Antigua is collaborating with Julees Restaurant on Tanner Street to continue what started as the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase presented by the Cuban Film Institute.

HaMa hosted the event for 10 years, beginning in 2010, where they were provided with hundreds of Caribbean films curated by the Cuban Film Institute. With funding from UNESCO, the films were presented throughout the Caribbean. The COVID-19 pandemic and the death of filmmaker Rigaberto Lopez, who spearheaded the initiative, ended the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase in 2020.

HaMa believes that it is important to continue the showcase of Caribbean films not only to entertain but to inspire future filmmakers and to remind the community that our stories are important. Managing Director, Mitzi Allen, explains that “we must help to preserve our uniqueness and our identity through film for generations to come.”

With that purpose in mind, HaMafilms Antigua is collaborating with Julees Restaurant to continue the showcase of Caribbean films to Antiguans and Barbudans, free of charge. Julees Restaurant, located on the corner of Cross Street and Tanner Street in St. John’s, is a romantic and rustic location where various cultural and entertainment events have been hosted. It is the perfect setting to watch the films, cheer on the characters and chat afterwards with friends and peers. Joseph Martin, the proprietor of Julees Restaurant, says that those who attended the movie nights “really like the mood, they like the atmosphere, it’s something different, and it’s free.”

Screenings began during the first week of September with the Caribbean classic, and HaMa’s first film, ‘The Sweetest Mango’. It has continued with others such as ‘The Harder They Come’, ‘Home Again’, and ‘Diablesse’. A new film is shown free of charge every Thursday night at Julees Restaurant.

About HaMafilms: Director Howard Allen and Producer Mitzi Allen are the team behind HaMafilms productions like “The Sweetest Mango”, Antigua’s first locally produced feature-length film and the first indigenous film for the Eastern Caribbean. Over the last 30 years, HaMafilms has produced five feature films, countless documentaries and tv series. Their work is both educational and entertaining with the mission to preserve Antiguan and Barbudan Art and Culture.