Instead, there was an animated film of a little boy who sees a history of slavery and resistance unfold in the pages of his book, one of many excellent scenes being the ocean swallowing an African as a slave ship sails away, transformed into the tea in a cup swallowed by a merry slave trader.

It was Black Soul from Haiti, one of four films from three Caribbean countries shown at the opening ceremony of the second Caribbean Film Showcase, which continues all this week in Kingston (Public Broadcasting Cooperation of Jamaica building, South Odeon Avenue), Montego Bay (Harrison House, Cornwall College) and Ocho Rios (Cove Cinema). All the screenings are free. The showcase is geared towards children and the films shown on Sunday, the others being The Owner from Cuba, Jamaica's Cricket and the evening's longest, High Grade, all reflected this.

Films for children

Films suitable for five-to-eight year-olds will be shown between 9 and 10 a.m., with those geared towards eight-to-12-year-olds to be screened from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Those 12 years and older will get their turn between 1 and 3 p.m. Films from Curacao, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia and Suriname will also be included, with UNICEF also making a contribution.

Amina Blackwood-Meeks, who hosted the ceremony, went back to her vivid memory, including her yellow dress and the star Frank Sinatra, of being allowed to go to the Carib Theatre on her own at all of 17 years old, in explaining the need for the showcase. "One of the aims of the showcase is to expose children to cinematography ... to create a different set of memories, memories that last," she said.

Angela Patterson of the Creative Production Training Centre led prayers and Natalie Thompson explained the genesis of the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase, giving credit to Rigoberto Lopez of Cuba.

"It is a very difficult thing to get filmmakers from not only the Spanish and English-speaking countries, but also the French and the Dutch and all the in-between," she said.

"This has opened up for the entire region a new way, a way we hope will lead to collaboration and that big word, co-production," Thompson said.

Egor Hevia, consul at the Cuban Embassy, said "the importance of this day is the expansion of Caribbean culture. The most important thing in the world is the children, the young people, the future".

'Lights, camera, action'

Dr Jonathan Greenland, representing Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports Olivia Grange said "our culture awaits, our stories await. It is time for us to take up the mantle and say 'lights, camera, action'."

And before the lights went down and the action began at the JTI on Sunday evening, Tanya Batson-Savage, director, Cultural Policy and Monitoring in the ministry, gave thanks all around.

- Mel Cooke