera. He is the founder of Blue Tarp, an award-winning production company based in St. Croix. Through the company, George has directed six short films over the past three years, building a body of work rooted in his home and dedicated to strengthening film production in the Virgin Islands.

Fletch Power is a Grenadian-American cinematographer, director and photographer whose work explores identity, heritage and folklore’s role in shaping cultural memory. Blending documentary intimacy with cinematic composition, he creates stories rooted in the Caribbean and African diaspora. His credits as director of photography include Oxtail & Anime, The Mama Cho Show and In Her Element. Through Call of the Jab, he brings underwater sculpture, oral history and mythology together as art and archive, preserving heritage while inviting new generations to rediscover their origins.

Taylor Simpson is a screenwriter and director with a master’s degree in screenwriting. Taylor’s work centres emotionally grounded, character-led narratives shaped by complex relationships and human choices. Taylor previously directed the short film Bad Jokes, starring Martin Trenaman and Maple Hu, demonstrating an ability to work with established UK talent while maintaining an intimate storytelling approach. Clause and Effect continues this focus through a family drama about inheritance, grief and long-buried truths.

Javed Shahid Je’Andrew DaSouza is a Vincentian writer, director, cinematographer and editor whose work blends drama, suspense, unexpected turns and social commentary. Working across the filmmaking process, he develops projects from concept through completion with a strong emphasis on visual storytelling and emotional impact. His creative approach draws on action, psychological tension and character-driven drama. Through his films, Javed seeks to challenge expectations, provoke thought and create stories that remain with audiences beyond the closing credits.

Georgie Cannon is a visual storyteller whose narrative filmmaking grew from a career in marketing and corporate video. After directing, shooting and editing hundreds of commercials and documentaries, he founded Blue Tarp Productions and the Film Over Gun Violence programme. Since returning home to St. Croix, Georgie has focused on making films, teaching and developing the film culture of the U.S. Virgin Islands. His work combines professional production experience with a commitment to stories and opportunities rooted in his community.

Marvin Yamb began his creative career as a painter and visual artist while studying foreign literature and civilization. His passion for cinema led him to train as a director at EICAR in Paris, graduating in 2016. After working on film sets in Île-de-France, he returned to French Guiana as a casting professional and assistant director. He later created the self-produced shorts Le goût du Calou and Parce que je t’aime, developing a bold visual style that confronts taboo subjects. He also founded the artist residency L’Abbatis near Cayenne.

Miles Mussenden is a British-born American actor and filmmaker whose career spans mainstream television and culturally grounded independent storytelling. His screen credits include Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, The Good Lord Bird, Bloodline, Tulsa King, Swagger, Stranger Things and Doom Patrol. Expanding into producing and directing, he creates projects exploring identity, legacy and community through urban and diasporic perspectives. His debut feature, HOMAGE, draws on lived experience to tell a character-driven story rooted in 1990s Brooklyn and Caribbean culture.

Safiyah Chiniere is a filmmaker committed to amplifying the stories and voices of people of colour, women and femmes. Her work develops an intimate visual language for communities and interior lives that are often overlooked or dismissed. Through deliberate pacing and close attention to faces, bodies and expressions of intimacy, she creates space for emotional detail to emerge. Safiyah’s approach combines visual sensitivity with sincere, community-centred storytelling, inviting audiences to recognise the depth and complexity of everyday experience.

Lisbon Okafor is a hands-on creative director and filmmaker with more than twenty years of experience leading campaigns across technology, entertainment, retail, healthcare and consumer goods. His work spans brand strategy, film production and design, with experience guiding creative teams and overseeing projects from development through delivery. Combining strategic thinking with visual storytelling, Lisbon creates audience-focused work across commercial and narrative formats. Mighty Mari brings that experience to a Grenadian story shaped by childhood imagination, family and adventure.

Cheryl LaTouche & Obinna Okafor · Producers

Polina Piddubna is a filmmaker, artist and activist with Ukrainian, Central Asian Tatar and Bashqort roots. Born and raised in Kharkiv, she began her career in Kyiv and has lived in Berlin since 2019. She holds a bachelor’s degree in animation and is completing a master’s in animation directing at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. Polina also develops social and educational projects and conducts artistic research on decolonial themes. Her graduation film, My Grandmother Is a Skydiver, premiered at the Festival de Cannes.

Kevin Garbaran is a Guyanese writer, filmmaker and festival programmer whose fiction has received Commonwealth recognition. Rae Wiltshire is a Guyanese filmmaker, playwright and founder of the Georgetown Film Festival whose work explores belonging, mental health and culture. Together, they co-directed Old Toy Train, which premiered internationally at the International South Asian Film Festival Canada and has screened across the Caribbean and diaspora. Both support emerging filmmakers through programming, mentorship and workshops while creating new pathways for Guyanese stories.

