Today we wrap up our look at the UNICEF/ JAFTA film partnership, Behind Her Lens: Women and Children in the Wake of Hurricane Melissa. We’ve explored the three (3) documentaries and what they contribute to Jamaican society in the context of the disaster that visited the island on October 28, 2025. We’ve shared a multiplicity of perspectives, wrapping with our...

The UNICEF/ JAFTA film partnership, Behind Her Lens: Women and Children in the Wake of Hurricane Melissa, sought to use the genre to help the population digest the effects of the Category 5 event, and showcase the experience from the perspectives of vulnerable individuals. Beyond attendance and viewership, the true success of the initiative could be felt in the range...

Lately The Arts Page has been exploring the UNICEF/ JAFTA film partnership, Behind Her Lens: Women and Children in the Wake of Hurricane Melissa, a documentary initiative that performed a Janus-like function in the aftermath of Hurricane Mellissa. While simultaneously documenting the accounts of women, adolescent girls, and children in three (3) communities severely affected by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa,...

On a Thursday evening in June, the 18th to be precise…a sizeable crowd gathered at Cinema 1, Palace Cineplex, in Sovereign Centre. Exciting movies were on offer, and the vibe was anticipatory, but these moviegoers had a specific focus in mind. They obediently filed into the theatre (movie tickets in hand) to the familiar smell of buttered popcorn, but they...

Richard Smith is a Jamaican Artist, and a good one at that! His work has since 2017, regularly won Gold in the annual Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Fine Art Competition, but he’s much more than a Fine Artist. I’m not saying he’s a ‘secret agent’ either, but I can assert that he has infiltrated the public education system to...

Every once in a while, you encounter a Jamaican who, unasked….is quietly working in their own sphere to make their country a better place. Chances are you’ve met them… People who leave you feeling better that when they found you, more hopeful, more connected…and hopefully, more committed to making your country and it’s people “increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity…and...

Jamaica is often celebrated as a cultural powerhouse! However, the perseveration of this culture has raised some questions: for surely things of value are worth preserving? Can culture die out? Can we lose the lessons? Even if our genetic memory preserves things that are in our blood and collective psyche, how do we ‘really an’ truly preserve our culture? And...

Jamaica has picked its winner of the hugely-popular Festival Song Competition! ‘I Love Jamaica’ by dBurnz is the 2026 Jamaica Festival Song: the patriotic tune taking the coveted title at the grand finale of the Jamaica Festival Song Competition held on Saturday (July 25) at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in St. Andrew. The catchy hit, having aced the tough...