The Georgetown Film Festival opened its 2025 edition on Thursday evening, 7th August at St Rose’s High School. The launch featured an array of Caribbean films supplemented by lively Q&A conversations with filmmakers and producers. The festival, which was founded in 2022 with a focus on supporting local filmmaking through workshops and developmental programmes, is now in the second year of its multi-night festival programme which began in 2024.
Founder Rae Wiltshire opened the evening by contextualising the work of the nongovernmental organisational within the changing dynamics of art, filmmaking and creativity regionally. This year, its sophomore showing features a series of Guyanese and Caribbean filmmakers exploring social, cultural and interpersonal themes through documentary and narrative films over three nights.
The festival launched with the Guyanese premiere of “Parliament Girls”, directed by St Vincent filmmaker Akley Olton. The film, a rousing social-justice drama garnered much conversation on the dynamics of violence against women in a post-film discussion moderated by local activist Sherlina Nageer.
The Breadfruit Collective, a local organisation working at the intersection of gender and environmental justice, had the world premiere of its film “Voices of Resistance: Caribbean Environmental Defenders and their fight for Escazú”. The documentary featured speakers from six countries discussing the environmental crisis affecting the Caribbean region, highlighting the interregional focus of both organisations. Other films featured on the opening night included “Rhizome” from Guadeloupe/France and “Ring the Bell, Shout Hallelujah!” from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The festival, which continues on Friday and Saturday evenings from 19:30hr to 23:00hr at the St Rose’s, is sponsored by Reel Guyana, The Breadfruit Collective and Royal Castle Guyana.
