BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:28584@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:Beach Inna Bondage: The Fight for Jamaica’s Coastline DTSTAMP:20261016T012459Z DTSTART:20261103T183000Z DESCRIPTION:Screening of three documentaries that examine the fight against gentrification\nand the fight to protect Caribbean coastlines.\n\nJoin us for a compelling evening of three documentaries exploring the fight for\n Caribbean coastlines\, communities and self-determination. From the privat ized\nbeaches of Jamaica to the gentrification of Puerto Rico\, each film offers a\npowerful lens on who gets to belong and who gets pushed out.\n\n These three films are in conversation with one another. They trace a line from\nthe colonial-era Beach Control Act of 1956\, which still governs Jam aica’s\ncoastline\, to the tax incentives that drive gentrification in Pue rto Rico\, to\nthe cinematic construction of the Caribbean as a playground for outsiders.\nTogether\, they reveal that the struggles for beach acces s and housing are not\nseparate issues but manifestations of the same ongo ing colonial project\, where\nCaribbean land and labour are extracted for beauty for the benefit of others.\n\nIn this programme Karla King Visual A rtist\n[https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-king-3182b01b8/] Emiel Martens A ssistant\nProfessor of Postcolonial Film Studies at the University of Amst erdam and\nfilmmaker [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emielmartens/] Elsie Ver meer Documentary\nfilmmaker and journalist [https://www.linkedin.com/in/el sievermeer/]\n\n\nMORE ABOUT THE SHORTFILMS...\n\nAbout Beach Inna Bondage \n\nAt just under 30 minutes\, Beach Inna Bondage delivers an urgent explo ration of\nthe growing loss of beach access in Jamaica. Since the 1950s\, most of Jamaica’s\nbeaches have been taken over by private and tourist int erests\, and particularly\nsince the 2000s large-scale hotel developments have limited beach access for\nJamaicans. The film follows the grassroots movement resisting the privatisation\nof Jamaican beaches by focusing on t hree frontline struggles: Bob Marley Beach\nnear Kingston\, the Blue Lagoo n in the parish of Portland\, and Mammee Bay Beach\non the island’s North Coast. The interviewees\, all Jamaicans\, reveal how the\n1956 Beach Contr ol Act\, which is still in effect today\, vests ownership of the\nforeshor e in the Jamaican state and traces how this colonial-era law\, combined\nw ith the island’s all-inclusive tourism model\, displaces communities\, dis rupts\nlivelihoods\, and degrades environments.\n\nInterwoven with archiva l footage\, news clips\, and recordings of protest rallies\nand court case s\, the interviewees situate today’s beach access struggles within\nJamaic a’s troubled history of land ownership following emancipation and\nindepen dence. They argue that the island’s tourism industry replicates\nplantatio n logic by monopolizing land\, concentrating wealth\, exporting profits\,\ nand\, ultimately\, marginalizing the people. Beach Inna Bondage shows tha t beach\naccess\, which is not only an issue in Jamaica but across the Car ibbean and\nbeyond\, is an urgent matter of historical\, economic\, social \, cultural and\nenvironmental justice\, raising the pressing question: Wh o truly benefits from\nJamaica’s tourism industry?\n\nAbout Aqui Vive Gent e\n\nIn the short documentary Aqui Vive Gente (2022\, 23′\, People Live He re)\, Puerto\nRican journalist Bianca Graulau examines the forces transfor ming Puerto Rico and\nthreatening to displace the people who call the isla nd home. Through the\nexperiences of residents of a marginalized urban nei ghborhood facing growing\npressures of displacement\, the film explores th e impacts of gentrification\,\ntouristification\, real-estate development\ , and tax incentives to attract wealthy\noutsiders\, while many Puerto Ric ans struggle to afford housing in their own\ncommunities. Released in conn ection with Bad Bunny’s song El Apagon\, Aqui Vive\nGente uses the global reach of one of Puerto Rico’s biggest artists to amplify\nCaribbean voices of resistance. Urgent yet deeply rooted in love for the island\,\nthe fil m offers a powerful portrait of Caribbean communities confronting\ninsecur ity\, resisting displacement\, and asserting their right to remain. At its \ncore lies a fundamental question of belonging: who gets to live in\, sha pe\, and\nbenefit from Puerto Rico\, and\, by extension\, the Caribbean?\n \nAbout Film Location Jamaica\n\nFilm Location Jamaica (2026-2027) is a 14 -part documentary series in progress\nexploring the island’s interwoven hi story of film\, tourism and empire from the\nearly twentieth century to th e present day. The history of Jamaica as a film\nlocation started in the e arly twentieth century\, during the island’s early\ntourism and late colon ial period. From then onwards\, Jamaica has served as a\ntropical backdrop in numerous international films\, from A Daughter of the Gods\n(1916) to No Time to Die (2021). Following its independence in 1962\, Jamaica has\ns ought to develop its own film industry ever since the success of The Harde r\nThey Come (1972). How have Jamaica and Jamaicans been involved\, portra yed\, and\nrepresented throughout the history of over 100 years of filmmak ing on the\nisland? And how is this connected to Jamaica’s tourism\, colon ial and\npost-independent history?\n\n\nMORE ABOUT THE SPEAKERS\n\nKarla K ing is a Jamaican visual artist\, born and raised in Trelawny and now\nbas ed in the Netherlands. Drawing on her background in sustainability and\nhu man-centered design\, her work uses painting and poetry to explore themes\ nincluding womanhood\, identity\, migration\, and cultural heritage. King sees art\nas a vehicle for social change and a means of creating understan ding and\nconnection. In 2026\, she founded the Ackee Seed Foundation\, a Netherlands-based\nNGO that uses art and culture to support social develop ment in Jamaica through\ncommunity projects with young people\, schools\, and other educational\norganizations.\n\nElsie Vermeer is a Dutch document ary filmmaker and journalist with a background\nin visual anthropology. Sh e currently works as a content creator for Dutch\npublic broadcaster HUMAN \, while also developing independent film projects. These\nprojects focus on exposing social inequalities\, collaborating closely with her\nprotagon ists to tell their stories in a sensative and respectful way. For\nexample \, her most recent short\, Who Cares\, explores why undocumented immigrant s\nin Amsterdam are often not receiving the healthcare to which they are e ntitled.\nIn 2025-2026\, Elsie was based in Kingston\, Jamaica\, where she worked on several\nfilm projects\, including Beach Inna Bondage.\n\nEmiel Martens is a Dutch film scholar-practitioner whose work explores the\nint ersections of film\, tourism\, and empire in the Caribbean\, with a partic ular\nfocus on Jamaica. He is Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Film Stu dies at the\nUniversity of Amsterdam and until recently served as a Visiti ng Research Fellow\nat the University of the West Indies in Kingston\, Jam aica. During his\nfellowship\, he worked on several research-based film pr ojects\, including Beach\nInna Bondage. Martens is also the Founding Direc tor of Caribbean Creativity\, a\nnon-profit organization dedicated to the programming and promotion of Caribbean\nand Caribbean-themed cinema in Jam aica and the Netherlands.\n\n\nMORE ABOUT THE PRODUCTION...\n\nBeach Inna Bondage: The Fight for Jamaica’s Coastline\nDirectors: Emiel Martens & Els ie Vermeer in collaboration with JaBBEM & Keznamdi\nYear: 2026\nCountry: J amaica and the Netherlands\nRuntime: 29 minutes\n\nProduced in collaborati on with the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental\nMovement (JaBBEM) and reggae artist Keznamdi. Keznamdi\, whose song ‘Colonial\nBondage’ features prominently in the film\, is a recent Grammy Award winner for\nBest Regga e Album (2025) for BLXXD & FYAH. JaBBEM (Jamaica Beach Birthright\nEnviron mental Movement) is a grassroots initiative advocating for public beach\na ccess\, environmental protection\, and coastal justice in Jamaica. The mov ement\nengages communities through advocacy\, education\, and action to pr otect Jamaica’s\ncoastal heritage. More information: www.jabbem.org [http: //www.jabbem.org]\n\nCaribbean Creativity is Dutch non-profit organzation committed to programming\nand promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed cinema in the Netherlands and\nbeyond. More information: www.caribbeancrea tivity.nl\n[http://www.caribbeancreativity.nl] URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/beach-inna-bondage-the-fight-for-jamaic as-coastline GEO:52.376857;4.9220756 LOCATION:Pakhuis de Zwijger - Piet Heinkade 179\, 1019 HC Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,blues,community,documentary,eastern docklands, film,live,poetry,reggae,social,stories X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Screening of three documentaries that examine the fight against gentrification and the fight to protect Caribbean coastl ines.

