Beyond Beaches and Palm Trees: CSIFF26 Invites New Yorkers to Discover the Caribbean Through Film
Beyond Beaches and Palm Trees: CSIFF26 Invites New Yorkers to Discover the Caribbean Through Film
Forest Hills, NY, September 13, 2026 --(PR.com)-- What makes a Caribbean film?
Does it have to be set on an island? Does it have to show palm trees, beaches and blue water? Or can a Caribbean story unfold in New Hampshire, New York—or anywhere Caribbean people carry their histories, identities and experiences?
This October, the Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF26) invites audiences to discover just how expansive Caribbean cinema can be.
Taking place October 9–11, 2026, the fourth edition of CSIFF will present more than 40 films by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora filmmakers representing 14 countries, alongside filmmaker conversations, audience Q&As and industry programming.
Presented by Queens-based nonprofit Conch Shell Productions, Inc., this year’s festival carries the theme:
“Our Culture Lives in Our Stories.”
For Festival Founder and Director Magaly Colimon-Christopher, the festival is about creating opportunities for audiences to encounter Caribbean people and cultures through the eyes of the storytellers themselves.
“These are human stories told through Caribbean cultural viewpoints. You don’t have to be Caribbean to recognize yourself in them. We want audiences to discover filmmakers they may not know yet, experience stories they may not encounter anywhere else, and then stay for the conversation.”
The Caribbean Is More Than a Landscape
Jamaican writer-director Lesley-Ann Wanliss, whose Bright Sparks screens at CSIFF26, believes festivals are an essential part of building a thriving Caribbean film industry—and helping audiences see beyond familiar representations of the region.
“There is something about the Caribbean that is more than just the landscape,” Wanliss said during a recent CSIFF filmmaker conversation. “It’s also the people. It’s also our history. It’s also our heart.”
That philosophy can be seen in Bright Sparks itself.
Wanliss originally set out to tell a story about hope, inspired by an image of a young boy looking out over Kingston and imagining possibility. But while she was writing, encounters with profound loss changed the direction of the story.
The resulting film grapples with grief while asking what possibilities can still exist on the other side of it.
Audiences can see Bright Sparks Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM at Regal UA Midway in Forest Hills, Queens.
Can a Film Set in New Hampshire Be a Caribbean Film?
Trinidadian-American filmmaker Ria Vieira offers another answer to that question with Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy.
The film was shot in New Hampshire—not an environment audiences would typically associate with Caribbean cinema.
Vieira drew upon her experiences growing up in the Northeast and navigating predominantly white educational and social spaces. Her protagonist desperately wants to fit into his community and, in the process, begins suppressing pieces of himself and his identity.
Vieira also uses genre to explore ancestry and the idea of ancestors remaining present in our lives, offering wisdom during moments when we need it.
For Vieira, Caribbean cinema does not have to conform to a particular visual image.
She believes that when Caribbean filmmakers are behind the screen, Caribbean films can “look like anything.” She also recalls growing up without much exposure to Caribbean cinema herself, making festivals that bring these films directly to communities especially meaningful.
Audiences can see Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy Saturday, October 10 at 12:00 PM at Regal UA Midway in Forest Hills, Queens.
More Than 40 Films. 14 Countries. Many Ways to Tell a Caribbean Story.
Bright Sparks and Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy are two of the more than 40 films audiences can discover during CSIFF26.
Across the festival, audiences will encounter stories told through different genres, generations, countries and artistic perspectives.
Some take audiences directly into Caribbean communities.
Others follow Caribbean people across borders and into the diaspora.
Some explore identity, family, migration, memory, grief, belonging and ancestry.
Others may surprise audiences precisely because they don't immediately look like what they imagined a “Caribbean film” should look like.
Together, they make the case that there is no single Caribbean story.
And that is exactly the point.
As Wanliss told audiences during her CSIFF conversation, the Caribbean film industry needs festivals, exhibition and distribution in order to grow. Her invitation to audiences was beautifully simple:
“Watch these films.”
This October, CSIFF26 is giving New Yorkers the opportunity to do exactly that.
CSIFF26 Festival Information
Conch Shell International Film Fest — Fourth Edition
October 9–11, 2026
Theme: Our Culture Lives in Our Stories
Friday, October 9
Industry panels, filmmaker conversations and opening-night programming
HB Playwrights Theatre — Manhattan
Saturday, October 10 & Sunday, October 11
Film screenings, filmmaker Q&As and awards
Regal UA Midway
108-22 Queens Blvd.
Forest Hills, Queens
Featured October 10 Screenings:
Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy — 12:00 PM
Bright Sparks — 7:00 PM
Festival passes, individual screening tickets and the complete schedule are available at the Conch Shell International Film Fest website.
About Conch Shell International Film Fest
The Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF) is an initiative of Conch Shell Productions, Inc., a Queens-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora artists.
Through film screenings, filmmaker conversations, professional development opportunities and community engagement, CSIFF connects independent filmmakers with audiences while expanding perceptions of what Caribbean storytelling can be.
