As 2024 draws to a close, the Cayman Compass has selected some of the most significant stories in Cayman film to emerge this year. 2024 was an eventful year for local filmmakers, directors, producers and actors who continue to keep Cayman’s vibrant film industry rich and diverse.
Here are some of our favourite highlights of 2024.
‘Bob Marley: One Love’
I seriously cannot overstate how awe-inspiring watching ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ on the big screen was.
Cayman, along with the rest of the world, was stirred to celebrate the life and legacy of Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley for the film premiere on Valentine’s Day.
And Cayman’s very own filmmaker, director, and screenwriter Frank E. Flowers co-wrote the screenplay with US writer and TV producer Terence Winter.
The biographical drama was celebrated for its record-breaking first month in Cayman and surpassed over US$100 million globally, including more than $61 million in North America and more than $30 million from 59 international jurisdictions.
Frank E. Flowers was honoured with a special culture award from the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture for his work on the film.
The movie even took Caymanian twin brothers David and Chris Wight on a trip down memory lane to reflect on their decades-long collection of memorabilia of the late reggae star, amassing over 500 items.
Following the success of the ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ project, Flowers embarked on his next project, ‘The Bluff’, starring Indian-American actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and New Zealand actor Karl Urban.
The film, which Flowers is directing, in addition to co-writing the screenplay with executive producer Joe Ballarini, is set in the Caribbean in the 19th century and follows the story of a former pirate, played by Chopra Jonas, who must protect her family when the sins of her past catch up to her.
Beacon Farms
The documentary about North Side’s Beacon Farms garnered five accolades, including the ‘Best Director – Full Length Documentary’ at the Nice International Film Festival for filmmaker Candy Whicker in France.
The film won the ‘Science and Education Award’ at the London International Film Festival, and a silver at the Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards. It was also selected for showing at the Toronto International Women Film Festival and was screened at a final film festival in Seattle.
It was screened at the Camana Bay Cinema for several weeks and viewed by more than 1,000 people.
‘Beacon Farms’, which was shot over three years, gives insight into the work done at the North Side farm, which offers second chances to people in Cayman recovering from addiction.
‘Ivan’, the short film
Caymanian filmmaker Jazz Pitcairn is making headway at becoming a well-established filmmaker locally and internationally, following her directorial debut for the short film ‘Ivan’, which is loosely based on her family’s experience during the 2004 hurricane.
The film, which highlights strength and resilience in the face of the storm, also raises awareness of the impacts of climate change and the underrepresented Caribbean communities it most affects.
After debuting in 2023, the short film made its rounds on the international film festival circuit, winning best score for an international film at the Garden State Film Festival for ‘Force of Nature’, composed by Fadi Khoury and performed by Khoury and Pierce Constanti.
It was also selected to screen at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. The music for the film was nominated for a ‘Hollywood Music in Media Award’ in the category ‘Score- Short Film (Live Action)’.
Plans are underway to make a feature-length film of ‘Ivan’.
Pitcairn, who was previously best known for writing on HBO’s Emmy-winning series, ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’, won an NAACP Image Award for outstanding variety show (series or special).
Rita Estevanovich shines in Irish film
Caymanian actress Rita Estevanovich gave Cayman a proud moment when she was featured in the political art film ‘Beacons’, directed by Slovenian filmmaker Jasmina Cibic.
Her powerful role in the movie was celebrated across the islands. The film was screened as part of a new exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
‘Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise’ reality show
When news broke that the new Freeform reality series, ‘Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise’, would premiere in April, everyone got their popcorn ready.
The unfiltered look into Cayman as “a playground for the rich and famous” was a show that viewers were eager to see. A cast of locals and expats, including Cayman-born supermodel, actress and philanthropist Selita Ebanks, Elizabeth Chambers, Courtney McTaggart and Chelsea Flynn, took a dive into the rocky waters of relationships, friendships and careers.
The reality show, which was executive produced by Sean Rankine, attracted mixed reviews across social media. It celebrated Cayman, fostered more than 30 jobs for local talent, and pumped over $2 million into the local economy.
Jeremy Walton
Local film producer Jeremy Walton brought Cayman a special screening of ‘Pure O’ to mark World Mental Health Day.
Walton, the executive producer and principal financier of the film, gave local moviegoers insight into the misunderstood nature of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD.
He also produced the new sci-fi film ‘The Fix’, which explores climate change and the uncomfortable choices we will have to make as a result.
Walton, who is vice chair of the Cayman Islands Film Commission board of directors, is also a partner of Moo Studios, which created ‘The Fix’, starring Grace Van Dien and Clancy Brown; ‘The Inventor’, starring Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Matt Berry; and ‘Mid-Century’, starring Stephen Lang, Bruce Dern and Shane West.
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