About Houston Caribbean Film Festival
Celebrating June, National Caribbean American Heritage Month - The Houston Caribbean Film Festival: "Embracing and Promoting The Lush
Caribbean Culture Through The Eye of a Director's Lens"
The Houston Caribbean Film Festival (HCFF) is produced by
The Caribbean
American Heritage Foundation of Texas, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. We are dedicated to
Embracing and Promoting The Lush Caribbean Culture Through The Eye of The
Director’s Lens. Our mission is to promote, support, increase and heighten
interest and awareness of Caribbean films, filmmakers, screen writers,
producers and directors in the Caribbean Basin and the Diaspora year-round,
focusing particularly in June, National Caribbean American Heritage Month.
In 2000, Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) (http://www.icsdc.org/) began leading the celebration of
June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in Washington DC, building on efforts started by a now
defunct Ad-Hoc Group of Washington DC residents to have a Caribbean Heritage Month in
Washington DC in 1999. The official Campaign for a National Caribbean American Heritage Month
began on March 14, 2004, when Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced House Resolution 570
"Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a CaribbeanAmerican
Heritage Month. The Bill was reintroduced and passed the House in June, 2005, and the Senate in February, 2006. A Proclamation making the Resolution official was signed by President George W. Bush on June 5, 2006. "
During the HCFF, June of every year, we endeavor to provide our audiences
films which highlight the rich Caribbean Culture: our customs, our beliefs,
our stories, our history! The
Festival will provide opportunities for our diverse audiences to not only to
screen several films from many Caribbean nations, but to also interact with
the film makers, producers, writers and directors in a series of
Meet-and-Greets, and interviews throughout the Greater Houston Area.
It is our hope that through The Houston Caribbean Film Festival, we
will foster greater understanding and support of our history, make positive
contributions to the Arts and to our society, while sharing the Caribbean’s
distinctive charms and unique historical and modern perspectives through the
artistic eyes of our humble filmmakers.
Together with
The Piton
International Film Festival ,
Chicago Caribbean Film Festival, and The
Hampton Roads Caribbean Film Festival we are Caribwood!