classic films
The Caribbean Film Database includes a section of classic films. These are films that live on from generation to generation because they are exceptionally well-made and reflect universal stories that transcend their period. There is a rich cinematic history in the Caribbean consisting of films from throughout the region that have not necessarily had wide-scale distribution or reached international audiences. Some films from our selection are more well known—The Harder They Come from Jamaica, for example—but other equally well-crafted films like Ava and Gabriel from Curaçao or One People from Suriname have had less recognition. In an effort to provide more exposure to the history of Caribbean filmmaking, we present the following selection of Caribbean Classics.
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Film Title : A Hole in Babylon
Director : Horace OvéYear: 1979, Country: UK, Trinidad and Tobago
"A Hole in Babylon" is based on the 1975 botched robbery of an Italian spaghetti house res...
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Film Title : Aggro Seizeman
Director : James Mannas, Brian Stuart-YoungYear: 1975, Country: Guyana
Alex Grant, nicknamed Aggro, obtains a job as a seizeman – a repossession agent for a hi...
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Film Title : Almacita di Desolato
Director : Felix de RooyYear: 1986, Country: Curaçao, Netherlands
Based on old legends, "Almacita di Desolato" depicts a fictional agricultural community in...
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Film Title : Ava & Gabriel: Un historia di amor (Ava & Gabriel: A Love Story)
Director : Felix de RooyYear: 1990, Country: Curaçao, Netherlands
In 1940s Curaçao Gabriel Goedbloed, a charismatic painter, arrives from Holland to paint ...
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Film Title : Babylon
Director : Franco RossoYear: 1980, Country: UK, Italy
"Babylon" centers around the racial divide of London in the 80s, and the lack of opportuni...
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Film Title : Babymother
Director : Julian HenriquesYear: 1998, Country: UK, Barbados
Anita wants to become a professional reggae singer and performs with her friends, Sharon a...
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Film Title : Bacchanal Time
Director : Kamalo DeenYear: 1978, Country: Trinidad and Tobago
Produced in 1977, this classic Carnival film stars Gregory Ballantine (the calypsonian GB)...
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Film Title : Bim
Director : Hugh A. RobertsonYear: 1974, Country: Trinidad and Tobago
"Bim" (Bheem Singh), a young East Indian boy, is sent to live with his aunt in the city af...
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Film Title : Black Joy
Director : Anthony SimmonsYear: 1977, Country: UK
"Black Joy" is a lightly ironic, British culture-clash comedy. At the centre is Ben, a you...
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Film Title : Burning an Illusion
Director : Menelik ShabazzYear: 1981, Country: UK
“Burning an Illusion” tells the story of a young British-born black woman who becomes ...
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Film Title : Coco la Fleur, candidat (Coco the Flower Candidate)
Director : Christian LaraYear: 1978, Country: Guadeloupe
On the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe two technocrats sent from Paris are responsible for ...
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Film Title : Countryman
Director : Dickie JobsonYear: 1982, Country: Jamaica
"Countryman" is the story of a fisherman whose quiet life is irrevocably changed when he r...
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Film Title : Dancehall Queen
Director : Rick Elgood, Don LettsYear: 1997, Country: Jamaica
Marcia has a tough life in Kingston, Jamaica, where she's the sole provider for her teenag...
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Film Title : Dead Man’s Gold
Director : Louis TuckerYear: 1932, Country: Trinidad and Tobago
The opening scene of "Dead Man's Gold" is set in 1732, when pirate Captain Kyd and his fir...
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Film Title : Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti
Director : Maya DerenYear: 1985, Country: Haiti
Best known as a pioneer of independent experimental cinema, Maya Deren was also a Vodoun i...
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Film Title : Fresa y chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate)
Director : Tomas Gutierrez AleaYear: 1993, Country: Cuba
In 1979 Havana, university student David is marginalised but loves his country and its cul...
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Film Title : Gutterperc
Director : Andrew MillingtonYear: 1999, Country: Barbados
Set on the island of Barbados, "Guttaperc" is the story of Eric, a ten-year-old boy who sp...
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Film Title : Haïti, le chemin de la liberté
Director : Arnold AntoninYear: 1974, Country: Haiti
"Haïti, le chemin de la liberté" traces the struggle of the Haitian people and their des...
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Film Title : Haitian Corner
Director : Raoul PeckYear: 1988, Country: Germany, France, USA, Haiti
"Haitian Corner" tells the story of Patrick Bossue, who often visits the Haitian Corner bo...
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Film Title : King Carnival
Director : Horace OvéYear: 1973, Country: UK
"King Carnival" takes an in-depth look at Trinidad and Tobago's carnival through its turbu...
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Film Title : L’Homme sur les quais (Man by the Shore)
Director : Raoul PeckYear: 1993, Country: Canada, France, Haiti
Set in the early 1960s, "L'Homme sur les quais" examines the violence and instability of H...