Join us for a compelling evening of three documentaries exploring the fight for Caribbean coastlines, communities and self-determination. F rom the privatized beaches of Jamaica to the gentrification of Puerto Rico , each film offers a powerful lens on who gets to belong and who gets push ed out.

These three films are in conversation with one another. The y trace a line from the colonial-era Beach Control Act of 1956, which stil l governs Jamaica’s coastline, to the tax incentives that drive gentrifica tion in Puerto Rico, to the cinematic construction of the Caribbean as a p layground for outsiders. Together, they reveal that the struggles for beac h access and housing are not separate issues but manifestations of the sam e ongoing colonial project, where Caribbean land and labour are extracted for beauty for the benefit of others.

In this programme Karla King Visual Artist Emiel Martens Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Fil m Studies at the University of Amsterdam and filmmaker Elsie Vermeer Doc umentary filmmaker and journalist

More about the shortfilms. ..

About Beach Inna Bondage

At just under 30 minutes, Beach Inna Bondage delivers an urgent explora tion of the growing loss of beach access in Jamaica. Since the 1950s, most of Jamaica’s beaches have been taken over by private and tourist interest s, and particularly since the 2000s large-scale hotel developments have li mited beach access for Jamaicans. The film follows the grassroots movement resisting the privatisation of Jamaican beaches by focusing on three fron tline struggles: Bob Marley Beach near Kingston, the Blue Lagoon in the pa rish of Portland, and Mammee Bay Beach on the island’s North Coast. The in terviewees, all Jamaicans, reveal how the 1956 Beach Control Act, which is still in effect today, vests ownership of the foreshore in the Jamaican s tate and traces how this colonial-era law, combined with the island’s all- inclusive tourism model, displaces communities, disrupts livelihoods, and degrades environments.

