The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival returns in 2025, generating unprecedented excitement among Caribbean filmmakers and film lovers. Recognized as one of the most influential platforms for regional cinema, the festival attracts talent from across the Caribbean every year, providing a unique stage for the region’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
Genesis and Mission of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival
Origins and developments since 2005
Founded in 2005 by film historian and producer Dr. Bruce Paddington, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival is dedicated to promoting Caribbean cinema and highlighting local voices and stories. For nearly two decades, it has helped many filmmakers from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas and other countries in the region gain international recognition.
Notable figures to have passed through the festival include Storm Saulter and Gabrielle Blackwood (Jamaica), Kareem Mortimer and Maria Govan (Bahamas), Bruno Mourral (Haiti), Vashti Anderson, Ian Harnarine and Damian Marcano (Trinidad & Tobago).
A springboard for Caribbean filmmakers
The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival has played a key role in the development of Caribbean cinema. It has enabled emerging talents to make a name for themselves, and original works to be screened before a wider audience. Thanks to this platform, the Caribbean is now a rich and varied space for cinematographic creation, where each country brings its own unique sensibility and stories to the table.
A new direction and a stronger identity
Mariel Brown: a director leading the revival
The new director of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, Mariel Brown, herself an award-winning director, is breathing new energy into the event. Her objective is clear: to reinforce the festival’s Caribbean identity and offer greater visibility to works from the entire region. She underlines the palpable enthusiasm surrounding the festival’s return, on the part of filmmakers, audiences and partners alike.
“There’s a real excitement around the festival this year,” confides Mariel Brown. “Supporters are pouring in, and submissions are up 40% from the last edition in 2023. We’re on track to reach more than 340 submissions, proof that Caribbean storytelling is experiencing a remarkable boom.”
A programming team focused on regional diversity
Under the management of SAVANT Ltd, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival is committed to representing the entire Caribbean, showcasing films from English, Spanish, Dutch and French-speaking territories. This openness reflects the cultural richness of the region, and gives often little-known works access to an international audience.
The importance of Caribbean representation on screen
Highlighting local voices
For Mariel Brown and her team, it’s essential that Caribbean audiences can recognize themselves on screen. Too often, audiences in the region consume foreign productions without seeing their own realities, languages, music or lifestyles. The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival is committed to changing this by promoting authentic stories told by and for Caribbean people.
“There’s something profoundly powerful about seeing and hearing ourselves on screen, in our own language, with our own music, our own culture,” Brown explains. “That’s what the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival has always stood for: telling our stories to our community, for our community.”
Impact on audiences and creators
The visibility offered by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival not only boosts the self-esteem of Caribbean audiences, but also encourages local creation. Young filmmakers find the festival a source of inspiration and an opportunity to break into the film industry, knowing that their stories can reach a wide audience.
Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2025: figures, dates and news
An edition marked by an increase in submissions
For this 19th edition, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival records a remarkable rise in submissions, with a 40% increase over the last edition. Over 340 films are expected to be screened, testifying to the vitality of Caribbean cinema and the growing interest in this unique platform.
Festival highlights in Port of Spain
The festival will be held from September 24 to 30, 2025 in the lively Woodbrook district of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. The program includes the screening of 80 films, each of which will be shown at least twice to enable the greatest possible number of spectators to discover them, and to offer maximum visibility to the filmmakers. This organization encourages exchange between the public and the creators, while contributing to the recognition of the works presented.
A prestigious advisory board
This year’s Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival is supported by an advisory board made up of well-known figures from the world of film, design and the cultural industry. Among them:
- Melanie Archer, designer and curator (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Leslie Fields-Cruz, Executive Director, Black Public Media (United States)
- Kareem J. Mortimer, executive producer and director (Bahamas/United States)
- Renee Robinson, film industry expert (Jamaica)
- Donna N. Thomas, business consultant (Trinidad and Tobago)
Their expertise helps steer the festival towards new horizons, while consolidating its links with the region’s cultural institutions and associations.
How to submit
Filmmakers wishing to present their work at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival can submit their film via the FilmFreeway platform until May 12, 2025. This process is open to all Caribbean filmmakers, whatever their experience, provided their film highlights a strong regional identity.
The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival provides a unique stage for the region’s creativity and diversity. With renewed leadership, bold programming and a strong commitment to local representation, it helps bring the voices and talents of the Caribbean to the international stage. Whether you’re an experienced filmmaker or a film enthusiast, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival invites you to celebrate the richness and plurality of the Caribbean seventh art.
