Two Dominica documentaries to feature at Conch Shell International Film Festival 2024

Roseau, Dominica: Dominica achieves huge success as two of its documentaries have been selected for Conch Shell International Film Festival 2024. The selection of documentaries namely, Dementia: The Island Journey, and Territory are a testament to the passion that the Dominican filmmakers hold for emphasising social change with a vision to awake diverse audience.

The Conch Shell International Film Festival (CSIFF) has been scheduled to take place at Regal UA Midway in Forest Hills, Queens, New York from 10^th – 13^th October 2024. The festival is a vibrant celebration of the creative voices of indie and student film directors and writers of the Caribbean Diaspora and the Caribbean whose work inspires social change.

CSIFF is a festival that empowers Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora artists, television and film on the content created by and for people of diverse Caribbean descent. This festival is a great opportunity to bring together several fans of Caribbean culture with industry experts and creatives from around the world for four days of screenings, enlightening talks, gatherings and valuable networking opportunities.

The documentaries selected for the festival include,

Dementia: The Island Journey

Dementia: The Island Journey is a documentary film by Rianna Patterson. The film explores the complexities of dementia in the Caribbean region which aims to tackle ageism in the media by celebrating Caribbean elders, sharing new perspectives and providing holistic approaches to Dementia.

The maker of the film, Rianna is also excited to share insights and stories about dementia with the Caribbean diaspora in the US, marking the selection of the documentary in the fourth festival. Along with that, the documentary was also shown at the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival in England, where it received an honourable mention.

Territory

The Territory is all set to be presented at the Conch Shell International Film Festival. It was made by Jael Joseph which delves into the lives and struggles of Dominica’s Kalinago people, shedding light on their experiences, challenges, and cultural heritage. Jael highlighted the significance of Kalinago narrative, their resilience against colonization and their significance in the wider Caribbean context.

This film is also the winner of the Best Short Documentary award at the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival in Canada.