CineCarib: Beach Inna Bondage: The Fight for Jamaica’s Coastline (JA Premiere)

On 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮, 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰, in collaboration with 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗖, present the second 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯 in 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮, taking place at 𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻.

This time around, we will screen and discuss two documentaries that explore the 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 due to growing 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻 in 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮 and the wider 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻. The program features the 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿 of the short documentary 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 (2026), alongside 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 (2022, 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲), a short film on gentrification, housing and beach access in 𝗣𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗼. 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲, and 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 will be available all night!

𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯: 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 (𝗝𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗲!)
Date: Saturday May 2, 2026
Time: 7.30pm (start film), 12pm (doors open)
Venue: Cafe Rosa
Address: 1 Grosvenor Terrace (off Manor Park Plaza), Kingston 8
Title: 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲
Director: Emiel Martens and Elsie Vermeer
Country: Jamaica and the Netherlands
Year: 2026
Length: 29′
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Extra: With an 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 after the film with the filmmakers and others (TBA)
Extra: The short film 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 (2022, 23’, 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲, Puerto Rico , 𝗝𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗲!)
Extra: 𝗕𝗬𝗢𝗕, since limited seating is available, bring your own blankets if you can!
Tickets: 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (no RSVP needed), 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 available all night!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲
𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 (2026, 29’) is a short documentary by the Kingston-based Dutch filmmaking duo Emiel Martens and Elsie Vermeer 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 tropical paradise of sun, sand, and sea truly serves, and at what cost…

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲
𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 (2022, 23’, 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲) is a short documentary by 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘂 and 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆 that examines gentrification, housing and beach access in 𝗣𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗼. The film follows residents of a marginalized urban neighborhood on the island as they confront the pressures of displacement and urban redevelopment. Through intimate portraits and everyday encounters, 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 highlights how communities navigate insecurity, resilience, and collective resistance in the face of property and tourism development. Centering Pyerto Rican voices, it reflects on belonging, dignity, and the right to remain in Caribbean spaces that are increasingly threatened by external economic and political forces.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆
Caribbean Creativity is an Amsterdam-based non-profit organization that is, since 2008, committed to the programming and promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed cinema in the Netherlands and beyond. Over the years, Caribbean Creativity has hosted over 300 screenings in Dutch cinemas and at film festivals, including numerous premieres. In 2020, they launched YardVibes, a streaming platform featuring content from independent Caribbean and African filmmakers. YardVibes currently offers over 100 titles, including feature films, web series, documentaries, and short films, with new content added monthly. This year, they are based in Kingston, working on several film projects and film events, including this screening. For more information, visit www.caribbeancreativity.nl.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰
Africadelic is an Amsterdam-based non-profit organization that, since 2016, is committed to the programming and promotion of African and African diasporic cultural creativity, diversity and activism in the Netherlands. Each year on and around International Africa Day (May 25), they organize the Africacadelic Festival in Paradiso and various other venues across Amsterdam. This year, the 11th edition of the festival will be held from May 20-27, 2026. As the Africadelic team is currently based in both Kingston, Jamaica, and Luanda, Angola, they are also organizing several events there. For more information, visit www.africadelic.com.