Pakhuis de Zwijger x Caribbean Creativity: The Touristification and Gentrification of the Caribbean

🎥 🇯🇲 🇵🇷 Join us on 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯 at 𝟭𝟵.𝟯𝟬 in 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘂𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗭𝘄𝗶𝗷𝗴𝗲𝗿 in 𝗔𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗺 for the 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 of 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 (𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲) and 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮, three 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 exploring the 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. From the privatized beaches of 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮 to the gentrification of 𝗣𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗼, each film offers a powerful lens on 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁.

The three films engage in a powerful dialogue, tracing the connections between Jamaica’s colonial-era Beach Control Act of 1956, which continues to govern access to the island’s coastline; the tax incentives fuelling gentrification in Puerto Rico; and the cinematic portrayal of the Caribbean as a playground for outsiders. Together, they expose how struggles over beach access, land rights and housing affordability are not isolated issues, but interconnected expressions of an 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.🙏🏿🖤✊🏿

𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘂𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗭𝘄𝗶𝗷𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘅 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻
Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Time: 19.30
Venue: Pakhuis de Zwijger
Address: Piet Heinkade 179, Amsterdam 🇳🇱
Title: 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲
Director: 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 and 𝗘𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗿, in collaboration with 𝗝𝗮𝗕𝗕𝗘𝗠 and 𝗞𝗲𝘇𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗱𝗶
Country: Jamaica 🇯🇲 and The Netherlands 🇳🇱
Year: 2026
Length: 34′ (including 𝗞𝗲𝘇𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗱𝗶’s music video 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲)
Language: English with English subtitles
Extra: The short film 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 (2022, 23’, 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, including 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆’s music video 𝗘𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻, Spanish with English subtitles)
Extra: With a post-screening 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 about the touristification and gentrification of the Caribbean with the filmmakers and visual artist 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 (Jamaica), moderated by decolonial thinker and climate activist 𝗞𝗷𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗱 𝗞𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗻 (Bonaire)
More info & tickets: 𝗱𝗲𝘇𝘄𝗶𝗷𝗴𝗲𝗿.𝗻𝗹 | https://dezwijger.nl/programma/beach-inna-bondage-the-fight-for-jamaicas-coastline

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲
𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 (2026) is a new documentary by Dutch filmmaking duo 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 and 𝗘𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗿 in collaboration with 𝗝𝗮𝗕𝗕𝗘𝗠 and 𝗞𝗲𝘇𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗱𝗶 exploring the growing struggle for beach access in Jamaica. Since the 1950s, public access to the island’s beaches has steadily declined, leaving less than one percent of the coastline publicly accessible for Jamaicans. Over the decades, most of Jamaica’s beaches have been captured by private and tourist interests, and particularly since the 2000s large-scale hotel developments have limited beach access for Jamaicans.

This film follows the grassroots movement resisting the privatization of Jamaican beaches by zooming in on three frontline struggles: Bob Marley Beach near Kingston, the Blue Lagoon in the parish of Portland, and Mammee Bay Beach on the island’s North Coast. The interviewees, all Jamaicans, reveal how the 1956 Beach Control Act, which is still in effect today, vests ownership of the foreshore in the Jamaican state (and actually the British Crown) and traces how this colonial-era law, combined with the island’s all-inclusive tourism model, has displaced communities, disrupted livelihoods, and degraded environments. Interwoven with archival footage, news clips, and recordings of protest rallies and court cases, the interviewees situate today’s beach access struggles within Jamaica’s troubled history of land ownership following emancipation and independence. They argue that the island’s tourism industry replicates plantation logic by monopolizing land, concentrating wealth, exporting profits, and, ultimately, marginalizing the people.

𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲 shows that beach access, which is not only an issue in Jamaica but across the Caribbean and beyond, is an urgent matter of historical, economic, social, cultural and environmental justice, raising the question of who the so-called ‘tropical paradise’ of sun, sand, and sea truly serves, and at what cost…

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲
In the short documentary 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 (2022, 23′, 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲), Puerto Rican journalist 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘂 examines the forces transforming 𝗣𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗼 and threatening to displace the people who call the island home. Through the experiences of residents of a marginalized urban neighborhood facing growing pressures of displacement, the film explores the impacts of 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, and 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 to attract wealthy outsiders, while many Puerto Ricans struggle to afford housing in their own communities. Released in connection with 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆’s song 𝗘𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻, 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 uses the global reach of one of Puerto Rico’s biggest artists to amplify Caribbean voices of resistance. Urgent yet deeply rooted in love for the island, the film offers a powerful portrait of Caribbean communities confronting insecurity, resisting displacement, and asserting their right to remain. At its core lies a fundamental question of belonging: 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗼, 𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗯𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻?

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮
𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮 (2026-2027) is a 14-part documentary series in progress exploring the 𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺, 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 from the early twentieth century to the present day. The history of Jamaica as a film location started in the early twentieth century, during the island’s early tourism and late colonial period. From then onwards, Jamaica has served as a tropical backdrop in numerous international films, from A Daughter of the Gods (1916) to No Time to Die (2021). Following its independence in 1962, Jamaica has sought to develop its own film industry ever since the success of The Harder They Come (1972). 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱, 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴
Karla King is a Jamaican visual artist, born and raised in Trelawny and now based in the Netherlands. Drawing on her background in sustainability and human-centered design, her work uses painting and poetry to explore themes including womanhood, identity, migration, and cultural heritage. King sees art as a vehicle for social change and a means of creating understanding and connection. In 2026, she founded the Ackee Seed Foundation, a Netherlands-based NGO that uses art and culture to support social development in Jamaica through community projects with young people, schools, and other educational organizations.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀
Emiel Martens is a Dutch film scholar-practitioner whose work explores the intersections of film, tourism, and empire in the Caribbean, with a particular focus on Jamaica. He is Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam and until recently served as a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. During his fellowship, he worked on several research-based film projects, including Beach Inna Bondage. Martens is also the Founding Director of Caribbean Creativity, a non-profit organization dedicated to the programming and promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed cinema in Jamaica and the Netherlands.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗿
Elsie Vermeer is a Dutch documentary filmmaker and journalist with a background in visual anthropology. She currently works as a content creator for Dutch public broadcaster HUMAN, while also developing independent film projects. These projects focus on exposing social inequalities, collaborating closely with her protagonists to tell their stories in a sensative and respectful way. For example, her most recent short, Who Cares, explores why undocumented immigrants in Amsterdam are often not receiving the healthcare to which they are entitled. In 2025-2026, Elsie was based in Kingston, Jamaica, where she worked on several film projects, including Beach Inna Bondage.