PRESS RELEASE
Expanded version of Third Horizon Film Festival 2025 retrospective program launches on Criterion Channel
An expanded version of the Third Horizon Film Festival 2025 retrospective program You Don’t Get Freedom, You Take Freedom: Caribbean Activist Cinema 1978–1985, is now available on Criterion Channel.
Comprising seven films, features plus medium-length works, the program contains the four films that formed the previous THFF25 retrospective plus one previous THFF selection, and two other key heritage Caribbean films. The expanded program was curated in association with Third Horizon’s Director of Programming, Jonathan Ali.
The four, recently restored films from last year’s retrospective are: Women of Suriname (At van Praag, 1978), West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (Med Hondo, 1979), Bitter Cane (Ben Dupuy and Kim Ives, 1983), and Sweet Sugar Rage (Honor Ford-Smith and Harclyde Walcott, 1985). The presentation of these films at THFF25 saw individuals involved in their making and restoration attend the festival, to take part in Q&A sessions and a special panel discussion around Caribbean activist cinema.
The previous THFF selection in the Criterion program is The Terror and the Time (The Victor Jara Collective, 1979), which screened at THFF18. The films Haiti: The Way to Freedom (Arnold Antonin, 1973) and Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us (Carmen Ashhurst, Samori Marksman, John Douglas, 1983) round out the program.
Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us, 1983Emerging from a period of great social upheaval, these films—six documentaries and one work of fiction—are radical works of liberatory intent, reflecting various struggles for labor rights and political freedom across the region. They represent an unintended, but nevertheless cohesive movement of counter-cinema in the history of filmmaking in the Caribbean.
“These are films that were made with a purpose, within a context of international solidarity and collective action with regards to the rights of oppressed and marginalised people in the region and its diasporas.”
— Jonathan Ali, Director of Programming, Third Horizon
The launch of the Criterion Channel program, coming as it does out of the THFF25 retrospective, is testament to the commitment THFF has shown, since its first edition in 2016, to platforming not only new cutting-edge cinema by filmmakers from the Caribbean and its diaspora, but also important works of heritage cinema from the region and its diaspora. These heritage works have often been long unseen or underseen, and in some cases were missing for years and even thought lost.
Third Horizon believes in the importance of providing access to these foundational works of Caribbean cinema to audiences. Whether through its flagship THFF in Miami, its year-round in-person programming partnerships including the Caribbean Film Series in New York, or its other screening and streaming initiatives, TH will continue to platform the most vital films that reflect the past and ongoing struggles of the region and its diaspora.
Embracing agitprop, pedagogy and creative folk traditions, they reflect a revolutionary poetics that makes them vital tools of activation in the best sense. Meant to activate the audiences who originally saw them into direct action, it is hoped their re-presentation now can help activate collective memory and a tradition of struggle for true, lasting freedom.
To watch the program, head to Criterion Channel:
https://www.criterionchannel.com/caribbean-activist-cinema
Third Horizon Enters New Era of Servicing the Global Caribbean; Announces 2026 Recalibration Year for Future Visioning
Co-founders step down as the organization enters a cocoon year of intention-setting.
Third Horizon staff & volunteers close-out the organization’s flagship Festival in Miami / Photo by Vanessa DiazMIAMI, FL – December 22, 2025- Third Horizon, the South Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to the radical possibilities of cinema, announces today a significant leadership transition. After more than a decade of building a joyous & electric platform for Caribbean and Global South cinema, co-founders Jason Fitzroy Jeffers and Romola Lucas are stepping down from their respective roles as Board Chair and Executive Director.
To facilitate this shift and ensure the organization’s longevity, Third Horizon has designated 2026 as a recalibration year. During this period, the organization plans to undergo a deep strategic planning process to remodel its mission and offerings in response to the changing landscape of independent film and global politics.
A Strategic Pause
As part of this intention-setting phase, the flagship Third Horizon Film Festival (THFF) will pause for the 2026 season. The festival is slated to return with a revitalized vision in 2027 that continues to center the Caribbean as a lens through which to understand the world.
Co-founders Romola Lucas and Jason Fitzroy Jeffers / Photo by Vanessa DiazThis decision grew out of an internal process that Third Horizon initiated after the eighth edition of its festival this summer by bringing on a series of consultants to help refine its mission. This research reinforced Lucas and Jeffers’ shared belief that the filmmakers and audiences that Third Horizon serves need to be supported and uplifted now more than ever.
"We have reached this inflection point because of the vast damage happening across our field and wider communities," says co-founder Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, "This internal work will strengthen Third Horizon so that it can weather these precarious times and position it for future successes.
New Leadership and Programs
Accompanied by various international consultants and experts, Third Horizon will enter 2026 with this strategic planning process and begin the search for its next Executive Director.
Stewarded by Interim Executive Director and co-founder, Justen Blaize, the organisation’s visioning process will be steered by its current board, comprising Chloe Walters-Wallace, Lauren Monzon, Romola Lucas, and Themba Bhebhe, who will also serve as a strategic planning consultant throughout the transition.
To ensure continuity during the transition, Romola Lucas will serve as Interim Board Chair. Despite departing from Third Horizon’s leadership, Jason will remain a vital creative collaborator within the organization’s ecosystem.
While the in-person festival takes a hiatus in 2026, Third Horizon will continue amplifying & showcasing cutting-edge Caribbean cinema through:
Pop-up Film Screenings: Third Horizon will host film screenings in Miami, Brooklyn, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and across the Caribbean in collaboration with various partners.
Online Curated Collection: Anansi TV, Third Horizon’s online curated collection and film distribution platform, will continue to premiere and showcase films year-round, along with offering licensing for educational spaces and institutions.
Filmmaker Support: Third Horizon Forward will continue to support Miami-based filmmakers with Caribbean lineage by fostering the development and production of a series of short films. The cohort of 3 filmmakers - Edson Jean, Geovanna Gonzalez, and Nadia Wolff - will complete production of their films and launch them on the festival circuit in 2026.
This period marks a time of continued care and commitment to the communities and filmmakers Third Horizon has long served, laying a vital foundation to ensure and secure the future of radical Caribbean storytelling.