Beyond the current year of Cultural Exchange, connections between China and the Caribbean go deeper than you might imagine. For instance, Chinese people settled in Trinidad and Tobago more than 200 years ago. These islands, along with the Bahamas, Barbados, and Jamaica have each provided three films for the Caribbean Film Festival in China, the first of its kind.  

Even before the screenings began, the festival atmosphere was abuzz, with officials from China’s Ministry of Culture rubbing shoulders with ambassadors from seven Caribbean countries. It was the curtain-raiser for a two-day event screening 12 films.

“There are a lot of people who do not know where the Caribbean is. If you call it the Caribbean island, they’re like. And if you say ‘Bahama,’ which is the China version of Bahamas, people are thinking it’s Panama,” said Julie Campbell, Counselor of Embassy of the Bahamas.

“So we know there is a lot of work we have to do to raise awareness, raise sensitivity, and to build the relationship between the countries, especially when you have such culturally diverse groups.”

Caribbean film festival in China

The opening ceremony took place here at the Cervantes Institute in Beijing, one of 70 such centers across the world that promote Spanish language and culture. But it is Caribbean culture that is in the spotlight this time.

According to the very first ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to China, there is no better way to present that culture than film.

“We have focused lots on documentaries, documentaries that showcase lifestyles of the Caribbean, and some of the things we are outstanding in is sports for example. We have selected films about Caribbean people who have traced their roots back to China because, you know, the Chinese went to Trinidad and Tobago 210 years ago. So China, the Chinese community, is a very important part of the population of the Caribbean,” said Chandradath Singh, Trinidad and Tobago ambassador to China.

One such documentary is “Finding Samuel Lowe.” It follows the journey of retired NBC executive Paula Williams Madison, along with her siblings, to search for their long-lost Chinese grandfather, a journey that took them from Harlem to Toronto, to Jamaica, and finally to China, where they reunited with hundreds of Chinese relatives they never knew about.

Another documentary at the festival is “The Bakers of Oriental Gardens,” directed by Jamaican filmmaker Danielle Russell, who spent four years living in Beijing, where he recorded the lives of four physically challenged Chinese women living and working together in a bakery in China.

The film stands out in that it gives Jamaican audiences a real view of China from a Jamaican point of view.

“They enjoyed it a lot because it shows a different perspective to what they are used to seeing of Chinese people, especially since it’s Chinese people in China. You know, they’re used to seeing Chinese people in Jamaica. And also they get to see me, who is a Caribbean person, be integrated into a group of Chinese people. They are really interested by it, and they enjoy it a lot,” said Danielle Russell, filmmaker of “The Bakers of Oriental Garden.”

This is the first Caribbean Film Festival to hit China, and it is free to the public. Tonight's opening film, “Trailblazers: the Mycal Thompson Story,” has been chosen from the Bahamas because it speaks to something both cultures can highly relate to: basketball and hard work. And because Mycal Thompson really is like the Yao Ming of the Bahamas.

Directed by Gina Sealy, “Trailblazers” follows Thompson from his very humble beginnings. He only started playing basketball at the age of 16, which is considered quite late, but, through hard work and determination, became the first foreign-born number-one draft pick in NBA history.

“We felt that the Chinese can relate to the basketball story because China has its own famous Yao Ming, and they get excited about him ’cause, I mean, that’s a huge deal, so we felt that there is a connection here. We do know the Chinese like basketball, like baseball. The Chinese like basketball, and also it has global appeal in terms of its story,” said Julie Campbell.

And it is a success story, one that tells people they can make it despite their backgrounds, as long as they believe in their dream and are willing to work hard for it.

Along with the documentaries, the Caribbean Film Festival is also screening short films and even a sitcom series. With free admission, it is not only a key strand of cultural exchange but also a very good deal.