In Syracuse, New York, the Community Folk Art Center’s annual Caribbean Cinematic Festival will take place on February 6-10, 2013. It will showcase films and performances “that capture the spirit and cultural richness of the Caribbean islands” and will address polarizing issues in the Caribbean and the Caribbean Diaspora through film, dance, spoken word, photography, discussion, and food. This five-day event is free and open to the public; however, donations are welcome.

The festival will include performances and artist talks by the following guests: veteran spoken-word artist and two-time National Poetry Slam Champion Roger Bonair-Agard, acclaimed filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, Bronx-based dance theater company Areytos Performance Works, Fulbright Scholar Kishi Ducre, celebrated Jamaican filmmaker Selena Blake, feminist educator and filmmaker Celiany Rivera-Velazquez, and multimedia artist Sandra Stephens.

Film: The films focus on the infusion of Caribbean culture into the United States, touching on topics such as migration, LGBT issues, human rights and feminism. This year’s line-up includes: “What My Mother Told Me” (UK, 1995); “Queen of Myself: Las Krudas de Cuba” (Cuba, 2011); “Taboo ………Yardies” (Jamaica, 2012); “Art, Craft or Soul” (Jamaica, 2011); “Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories” (Trinidad & Tobago/France/US, 2011); “Calypso Rose: Lioness of the Jungle”; “Haiti: One Day, One Destiny” Haiti, 2011, and “Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories” (US/Cuba, 2000).

Dance: On Saturday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m., Dance Theater Company Areytos Performance Works will perform an original piece.

Spoken Word: Veteran spoken word artist Roger Bonair-Agard will perform at Community Folk Art Center and lead a workshop at the YMCA Downtown Writer’s Center. Bonair-Agard is a two-time National Poetry Slam Champion and is the author of “Tarnish and Masquerade” (Rattapallax, 2007). His most recent book of poems is “GULLY” (Cypher Books, 2010).

Photography: Syracuse University Professor Kishi Animashaun Ducre will host a discussion and book signing about the photovoice exhibition, “Our Community, Our Vision, Our Voices.” The presentation will be followed by a talk and book signing of “A Place We Call Home: Gender, Race and Justice in Syracuse” (Syracuse University Press, Fall 2012).

Discussion: Each of the films will be followed by discussions with a featured guest, including: Frances-Anne Solomon, Selena Blake, Celiany Rivera and Sandra Stephens.

Food: The festival will close with a Caribbean Brunch provided by a local Caribbean restaurant and will be followed by a discussion, “Food and Sensibilities of the Caribbean with Asomgyee Pamoja.”

For original report, see http://news.syr.edu/community-folk-art-center-hosts-caribbean-cinematic-festival/

For more information, see www.communityfolkartcenter.org/films_festival.htm and http://www.communityfolkartcenter.org