The St. Barth Festival of Caribbean Cinema (Cinéma Caraïbe) celebrates its 12th season April 25-30, 2007 on the island of St. Barthélemy in the French West Indies. This twelfth edition of the festival once again offers the population of St. Barthélemy the chance to discover films and filmmakers of the Caribbean basin, as well as thought-provoking international films. Festival guests include filmmakers, producers and cinematographers, and scholars, as well as cinema professionals from around the world who have a strong interest in Caribbean film and culture.

We have a very special sidebar this year. We are fortunate to be able to offer selections of the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase. This UNESCO sponsored showcase is supported by the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry (ICAIC) in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The Showcase is an itinerant Caribbean film festival presenting, features, short films and documentaries produced in over 15 countries in the Caribbean. The films are all subtitled in English, Spanish, French and French Creole. The Showcase’s goal is to promote Caribbean cultural identity, raise awareness of persons to the potential of the Caribbean filmmaking industry, and contribute to the preservation of Caribbean media in all its diversity.
We are proud to host the noted professor and Haitian scholar Frantz Voltaire, who will present the documentary, Port-au-Prince, Ma Ville and preside over a roundtable on Caribbean film.


THE 2007 SCHEDULE

Screenings are at 8:00pm at A.J.O.E. in Lorient unless indicated otherwise. All films in French, or original language with French subtitles.

Wednesday April 25
Saudade Do Futuro (90 minutes, Brazil, 2001, 35mm) by Cesar Paes and Marie-Clémence Paes. Presented by Cesar Paes and Marie-Clémence Paes.


Thursday April 26
Voyage En Famille (Familia Rodante / Rolling Family) (103 minutes, Argentina, 2004, 35mm) by Pablo Trapero. Presented by the director and producer Martina Gusman.

Friday, April 27:
35th Anniversary Commemorative screening: The Harder They Come: (98 minutes, Jamaica, 1972, 35 mm) by Perry Henzell
Short: Il était une fois…Sasha et Désiré (25 minutes, Martinique/France, 2006, 35mm) by Cécile Vernant, presented by the actor Renaud Denis-Jean.

Saturday April 28:
3:00 p.m. Capitainerie, Gustavia: Presentation of Port-au-Prince; My City (Haiti/Cuba, 2002 55 minutes). Presented by Frantz Voltaire. Followed by a “conversation” on challenges facing film and media professionals in the Caribbean.

Le Labyrinthe De Pan (Pan’s Labyrinth) (112 minutes, Spain/US/Mexico, 2006, 35mm) by Guillermo del Toro
No one under the age of 12 admitted.

Sunday, April 29:
Video Evening: 7:00 p.m., La Capitainerie, Gustavia.
Lanmou A Bois (La Passion Du Bois) (15 minutes, Guadeloupe, 2006) by Janluk Stanislas. Presented by the director.

De Mémoire D'anciens (Memories of Our Past) Oral History of St. Barthélemy by Victoire Theismann (produced by Cédric Robion). Presented by the director and producer.

Music clips from Trinidad and Tobago, presented by Christopher Laird

Monday, April 30:
Adolfo (43 minutes, France/Cuba, 2005, 35mm) by Sofi Delaage. Presented by the director.



The St. Barth Film Festival was launched in 1996, allowing the island to open its doors to the cultural richness of the Caribbean by way of its cinema. The success of the first festival encouraged its growth into an annual event, with the second festival in 1997; the third, fourth, and fifth years of the festival confirmed the role of "Cinéma Caraïbe" as an important showcase for Caribbean cinema. Now an established event on the island's cultural calendar, the festival has put St. Barth on the map as a meeting place for regional filmmakers to come together to screen and discuss their work.

In addition to the 35mm films screened in the evenings at A.J.O.E. in Lorient, the St. Barth Film Festival also organizes film-in-the-schools programs in which filmmakers work with the island's students to help them discover filmmaking as both a career option and a tool of cultural expression. The festival will also present an annual round-table discussion on Caribbean Cinema and an afternoon of video screenings, open free to the public. All films and videos in the festival are presented in their original language and sub-titled in French.

The St. Barth Film Festival is organized by Ellen Lampert-Gréaux, Joshua Harrison, Rosemond Gréaux and Sophie Maupoil, under the auspices of the Association Ciné St. Barth, and with the support of the St. Barth Cultural Center and A.J.O.E. Additional support is provided by the Municipality of St. Barthélemy, the DRAC in Guadeloupe (Regional Cultural Affairs Office of the French Ministry of Culture), and the St. Barth Municipal Tourist Office, as well as other cultural organizations in St. Barth. Numerous island hotels, restaurants and businesses have been among the local sponsors since the festival was launched in 1996.