This year, screenwriters, directors and producers from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten were invited for the second time to apply for Studio Caribe’s development programme with an original idea for a short film. Thanks to additional funding from the International Cultural Policy programme (ICB), filmmakers from Suriname were eligible to participate for the first time.

The Netherlands Film Fund received a total of 88 applications, of which 14 projects have been selected for the development phase. In addition to financial support, the selected filmmakers will receive coaching, training and workshops to help further develop their film projects.

‘The large number of high-quality applications demonstrates the wealth of filmmaking talent and compelling stories emerging from the Caribbean region and Suriname,’ said Monique Ruinen, Head of Film Activities. ‘The selection committee faced a challenging task, but ultimately succeeded in choosing a rich and diverse range of filmmakers, stories and genres.’

International Officer Ilse Ronteltap agrees: ‘The applications sparked passionate discussions, moving moments and plenty of humour during an inspiring selection meeting. The committee faced a difficult decision due to the exceptionally high standard of submissions. The quality, diversity and talent of the applicants were evident from the outset, making the final selection anything but an easy task.’

Selected filmmaker Samueldavid Baromeo is looking forward to challenging himself creatively through the programme: ‘Participating in Studio Caribe offers me a unique opportunity to continue growing professionally as a filmmaker, gain new knowledge and collaborate with other talented creators from across the Caribbean. The programme not only provides space to further develop my project, but also to expand my network and exchange experiences. I look forward to gaining new insights and working together with the group to elevate powerful Caribbean stories to the next level.’

The selected projects are:

Amnesia Colectivo, short fiction

Director/script: Melissa Stamper
Aruba
Logline: Een Arubaanse geschiedenisleraar die slavernij in zijn lessen vermijdt, wordt door visioenen op de plek ‘Vader Piet’ geconfronteerd met een verleden waarin zijn familienaam Lampe en een tot slaaf gemaakte samenkomen, en moet beslissen of hij die geschiedenis blijft ontwijken of onder ogen ziet.

E cas unda e biento ta papia, short fiction

Director/script: Angel Soto
Aruba
Logline: Een marien biologe besluit op Aruba te gaan wonen en haar leven opnieuw op te bouwen in een huis aan zee. Elke nacht schrikt ze wakker, omdat ze een mysterieus gefluister hoort dat ze niet kan verklaren. Ze besluit de oorsprong ervan te onderzoeken, wat haar terugvoert naar herinneringen en confrontaties met haar eigen verleden.

Caminda pa cas, short experimental film

Director/script: Irvin Aguilar
Aruba
Logline: A grieving mask-maker enters an otherworldly cave marked with ancient symbols to recover what he has lost, only to confront memories he cannot fully understand or resolve.

Ami tambe, short fiction

Producer: Angelo Alberto
Bonaire
Logline: A single father who longs for connection, but cannot access it, begins to question himself when his relationships keep failing, until a moment at a family reunion forces him to confront the childhood abuse he has spent his life suppressing.

Ami So, short fiction

Director/script: David Martinus
Bonaire
Logline: After angrily wishing everyone would disappear, two frustrated young men wake to find Bonaire completely empty. What begins as freedom quickly turns into loneliness, forcing them to learn that being left alone is not the same as being free.

Next Level, short fiction

Director/script: Kaile Finies
Bonaire
Logline: A shy 10-year-old boy, desperate to fit in with his online friends, sets out across his neighborhood to trade his way toward a game gift card his parents can’t buy, only to discover something more valuable beyond the screen.

Milena, short fiction

Director/script: Jackie Bernabela
Bonaire
Logline: Wanneer de ontwortelde Milena gedwongen haar huis moet verlaten en in een verzorgingstehuis terechtkomt, vindt ze onverwacht liefde en tederheid bij Rudsell, een halfzijdig verlamde man die haar opnieuw laat voelen dat ze leeft - totdat hun broze verbinding abrupt wordt afgebroken door de kwetsbaarheid van ouderdom en afhankelijkheid. Milena is een poëtische korte film over twee ouderen die in een verzorgingstehuis onverwacht een intieme verbondenheid vinden binnen een omgeving van routine.

