Cinema meets the tide tonight in Negril. The Negril Universal Film Festival opens on Seven Mile Beach this evening, turning Jamaica’s famous shoreline into an open-air cinema for four nights of Caribbean and international film.

Organized by the Jamaica Film and Television Association, the festival brings 34 films from 13 countries to the west coast, paired with daytime master classes on emerging media, capital acquisition and distribution networks.

Opening night revisits Stephanie Black’s landmark documentary Life and Debt on its 25th anniversary, with Black joining Jamaican economist Dr. Michael Witter for a panel discussion after the screening.

Friday’s program pays tribute to Jimmy Cliff with a short retrospective celebrating his life and legacy, with an award accepted by his daughter Odessa. The same night screens two episodes of Storm Saulter’s series Possession, followed by a filmmaker Q&A.

Saturday brings the Jamaican premiere of Reggae Girlz, the documentary co-directed by Trish Dalton and two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, following Bunny Shaw and her teammates on the road to the World Cup.

The festival closes Sunday with Listen to Me, a documentary on maternal health, followed by a policy discussion with Health Minister Christopher Tufton.

Source: Caribbean Journal