Rae Wiltshire · Co-director

Juliette Jeffers is an award-winning Kittitian-Nevisian-American actor, writer, director, producer and teaching artist whose career spans theatre, television and film. She has appeared in more than twenty films and forty television programmes and has written and performed five solo plays. A longtime director and curator of solo theatre, she brings deep experience in performance and community storytelling to the screen. Shot entirely in Nevis, Pan Gyul marks her film-directing debut and reflects her commitment to culturally resonant Caribbean stories and underrepresented voices.

Jordan Morris, professionally known as Jordan Mars, is a Jamaican director and creative director recognised for his work in the island’s music-video scene, including visuals for Protoje and Sevana. Smile marks his narrative-film directing debut. Inspired by inheriting his grandparents’ home after years of dispute, the film transforms a damaged burglar bar and a family story into a reflection on memory, place and what survives across generations. His work combines bold visual instincts with stories grounded in Jamaican life and family lore.

Ina Sotirova is an award-winning Bulgarian-Jamaican filmmaker with more than fifteen years of international storytelling experience. After working as a photographer, editor and writer, she specialised in documentary filmmaking at Columbia University and expanded into fiction after moving to Jamaica. Her films include Stinky Mango, Agwe, Children of the Incursion and freedom2dance. Based in Kingston, Ina teaches visual storytelling at Edna Manley College and serves on the board of Women in Film & Television Jamaica. Her work blends culture, spirituality and socially conscious storytelling.

Susan-Sojourna Collier is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, producer and educator with roots in poetry and playwriting. Her screen work includes Conflict of Interest, Switching Lanes and the documentary Charge It to the Game. She has taught screenwriting at the School of Visual Arts, Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, Georgia State University and NYU Tisch, where she serves as an Assistant Arts Professor. Co-founder of the Mamie & Jimmie Collier Writing Fellowship, she makes her film-directing debut with Striking Threads – The Atlanta Washing Society.

Jade Andrivon is a self-taught visual artist exploring 3D graphics, editing and photography. Laura Cuvillier is a Guadeloupean filmmaker with experience in production, camera work and performance. Martinique-born Clémentine Damico works across cinematography and socio-environmental documentary. Régis Marton is a Guadeloupean film critic, digital communicator and Caribbean cinema podcaster. Samuel Roussas is an emerging Guadeloupean editor and visual-effects artist. Together, their complementary practices shaped The Brittle Little Ones through a shared commitment to Caribbean storytelling and visual experimentation.

Samueldavid John Baromeo is an award-winning Curaçaoan filmmaker whose work draws from the island’s culture, language, music and everyday life. As founder of A Willemstad Production, he works as an executive producer, screenwriter and director, creating character-driven stories about trauma, resilience and self-discovery. His films have received recognition at more than twenty-five international festivals. Through the We Care 3D Foundation, Baromeo also uses film for youth empowerment, mentoring emerging talent and helping young people develop their creative voices and sense of purpose.

Hayden Mclean is a British actor, writer and filmmaker born and raised in London. A graduate of the BRIT School, he developed an early passion for storytelling and performance. His creative work is driven by a desire to bring soulful, redemptive and impactful Black stories to the forefront and share them boldly with wider audiences. The Last Dance marks his film-directing debut, bringing Caribbean community, memory and resistance in 1990s East London to the screen.

Kyvon Edwin is an award-winning Saint Lucian director, producer, writer and actor based in New York. An alumnus of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, his work has screened at major festivals including the American Black Film Festival and Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. He founded Roots Productions to champion authentic stories from the West Indian diaspora. Through character-driven films and developing television projects, Kyvon works to expand representation while creating pathways for Caribbean stories and creative talent.

Malik White and Jaime Grandison have been artistic partners for more than a decade, united by a shared passion for storytelling and creative experimentation. Jaime brings technical expertise and a background in creative direction, shaping the partnership’s visual precision and innovative design. Malik contributes a strong command of narrative and extensive knowledge of film history, developing stories with emotional resonance. Together, they create films that challenge expectations and explore the possibilities of visual storytelling. TROUBLE continues their collaborative approach to genre and character.

Malik White · Co-director

Nordia Hunt is an award-winning independent filmmaker and attorney born and raised in Jamaica. She discovered storytelling through family talent shows and local plays before earning her BA and JD from Rutgers University and specialising in media, advertising and entertainment law. Her producing work has received support from Firelight Media and ITVS. Wi Cyah Stay, which she wrote, directed and produced, marks her directorial debut and reflects her commitment to intimate, culturally grounded stories about identity, family and belonging.