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Film Title : La Belle Rosette
Director : Hugh RobertsonYear: 1974, Country: Trinidad and Tobago
As a Trinidadian dance legend, Beryl McBurnie established The Little Carib Theatre, and pr...
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Film Title : La gran fiesta (The Great Party)
Director : Marcos ZurinagaYear: 1985, Country: Puerto Rico
As World War II begins and the US Navy settles in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the local elite d...
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Film Title : La ronde des vodu (Circle of Voodoo)
Director : Elsie HaasYear: 1987, Country: Haiti
"La ronde des vodu" documents the significant role of Voodoo in Haitian culture and how it...
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Film Title : La silla (The Chair)
Director : Franklin DomínguezYear: 1963, Country: Dominican Republic
"La silla" deals with the horrors of the notoriously violent Trujillo regime and its impac...
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Film Title : La última cena (The Last Supper)
Director : Tomás Gutiérrez AleaYear: 1976, Country: Cuba
"La Última Cena" tells the story of a pious plantation owner during Cuba’s Spanish colo...
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Film Title : Lo que le pasó a Santiago (What Happened to Santiago)
Director : Jacobo MoralesYear: 1989, Country: Puerto Rico
Santiago is a widower and a retired accountant. He likes things to be orderly. However, as...
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Film Title : Los peloteros
Director : Jack DelanoYear: 1951, Country: Puerto Rico
"Los peloteros" is the story of a group of very poor boys that play baseball with broken b...
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Film Title : Lucía
Director : Humberto SolasYear: 1968, Country: Cuba
Three women, all named Lucia, become revolutionaries, as they confront the specific histor...
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Film Title : Memorias del subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment)
Director : Tomás Gutiérrez AleaYear: 1968, Country: Cuba
In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Sergio, an affluent writer, chooses to stay ...
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Film Title : Nueba Yol: ¡Por fin llegó Balbuena!
Director : Angel MuñizYear: 1995, Country: Dominican Republic
Balbuena is hoping to go to New York to improve his family's living situation. After the d...
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Film Title : Playing Away
Director : Horace OvéYear: 1986, Country: UK, Trinidad and Tobago
"Playing Away" is about the cultural clash that takes place when the residents of a small,...
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Film Title : Pressure
Director : Horace OvéYear: 1974, Country: UK
"Pressure" deals with institutional racism and police brutality through the story of a Bri...
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Film Title : Reggae
Director : Horace OvéYear: 1971, Country: UK, Trinidad and Tobago
"Reggae" focuses on a concert held at Wembley Stadium in 1970 featuring the Pyramids, Pion...
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Film Title : Rue cases négres (Sugar Cane Alley or Black Shack Alley)
Director : Euzhan PalcyYear: 1983, Country: Martinique, France
Set in Martinique in 1931, "Rue Cases Négres" presents a rich portrait of native life und...
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Film Title : Smile Orange
Director : Trevor D. RhoneYear: 1976, Country: Jamaica
Based on the stage play by director Trevor Rhone, "Smile Orange" is about the tourism indu...
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Film Title : The Caribbean Fox
Director : Harbance KumarYear: 1970, Country: Trinidad and Tobago
The first film to be produced by a West Indian production company, "The Caribbean Fox" is ...
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Film Title : The Harder They Come
Director : Perry HenzellYear: 1972, Country: Jamaica
Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, with dreams of becoming a successful reggae s...
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Film Title : The Right and the Wrong
Director : Harbance KumarYear: 1970, Country: Trinidad and Tobago
"The Right and the Wrong" tells the story of a cruel, white plantation owner who kills and...
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Film Title : The Terror and the Time
Director : Rupert RoonaraineYear: 1979, Country: Guyana
"The Terror and the Time" explores British colonialism in Guyana by focusing on three hist...
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Film Title : Third World Cop
Director : Chris BrowneYear: 1999, Country: Jamaica
After a transfer back to his old neighborhood to join a group of officers fighting organis...
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Film Title : Time and Judgment: A Diary of a 400-Year Exile
Director : Menelik ShabazzYear: 1988, Country: UK
"Time and Judgement" is an overview of the African Liberation Movement that spans a period...
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Film Title : Un pasaje de ida (One Way Ticket)
Director : Agliberto MenéndezYear: 1988, Country: Dominican Republic
Faced with a precarious economic situation and poor standards of living, a group of worker...
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Film Title : Wan Pipel
Director : Pim de la ParraYear: 1976, Country: Suriname
Suriname’s first feature-length drama, "Wan Pipel" tells the story of a young black Suri...
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Film Title : What My Mother Told Me
Director : Frances-Anne SolomonYear: 1995, Country: UK, Trinidad and Tobago
"What My Mother Told Me" is a dramatic journey towards one woman’s self-discovery. The s...
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Film Title : Young Soul Rebels
Director : Isaac JulienYear: 1977, Country: UK
Set in London in 1977, "Young Soul Rebels" takes place against the background of Queen Eli...