Interwoven with archival footage, news clips , and recordings of protest rallies and court cases, the interviewees situ ate today’s beach access struggles within Jamaica’s troubled history of la nd ownership following emancipation and independence. They argue that the island’s tourism industry replicates plantation logic by monopolizing land , concentrating wealth, exporting profits, and, ultimately, marginalizing the people. Beach Inna Bondage shows that beach access, which is not only an issue in Jamaica but across the Caribbean and beyond, is an urgent matt er of historical, economic, social, cultural and environmental justice, ra ising the pressing question: Who truly benefits from Jamaica’s tourism ind ustry?

About Aqui Vive Gente

In the short d ocumentary Aqui Vive Gente (2022, 23′, People Live Here), Puerto Rican journalist Bianca Graulau examines the forces transforming P uerto Rico and threatening to displace the people who call the island home . Through the experiences of residents of a marginalized urban neighborhoo d facing growing pressures of displacement, the film explores the impacts of gentrification, touristification, real-estate development, and tax ince ntives to attract wealthy outsiders, while many Puerto Ricans struggle to afford housing in their own communities. Released in connection with Bad B unny’s song El Apagon, Aqui Vive Gente uses the global reach of one of Pue rto Rico’s biggest artists to amplify Caribbean voices of resistance. Urge nt yet deeply rooted in love for the island, the film offers a powerful po rtrait of Caribbean communities confronting insecurity, resisting displace ment, and asserting their right to remain. At its core lies a fundamental question of belonging: who gets to live in, shape, and benefit from Puerto Rico, and, by extension, the Caribbean?

About Film Locatio n Jamaica

Film Location Jamaica (2026-202 7) is a 14-part documentary series in progress exploring the island’s inte rwoven history of film, tourism and empire from the early twentieth centur y to the present day. The history of Jamaica as a film location started in the early twentieth century, during the island’s early tourism and late c olonial period. From then onwards, Jamaica has served as a tropical backdr op in numerous international films, from A Daughter of the Gods (1916) to No Time to Die (2021). Following its independence in 1962, Jamaica has sou ght to develop its own film industry ever since the success of The Harder They Come (1972). How have Jamaica and Jamaicans been involved, portrayed, and represented throughout the history of over 100 years of filmmaking on the island? And how is this connected to Jamaica’s tourism, colonial and post-independent history?

More about the speakers

Karla King is a Jamaican visual artist, born and raised in Trel awny and now based in the Netherlands. Drawing on her background in sustai nability and human-centered design, her work uses painting and poetry to e xplore themes including womanhood, identity, migration, and cultural herit age. King sees art as a vehicle for social change and a means of creating understanding and connection. In 2026, she founded the Ackee Seed Foundati on, a Netherlands-based NGO that uses art and culture to support social de velopment in Jamaica through community projects with young people, schools , and other educational organizations.

Elsie Vermeer is a Dutch documentary filmmaker and journalist with a background in vi sual anthropology. She currently works as a content creator for Dutch publ ic broadcaster HUMAN, while also developing independent film projects. The se projects focus on exposing social inequalities, collaborating closely w ith her protagonists to tell their stories in a sensative and respectful w ay. For example, her most recent short, Who Cares, explores why undocument ed immigrants in Amsterdam are often not receiving the healthcare to which they are entitled. In 2025-2026, Elsie was based in Kingston, Jamaica, wh ere she worked on several film projects, including Beach Inna Bondage.

Emiel Martens is a Dutch film scholar-practitioner wh ose work explores the intersections of film, tourism, and empire in the Ca ribbean, with a particular focus on Jamaica. He is Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam and until recentl y served as a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of the West Indie s in Kingston, Jamaica. During his fellowship, he worked on several resear ch-based film projects, including Beach Inna Bondage. Martens is also the Founding Director of Caribbean Creativity, a non-profit organization dedic ated to the programming and promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed ci nema in Jamaica and the Netherlands.

More about the production.. .

Beach Inna Bondage: The Fight for Jamaica’s Coastline
Direct ors: Emiel Martens & Elsie Vermeer in collaboration with JaBBEM & Keznamdi
Year: 2026
Country: Jamaica and the Netherlands
Runti me: 29 minutes

Produced in collaboration with the Jamaica Beach Bir thright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM) and reggae artist Keznamdi. Keznam di, whose song ‘Colonial Bondage’ features prominently in the film, is a r ecent Grammy Award winner for Best Reggae Album (2025) for BLXXD & FYA H. JaBBEM (Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement) is a grassroot s initiative advocating for public beach access, environmental protection, and coastal justice in Jamaica. The movement engages communities through advocacy, education, and action to protect Jamaica’s coastal heritage. Mor e information: www.jabbem. org

Caribbean Creativity is Dutch non-profit organzation co mmitted to programming and promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed cin ema in the Netherlands and beyond. More information: www.caribbeancreativity.nl

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