Jamaican filmmaker JP Williams was acknowledged on the twenty eighth Zanzibar Worldwide Movie Pageant (ZIFF), held from June 25–29, 2025, in Stone City, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Williams’ brief movie BLV had its African premiere on the pageant, the place he was additionally honored with the Chairman’s Award for ZIFF 2025 and a particular jury award for excellent brief movie. Along with the screenings and awards, Williams took half as a speaker, presenting a speech titled “One Love – From Jamaica to Zanzibar.”
The Movie BLV
The brief movie BLV tells the story of Stanley Wallice, a younger Jamaican boy who desires of turning into a filmmaker. Stanley faces opposition from his father, who believes filmmaking shouldn’t be a sensible profession path. With encouragement from his grandmother, Stanley learns the significance of self-belief and chooses to share his imaginative and prescient with others on Profession Day. The movie connects with themes of ambition, identification, and the battle to comply with private desires.
JP Williams’ Background
JP Williams is a Jamaican filmmaker dedicated to exploring human relationships, cultural identification, and the emotional connections that form individuals’s lives. He makes use of his Caribbean heritage as a basis for tales that cross borders and attraction to totally different audiences. His work is usually described as character-driven, combining conventional storytelling with experimental parts.
Williams’ earlier movie The 1938 Unrest acquired recognition at worldwide festivals. It gained Greatest Cinematography on the Open World Toronto Movie Pageant and Greatest Experimental Quick on the Europe Movie Pageant in 2021. The movie was additionally a finalist on the Australia Impartial Movie Pageant and acquired an official choice on the Trinidad and Tobago Movie Pageant. In 2022, Williams was awarded the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Arts and Tradition in Jamaica. These honors present his regular progress as a filmmaker who continues to achieve new phases in world cinema.
Speech at ZIFF 2025
At ZIFF 2025, Williams delivered a speech titled “One Love – From Jamaica to Zanzibar.” The discuss targeted on the position of movie in bridging cultures and creating understanding between totally different communities. By sharing his private experiences as a filmmaker from Jamaica, Williams supplied insights into how tales can join audiences throughout borders and spotlight shared human values.
Awards on the Pageant
The Chairman’s Award introduced to Williams at ZIFF 2025 acknowledged his contribution to cinema and his capacity to encourage youthful filmmakers. The particular jury award for excellent brief movie highlighted the affect of BLV and its message about braveness and perception in a single’s function. These recognitions mark an necessary level in his profession, reflecting each his dedication to movie and the relevance of his work to audiences exterior of Jamaica.
The Zanzibar Worldwide Movie Pageant
ZIFF is taken into account considered one of East Africa’s most necessary cultural occasions. The 2025 version was held beneath the theme “The place Hope Takes Root.” It included movie screenings, workshops, and outreach packages designed to learn the broader neighborhood. Two of its flagship initiatives included a Girls’s Panorama, which targeted on entrepreneurship coaching, and a Youngsters’s Panorama, which launched younger members to filmmaking expertise. Supported by the European Union and different companions, the pageant continues to spotlight each native and worldwide voices in movie.
Wanting Forward
Williams’ recognition at ZIFF reveals the rising place of Jamaican movie makers on the worldwide stage. His movie BLV provides to the dialog about how private tales from the Caribbean and Jamaica hook up with wider audiences. As Williams continues to develop his profession, his achievements at ZIFF mark a step ahead in creating alternatives for cultural change between Jamaica, Africa, and the broader world.
