Water, Memory and Caribbean Identity: Two CSIFF26 Filmmakers Invite New York Audiences to Experience Their Stories
Aruban filmmaker Velvet Zoé Ramos and Puerto Rico-based filmmaker Lindsay Traban bring Adrift Wak Leu and Where the Waves End to the big screen October 10 at the Conch Shell International Film Fest
Forest Hills, NY, September 13, 2026 --(PR.com)-- Two Caribbean filmmakers. Two distinctly different cinematic languages. And one powerful element flowing through both of their films: water.
Aruban filmmaker Velvet Zoé Ramos, writer-director of Adrift Wak Leu, and Puerto Rico-based filmmaker Lindsay Traban, writer-director of Where the Waves End, are among the filmmakers whose work will be presented at the 2026 Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF26) in New York City.
The two films will screen Saturday, October 10 at 2:30 PM as part of CSIFF26’s Shifting Realities Film Block at Regal UA Midway, 108-22 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, Queens.
Presented by Queens-based nonprofit Conch Shell Productions, Inc., the fourth edition of CSIFF takes place October 9–11, 2026, presenting more than 40 films by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora filmmakers representing 14 countries under the theme “Our Culture Lives in Our Stories.”
Two Films, Two Distinct Approaches to Storytelling
For Ramos, Adrift Wak Leu grew out of her work as a visual artist, the landscape of Aruba and the idea of daydreaming.
Ramos explained during a recent CSIFF filmmaker conversation that “Wak Leu” comes from Papiamento and that she interprets it as daydreaming. The film developed from that idea in combination with the visual language of her artistic practice and the landscape surrounding her in Aruba.
The resulting work is experimental and poetic, using open-ended imagery and symbolism rather than a traditional narrative structure.
For Traban, Where the Waves End emerged from an exploration of grief, human relationships and memory.
“It was highly inspired by grief, the emotional complexities of human relationships and the memories that that grief makes us go through,” Traban said.
Traban said the actors also brought elements of their own experiences into their performances, helping the characters and difficult emotions within the film feel genuine.
Water Becomes More Than a Backdrop
Although the filmmakers approach storytelling differently, water plays a significant role in both films.
For Traban, that relationship is connected to the everyday experience of island life.
Coming from an island, she described the beach as part of daily life and said water became a space through which she could talk about grief. In Where the Waves End, it can represent both escape and emotion—something surreal while remaining deeply rooted in reality.
Ramos sees an even broader connection between Caribbean people and the waters surrounding their islands.
“Our identities come from those waters.”
In Adrift Wak Leu, Ramos uses churning water and deliberately avoids giving the viewer an easy point of orientation. When still water appears, there is no horizon.
“You’re meant to be a little lost,” Ramos said.
Grief Hope And The Freedom To Experience Art
Ramos also uses the natural world to hold grief and hope simultaneously.
She points to the symbolism of a seed: something that sacrifices itself in order for something new to grow. Her film leaves many of these ideas open-ended, allowing viewers to determine where they find their own connections.
In fact, Ramos doesn't necessarily want viewers to leave Adrift Wak Leu believing they have figured everything out.
“You just have to experience it because that’s the point of the film.”
Traban hopes Where the Waves End produces a different but equally personal response.
She wants audiences to move through the emotions of the film through the lens of their own experiences and hopes the work encourages reflection and conversation about grief, emotions and human connection.
“Get Out Of Your Head, Get Into Your Heart”
During the CSIFF filmmaker conversation, Festival Founder and Director Magaly Colimon-Christopher heard a shared invitation emerging from the filmmakers' perspectives:
“Get out of your head, get into your heart.”
Both filmmakers agreed.
For Colimon-Christopher, the connection between the two films also speaks to something shared across Caribbean cultures.
“The ocean is what all of these islands have in common—our connection to the water, the impact of the water on our life, the impermanence of things as a result of the water.”
CSIFF26 invites New York audiences to encounter these films—and dozens of others—not only as entertainment, but as opportunities to discover the breadth of stories being created by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora filmmakers today.
See The Films At CSIFF26
Adrift Wak Leu
Written and directed by Velvet Zoé Ramos
(CSIFF26 Best Experimental Film Nominee)
Where the Waves End
Written and directed by Lindsay Traban
Both films screen as part of the:
CSIFF26 — Shifting Realities Film Block
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 2:30 PM
Regal UA Midway
108-22 Queens Blvd.
Forest Hills, Queens
Tickets, festival passes and the complete festival schedule are available through the Conch Shell International Film Fest website.www.conchshelliff.com
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 Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora voices in theater and film.