Does it have to be set on an island? Does it have to show palm trees, beaches and blue water? Or can a Caribbean story unfold in New Hampshire, New York—or anywhere Caribbean people carry their histories, identities and experiences?
This October, the Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF26) invites audiences to discover just how expansive Caribbean cinema can be.
Taking place October 9–11, 2026, the fourth edition of CSIFF will present more than 40 films by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora filmmakers representing 14 countries, alongside filmmaker conversations, audience Q&As and industry programming.
Presented by Queens-based nonprofit Conch Shell Productions, Inc., this year’s festival carries the theme:
“Our Culture Lives in Our Stories.”
For Festival Founder and Director Magaly Colimon-Christopher, the festival is about creating opportunities for audiences to encounter Caribbean people and cultures through the eyes of the storytellers themselves.
“These are human stories told through Caribbean cultural viewpoints. You don’t have to be Caribbean to recognize yourself in them. We want audiences to discover filmmakers they may not know yet, experience stories they may not encounter anywhere else, and then stay for the conversation.”
The Caribbean Is More Than a Landscape
Jamaican writer-director Lesley-Ann Wanliss, whose Bright Sparks screens at CSIFF26, believes festivals are an essential part of building a thriving Caribbean film industry—and helping audiences see beyond familiar representations of the region.
“There is something about the Caribbean that is more than just the landscape,” Wanliss said during a recent CSIFF filmmaker conversation. “It’s also the people. It’s also our history. It’s also our heart.”
That philosophy can be seen in Bright Sparks itself.
Wanliss originally set out to tell a story about hope, inspired by an image of a young boy looking out over Kingston and imagining possibility. But while she was writing, encounters with profound loss changed the direction of the story.
The resulting film grapples with grief while asking what possibilities can still exist on the other side of it.
Audiences can see Bright Sparks Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM at Regal UA Midway in Forest Hills, Queens.
Can a Film Set in New Hampshire Be a Caribbean Film?
Trinidadian-American filmmaker Ria Vieira offers another answer to that question with Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy.
The film was shot in New Hampshire—not an environment audiences would typically associate with Caribbean cinema.
Vieira drew upon her experiences growing up in the Northeast and navigating predominantly white educational and social spaces. Her protagonist desperately wants to fit into his community and, in the process, begins suppressing pieces of himself and his identity.
Vieira also uses genre to explore ancestry and the idea of ancestors remaining present in our lives, offering wisdom during moments when we need it.
For Vieira, Caribbean cinema does not have to conform to a particular visual image.
She believes that when Caribbean filmmakers are behind the screen, Caribbean films can “look like anything.” She also recalls growing up without much exposure to Caribbean cinema herself, making festivals that bring these films directly to communities especially meaningful.
Audiences can see Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy Saturday, October 10 at 12:00 PM at Regal UA Midway in Forest Hills, Queens.
More Than 40 Films. 14 Countries. Many Ways to Tell a Caribbean Story.
Bright Sparks and Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy are two of the more than 40 films audiences can discover during CSIFF26.
Across the festival, audiences will encounter stories told through different genres, generations, countries and artistic perspectives.
Some take audiences directly into Caribbean communities.
Others follow Caribbean people across borders and into the diaspora.
Some explore identity, family, migration, memory, grief, belonging and ancestry.
Others may surprise audiences precisely because they don't immediately look like what they imagined a “Caribbean film” should look like.
Together, they make the case that there is no single Caribbean story.
And that is exactly the point.
As Wanliss told audiences during her CSIFF conversation, the Caribbean film industry needs festivals, exhibition and distribution in order to grow. Her invitation to audiences was beautifully simple:
“Watch these films.”
This October, CSIFF26 is giving New Yorkers the opportunity to do exactly that.
CSIFF26 Festival Information
Conch Shell International Film Fest — Fourth Edition
October 9–11, 2026
Theme: Our Culture Lives in Our Stories
Friday, October 9
Industry panels, filmmaker conversations and opening-night programming
HB Playwrights Theatre — Manhattan
Saturday, October 10 & Sunday, October 11
Film screenings, filmmaker Q&As and awards
Regal UA Midway
108-22 Queens Blvd.
Forest Hills, Queens
Featured October 10 Screenings:
Isaiah’s Glass Goes Down Easy — 12:00 PM
Bright Sparks — 7:00 PM
Festival passes, individual screening tickets and the complete schedule are available at the Conch Shell International Film Fest website.
About Conch Shell International Film Fest
The Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF) is an initiative of Conch Shell Productions, Inc., a Queens-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora artists.
Through film screenings, filmmaker conversations, professional development opportunities and community engagement, CSIFF connects independent filmmakers with audiences while expanding perceptions of what Caribbean storytelling can be.
Contact
Conch Shell Productions
Magaly Colimon-Christopher
917-776-9647
www.conchshellproductions.com
Magaly Colimon-Christopher
917-776-9647
www.conchshellproductions.com
Contact
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