6:00PM-8:30PM | Dundas West Studio
✦ Little Dreams by Hannah Yohannes | Canada | 2026 | 9m 3s
✦ Beach Inna Bondage: The Fight for Jamaica’s Coastline by Emiel Martens, Elsie Vermeer | Jamaica, Netherlands | 2026 | 29m 57s
✦ Wealth Untold by Eladio Arvelo | USA/Belize | 2025 | 1hr 25m
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Filmmaker Talkback
Roots of Resilience reveal the strength that emerges when people confront uncertainty with compassion, determination, and collective action. Whether navigating personal hardship, defending public access to cherished landscapes, or protecting ecosystems that sustain future generations, these stories remind us that resilience is deeply rooted in connection. Together, they celebrate the enduring power of people to adapt, persevere, and nurture hope in the face of change.
From intimate encounters to collective struggles over land and livelihood, these films explore the strength that emerges when individuals and communities confront uncertainty with courage and care. As an opening programme, it sets the tone for the festival ahead—one grounded in connection, survival, and the enduring power of people to hold fast to what matters most.
Directed by Emiel Martens, Elsie Vermeer, Jamaica, Netherlands, 2026
Logline: In Jamaica, a grassroots movement battles to reclaim shrinking public beaches, exposing how colonial-era laws and tourism-driven privatization have turned a national birthright into a contested frontier of justice, access, and belonging.
Synopsis: Beach Inna Bondage is a short documentary set in Jamaica, exploring the growing struggle for public beach access. Through the work of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement and voices including reggae artist Keznamdi, the film follows frontline resistance at Bob Marley Beach, the Blue Lagoon, and Mammee Bay. Combining interviews, archival footage, and protest recordings, it reveals how colonial-era laws and tourism development have restricted access, displaced communities, and deepened inequality. Framing beach access as a matter of justice, the film asks who truly benefits from paradise—and who is left out.
Runtime: 29:57
Directed by Eladio Arvelo, USA/ Belize, 2025
Logline: A multigenerational network of women leaders fights to protect Belize’s world-renowned barrier reef from environmental threats that endanger the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Synopsis: Belize, a small coastal country in Central America, is home to the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that sustains over half the country’s population. Even though protected, the reef faces growing threats from overfishing, oil exploration, invasive species, coastal development, and climate change. WEALTH UNTOLD follows inspiring women leaders and changemakers fighting to safeguard this vital ecosystem while balancing economic prosperity. Their personal stories serve as a model for coastal communities around the world, highlighting the powerful role of women in shaping a sustainable future.
Runtime: 1:25:06