Baka pintá, short experimental film

Director/script: Vesuhely Americaan
Curaçao
Logline: During a tambú party in Otrobanda, the initiated drum Baka Pintá opens two paths; Daya, who listens with her whole body, is carried into ancestral memory; Wincho, who crosses a boundary he does not understand, loses his rhythm.

Sintí, short documentary

Director/script: Hester Jonkhout
Curaçao
Logline: Hoe kom je je dag door terwijl thuis de ijskast leeg is? Met deze korte docu-fictie film onderzoek ik de mentale impact op tienerjongens van het opgroeien in financieel kwetsbare omstandigheden. Het project vertrekt vanuit een persoonlijke noodzaak om een realiteit zichtbaar te maken die vaak buiten beeld blijft, maar die een wezenlijk onderdeel vormt van het dagelijks leven op Curaçao.

Zé, short fiction

Director/script: Giscard-Lemarque Johannes
Producer: Provider Films
Curaçao
Logline: When his baby sister falls mysteriously ill, a young boy in Curaçao discovers a shape-shifting spirit from local folklore is feeding on her, forcing him and his friends to uncover which trusted adult is hiding behind its skin before it’s too late.

Kash'i Glas, short fiction

Director/script: Samueldavid Baromeo
Curaçao
Logline: In a Curaçaoan culture where soccer defines masculinity, a young man bullied for his feminine expression finds his calling as a referee, rising from street games to the World Cup while losing his family, confronting rejection from his own father, and redefining what it truly means to be a man.

Nambia and the Sun, short fiction

Director/script: Ras Mosera
Producer: Joseph Henry
St. Maarten
Logline: Nambia, a young girl & her doll "Lala" are fascinated by the sunlight beams coming through the leaves of a nearby mango tree. The sunbeams are sometimes interrupted by heavy grey clouds. Her quest; to one day travel to the sun and collect as much sunbeams as possible. On a particular afternoon she dozes off; all the animals and Lala come alive and Mr. Skyhawk, the strongest bird, agrees to take her to the sun.

Het Orakel van de Baka Busi, short documentary

Director/script: Samuel Blankendal
Suriname
Logline: Een eeuw na het uiteenvallen van de Baka Busi-stam (Brooskampers) zetten nazaten alles op alles om hun gemeenschap in ere te herstellen. In de zoektocht naar hun nieuwe granman (opperhoofd) worstelen de Brooskampers niet alleen met de verschillen tussen het moderne leven in de stad en het traditionele leven op plantage Rorac, maar ook met het feit dat Konrad Acton, hun enig overgebleven optie op een nieuwe granman, er zelf weinig fiducie in ziet.

Antroewa’s Bloeien Ook!, short animation

Director/script: Carolyn Gerling
Suriname
Logline: Antroewa's bloeien ook! is het verhaal van Devi, een jonge, lieve, enthousiaste antroewa in een kleurrijke, vrolijke Surinaamse tuin. Zij droomt ervan een bloem te zijn, net als andere bloemen. Maar sommige inwoners lachen haar uit. Devi twijfelt en wordt voor het eerst geconfronteerd met ontmoediging. Zij leert hoe ermee om te gaan, en haar eigen unieke identiteit te omarmen.

The Studio Caribe programme will begin in September. Following the development phase, seven projects will be selected for production funding: six projects from the islands and one project from Suriname.

About Studio Caribe

Through Studio Caribe, the Netherlands Film Fund provides filmmakers from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with the opportunity to further develop their talents and contribute to a richer film landscape featuring original stories from and about the islands.

The first development round of Studio Caribe took place in 2024, followed by the production funding round in 2025. Read more about the projects selected for the development round and click here for the projects that received production funding.

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