The following is a press release from the Cayman Documentary Festival:
Five documentaries, five panel discussions at Camana Bay Cinema, 16-20 March
Over five days, the Cayman Documentary Festival will bring a selection of internationally acclaimed and local films to the big screen, creating a cinematic experience unlike anything ever seen in Cayman.
The festival aims to spark dialogue in the community, particularly amongst our youth, on some of the most relevant challenges facing society today and to promote the art of documentary filmmaking.
The featured films were selected to highlight important contemporary issues relating to environment, mental health, empowerment through music and technology.
”In today’s world, documentaries are a powerful tool in the realm of educational entertainment. I have chosen the five documentaries featured in this festival based on their positive values and their ability to unite communities,” said Ana Russell-Omaljev, Creative Director and Content Programmer of Cayman Documentary Festival.
Each day’s screening will be followed by a panel discussion, including local community leaders, to encourage thoughtful discussion.
In addition to the film screenings, Cayman Documentary Festival invites you to the opening of the female documentary photography exhibition ‘Perspectives: Photography Storytelling’ at Parcel110 on the 10th of March in George Town.
This is a not-for-profit initiative and will benefit local charities such as Plastic Free Cayman, Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, Alex Panton Foundation, NCVO and Cayman Arts Festival. Tickets for all screenings are $25.
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PROGRAMME
16 March, 6.30pm: Rising From Abuse
TINA (2021)
Panel in association with CAYMAN ISLANDS CRISIS CENTRE
This documentary charts Tina Turner’s early fame, her personal and professional struggles, and her return to the world stage as a global phenomenon in the 1980s.
17 March, 6.30pm: The Environment
I AM GRETA (2020)
Panel in association with PLASTIC FREE CAYMAN
In August 2018, Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old student in Sweden, starts a school strike for the climate. Her question for adults: if you don’t care about her future on earth, why should she care about her future in school? Within months, her strike evolves into a global movement. Greta, a quiet northern European girl on the autism spectrum, is now a world famous activist. The team behind ‘Greta’ has been following the young activist from her very first day of school striking.
18 March, 6.30pm: Mental Health
THE GREAT DISCONNECT (2019)
In association with Alex Panton Foundation
We are living in a time that has been described as the age of loneliness. Statistics reveal that over the last few decades, the number of admittedly lonely people has doubled. While it’s true that this isolation impacts us psychologically and emotionally, what many of us don’t realize is the negative impact it has on every aspect of our health and well-being. Wellness expert Tamer Soliman attempts to answer these questions by visiting cities across North America.
19 March, 6.30pm: Technology and finance
CRYPTOPIA: Bitcoin, Blockchains and The Future of the Internet (2019)
In association with Blockchain Association of Cayman Islands
Charity: NCVO
Bitcoin has been called one of the most disruptive technologies of our times, threatening banks by building an alternative and decentralised currency system. Despite this potential, Bitcoin is undergoing severe price volatility and the community is facing a bitter ‘civil war’. Join filmmaker Torsten Hoffmann (Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know It) on his journey to better understand this decentralised technology and the promise of web 3.0.
20 March, 6.30pm: Music and heritage
SUMMER OF SOUL
In association with Cayman Arts Festival
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park. The footage was largely forgotten–until now.
SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.
SUMMER OF SOUL premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award and it is nominated for an Oscar in 2022.