The fourth edition of CSIFF takes place October 9–11, 2026 in New York City. Through film screenings, filmmaker conversations, industry programming and community engagement, the festival creates opportunities for independent filmmakers to connect their work with audiences while expanding perceptions of Caribbean storytelling.
Aruban filmmaker Velvet Zoé Ramos, writer-director of Adrift Wak Leu, and Puerto Rico-based filmmaker Lindsay Traban, writer-director of Where the Waves End, are among the filmmakers whose work will be presented at the 2026 Conch Shell International Film Fest (CSIFF26) in New York City.
The two films will screen Saturday, October 10 at 2:30 PM as part of CSIFF26’s Shifting Realities Film Block at Regal UA Midway, 108-22 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, Queens.
Presented by Queens-based nonprofit Conch Shell Productions, Inc., the fourth edition of CSIFF takes place October 9–11, 2026, presenting more than 40 films by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora filmmakers representing 14 countries under the theme “Our Culture Lives in Our Stories.”
Two Films, Two Distinct Approaches to Storytelling
For Ramos, Adrift Wak Leu grew out of her work as a visual artist, the landscape of Aruba and the idea of daydreaming.
Ramos explained during a recent CSIFF filmmaker conversation that “Wak Leu” comes from Papiamento and that she interprets it as daydreaming. The film developed from that idea in combination with the visual language of her artistic practice and the landscape surrounding her in Aruba.
The resulting work is experimental and poetic, using open-ended imagery and symbolism rather than a traditional narrative structure.
For Traban, Where the Waves End emerged from an exploration of grief, human relationships and memory.
“It was highly inspired by grief, the emotional complexities of human relationships and the memories that that grief makes us go through,” Traban said.
Traban said the actors also brought elements of their own experiences into their performances, helping the characters and difficult emotions within the film feel genuine.
Water Becomes More Than a Backdrop
Although the filmmakers approach storytelling differently, water plays a significant role in both films.
For Traban, that relationship is connected to the everyday experience of island life.
Coming from an island, she described the beach as part of daily life and said water became a space through which she could talk about grief. In Where the Waves End, it can represent both escape and emotion—something surreal while remaining deeply rooted in reality.
Ramos sees an even broader connection between Caribbean people and the waters surrounding their islands.
“Our identities come from those waters.”
In Adrift Wak Leu, Ramos uses churning water and deliberately avoids giving the viewer an easy point of orientation. When still water appears, there is no horizon.
“You’re meant to be a little lost,” Ramos said.
Grief Hope And The Freedom To Experience Art
Ramos also uses the natural world to hold grief and hope simultaneously.
She points to the symbolism of a seed: something that sacrifices itself in order for something new to grow. Her film leaves many of these ideas open-ended, allowing viewers to determine where they find their own connections.
In fact, Ramos doesn't necessarily want viewers to leave Adrift Wak Leu believing they have figured everything out.
“You just have to experience it because that’s the point of the film.”
Traban hopes Where the Waves End produces a different but equally personal response.
She wants audiences to move through the emotions of the film through the lens of their own experiences and hopes the work encourages reflection and conversation about grief, emotions and human connection.
“Get Out Of Your Head, Get Into Your Heart”
During the CSIFF filmmaker conversation, Festival Founder and Director Magaly Colimon-Christopher heard a shared invitation emerging from the filmmakers' perspectives:
“Get out of your head, get into your heart.”
Both filmmakers agreed.
For Colimon-Christopher, the connection between the two films also speaks to something shared across Caribbean cultures.
“The ocean is what all of these islands have in common—our connection to the water, the impact of the water on our life, the impermanence of things as a result of the water.”
CSIFF26 invites New York audiences to encounter these films—and dozens of others—not only as entertainment, but as opportunities to discover the breadth of stories being created by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora filmmakers today.
See The Films At CSIFF26
Adrift Wak Leu
Written and directed by Velvet Zoé Ramos
(CSIFF26 Best Experimental Film Nominee)
Where the Waves End
Written and directed by Lindsay Traban
Both films screen as part of the:
CSIFF26 — Shifting Realities Film Block
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 2:30 PM
Regal UA Midway
108-22 Queens Blvd.
Forest Hills, Queens
Tickets, festival passes and the complete festival schedule are available through the Conch Shell International Film Fest website.www.conchshelliff.com
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 Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora voices in theater and film.
The fourth edition of CSIFF takes place October 9–11, 2026 in New York City. Through film screenings, filmmaker conversations, industry programming and community engagement, the festival creates opportunities for independent filmmakers to connect their work with audiences while expanding perceptions of Caribbean storytelling.
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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