DCEFF at Caribbean FilmFest: Possible Landscapes
A co-presentation of DCEFF and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
Shot across two seasons in Trinidad and Tobao, POSSIBLE LANDSCAPES is a poignant exploration of intergenerational experiences of landscape and environmental transformation in the Caribbean. The film immerses viewers in sugarcane fields, winding mountain valleys and pristine seas that mask the devastation of dying coral reefs, unfinished homes that stretch into oil fields and fishing communities that struggle against the ravages of the Atlantic. As the Caribbean faces escalating environmental crises, filmmaker Kannan Arunasalam captures the tensions of post-independence aspirations and disappointments, and explores the legacies of colonialism, postcolonial nationalism and changing forms of extractivism, offering a profound meditation on resilience, loss and the changing face of the land.
Preceded by the short Madulu the Seaman
Young Amari lives in the whaling town of Barrouallie in Saint Vincent, dreaming of a life in Paris as a soccer star. His grandfather, a legendary whaler-man and sole surviving keeper of the old sea shanties he sang out on the water, is eager to pass on his lifelong traditions even as the end of whaling looms. This lyrical documentary captures the rich history of a dying tradition in the wake of economic struggle at the hands of the tourism industry.