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If you do get the opportunity, do watch Dominican Republic film director’s feature movie Bantú Mama.

This work is part of GATFFEST 2023 and was screened last night at Sovereign Palace Cineplex in Kingston.

In summary, the film revolves around a French girl of African descent who managed to escape  after being arrested in the Dominican Republic and is given protection and refuge by a group of children in one of the most improvised neighborhoods in Santo Domingo, El Capotillo. She becomes the maternal figure to these children, and her life undergoes a profound transformation.

Herrera is going to be a leading Caribbean film maker with a great future. With this movie he has managed to highlight dignity, grace and community spirit  in what many would consider life in the ghetto which more often than not is depicted as grim, bleak violent and chaotic. He turns all that on its head with a charm not often seen in modern cinema.

He invested his own money to get this film made and his Senegalese  Clarisse Albrecht wife assisted as co-writer, co-producer and star, thus making it a family affair. She did a fantastic job as the leading protagonist Emma and she is also one to watch for in the future.

The film brings into focus Diaspora themes drawing upon the connection between the Caribbean, Africa and the Western World and how one can lead enriched lives by returning to portals once left behind.

Herrera’s use of shadow and light is commendable and he managed to assemble a great cast with the kids doing a fantastic job here. It is a crowning achievement. Bantú Mama can be seen on both American and European Netflix.

Born in Santo Domingo, Ivan Herrera is a Dominican director, producer, and screenwriter. Passionate about photography, it is by observing the world through the lens of his camera that he finds inspiration and interprets humanity. His short film La Pasión Original, received the Judge’s Choice Awards at the TIFxInstagram Shorts Festival in 2016. His feature film Bantú Mama is the first Dominican film to be selected by SXSW. Currently based in the north coast of the Dominican Republic, Herrera has established his production services company, ‘Too Caribbean,’ and film production company, ‘Point Barre.’

Ambassador Angie Martínez expressed that the Dominican Embassy was “very excited to be part of the incredible GATFFEST Film Festival. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the  UWI Community Film Project for this outstanding initiative which has become a remarkable social platform for cinema in Jamaica and the Caribbean.”

She also stated that the Dominican Republic got behind  a film that is closely related to the reasons for the creation of the GATFFEST Film Festival. She said, “a significant part of the film’s story unfolds in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic, El Capotillo- a neighborhood I am intimately familiar with; one where the influences of our past and present converge, and where many people struggle to see their dreams come true despite the difficulties.”

Ambassador Martínez acknowledged that, “the objective of the GATFFEST to encourage the direct participation of young people from the community and integrate them into the creative process of cinema is not only an original cause but also commendable.” 

The Dominican diplomat likewise highlights the fact that “many young Jamaicans have gone from being at risk to achieving ventures, jobs in the film industry, and even careers in cinema. This is why we must congratulate the University of West Indies (UWI) for this great initiative, as well as the team behind the GATFFEST Film Festival who do a wonderful job year after year.”

Of Bantú Mama, Readline Hollywood Daily critic Anna Smith wrote: “With excellent cinematography from DP Sebastian Cabrera Cheli, Bantú Mama is a powerful film about connection and cultural exchange marking both Albrecht and Herrera as talents to watch.

“At once an intimate  portrait of a makeshift family and a treatise on motherhood and motherlands, Bantú Mama is a quiet achievement.

“Albrecht  and Herrera’s care in crafting Emma’s transitional and bilingual story is made all the more impressive by how sparingly simple it appears on first watch. Yet the complexity of the themes they’ve woven in all the conversations across cross-cultural lineges they’re clearly engaged in, makes their collaboration an admirable entry in the Caribbean country’s budding cinematic canon,”  wrote Manuel Betancourt of Variety.