Caribbean IFF: Natural Mystic

Man, nature and something bigger explore conflict and coexistence in these stirring shorts.

Asema (Suriname)
Director: Loelle Monsanto
34 mins
As Deon spends his summer vacation at his grandma’s, he has an encounter with a mysterious elderly woman who has recently moved into the neighbourhood. She alerts the local children of an “asema” haunting the vicinity. Driven by curiosity, Deon and his best friend Jimmy go on a quest to uncover the truth about this legendary creature.

Ah! Hard Rain (Trinidad and Tobago/UK)
Director: Greta Mendez
30 mins
‘Come on Fish, sing to me!’ A story of aspiration, greed, and shattered dreams told through the memories of a surviving fisherman. Ah! Hard Rain is a visually stunning journey into the ebb and flow of daily lives of a tiny imagined coastal village, travelling through oceans and timelines, laced with cultural myth to reveal the villagers in the fullness of their life, life before disaster.

Stick Is Life (Trinidad and Tobago)
Director: Miquel Galofre  
10 mins
Moko Jumbies (or stilt-walkers) culturally refers to an ancestral spirit. In 2022, the full Trinidadian Moko Jumbie community came together, to surrender any existing conflicts and, for the first time, shared a jab circle with residents in Point Fortin — home of Trinidad and Tobago’s first known Moko Jumbie, Dexter Stewart. 

Camouflage (Barbados/UK)
Director: Jonathan J Temple
36 mins
In this pilot episode of the drama thriller Camouflage, attackers in a violent robbery become prey when the victim’s father and his crew begin their hunt for the perpetrators, who are unprepared to face the consequences. 

Behind God's Back (Martinique)
20 mins
Dèyè do bon dié (“Behind God’s Back” in Martinican creole) means that something is so far away that even God, despite being omniscient, does not see it – or maybe, just doesn’t care. This documentary paints a visceral and textured portrait of the Northern tip of the Caribbean Island of Martinique, capturing conversations about home, danger and identity on the slopes of a reawakening volcano.