This weekend the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, or FLIFF, will be sharing stories through the lens of our island neighbors, allowing communities across South Florida to celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month through film.
FLIFF Senior Program Director Bonnie Adams said there are 13 films on slate at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale, adding that audiences will be able to experience everything from the beauty of the Caribbean Sea, to the voices of its people.
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“This is paradise is shot in Eleuthera,” said Bahamian film maker Kareem Mortimer, one of the featured film makers. “I am so blessed to be Bahamian, I feel it’s an honor and we don’t choose our birth but that’s how I see the world and so that’s why I want to base most of my film’s there.”
Ahead of the 38th annual International Film Festival in November, the group has beefed up specialty events which led to the Caribbean Film Festival.
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“A lot of the time people use the Caribbean as a backdrop for other stories,” said Mortimer. “This is a very unique opportunity to see how the culture and how the people really are infused in cinema and I think it’s time to see that.”
Adams told NBC6 to expect a diverse range of country ties and genres during the film festival.
“That’s why I was so excited about finding the films from Saint Vincent,” said Adams. “Their film festival decided to partner with us and all their filmmakers are young and passionate, and telling stories about where they live.”
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The Caribbean Film Festival begins Friday and runs through Sunday at Savor Cinema. For tickets and more information visit: https://www.fliff.com/