If you don’t know Kweli-TV by now you should check them out. I am not paid by Kweli-TV to say this, I just find it hard to find good independent black films and Kweli fills that niche for me. Documentaries, Features, Webisodes, Animation, Short Films Feature length movies. It’s all there.
I am from Jamaica so naturally I look for Jamaican content just in case it’s out there and it is. I found these 5 gems during my search.
Mango Wars
Written and directed by Kyle Chin, Mango Wars is a comedy set in present day Kingston, Jamaica, follows Mr. Brown who runs a mango jelly business with his pregnant wife, Mr. Brown. Fed up with the theft of mangoes from his mango tree and the impending birth of his first child, he develops an elaborate plan to catch the thief red handed. But when all of the traps are set off by unlikely elements, Mr. Brown has to rethink what really matters.
This film was one of 5 films selected in a script to screen project called JAFTA Propella hosted by the Jamaica Film and Television Association. Mango Wars has since gone on to screen in several countries and win awards.
Here are a few of it’s accolades.Viewers Choice Award — GATFFEST 2019; Palm Bay Caribe Film Festival; 10th Gujarat International Short film Festival; GATTFEST Film Festival; The Pan African Film Festival; CaribbeanLens International Film Festival; Barbados Film Festival.
https://www.kweli.tv/programs/mango-wars
This City of Mine
Written and Directed by Danielle Russell this film follows a young woman who must brave the Kingston public transportation system in order to make it to her first day of work on time.
There are laughable moments, serious moments and teachable moments in this little thought provoking short.
Selected in a script to screen programme called JAFTA Propella in 2017, the has since screened has screened at the Timehri Film Festival; Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival; Hairouna Film Festival; Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival; Voice of a Woman Festival.
https://www.kweli.tv/programs/this-city-of-mine
Unbound
Written by Aleceia Dawkins, directed by David Johnson and produced by Stephanie Hazle, this short film is action packed. Created by an independent team of filmmakers set out to create an action movie with purpose, in comes Unbound. A story of a female detective on the hunt for a human trafficker who has deep ties with her past.
With what is happening in the world today with several children constantly going missing, this film could not be more relevant. Beyond going on to win an award at the 2018 Palm Bay Caribe Film Festival, they have also used it to open up conversations in various troubled communities about the topic of violence against women and children along with the social intervention partners Fight For Peace Jamaica and Girl’s First Jamaica. So the film is not only entertaining but it is also promoting change.
https://www.kweli.tv/programs/unbound
Chill Out
Directed and produced byt Robin Chin, this travel series explores Jamaica in a very active way. The hosts don’t just tell you what to enjoy. You get to see them experiencing it themselves while exploring different places to chillout with friends, family and loved ones. The first season takes place in Jamaica where we get to see the Bob Marley Museum, Dolphin Cove, Jojo’s Jerk Pit and much more. https://www.kweli.tv/programs/chill-out
THE FADE
https://www.kweli.tv/programs/the-fade
Directed by Andy Mundy-Castle, The Fade is an observational documentary that explores the lives of four barbers across the world. Following their weekly routines and adventures in Ghana, Jamaica, US and London, the film creates an emotive account of business and enterprise in the 21st Century through a unique brand of masculinity and brotherhood. Through the four main characters, we explore the cultural importance of barbering as an institution throughout marginalized communities. The Fade unravels what the profession really means to the four men and what inspires their desire to succeed. Closely looking at the similarities, the differences and how their location defines their outlook and ambition. Interweaving an international dialogue that aligns an image of a profession separated by location. The Fade is a revealing insight into a world behind a window of black men and the idiosyncratic nature, social importance and traditions of men in the hair business.
Austin Film Festival; Nashville Black Film Festival; Portsmouth Film Festival; San Francisco Black Film Festival; Afrika Eye Film Festival; Salem Festival Film Festival; British Urban Film Festival; East End Film Festival; Texas Black Film Festival; New Voices Film Festival
So check out these films. Get a sample of what Jamaica is working and be sure to check out all the other documentaries, movies and web series available on the platform. They have documentaries covering aspects of history that will completely blow you mind.