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This August, the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) marks its 10th anniversary, highlighting a decade of work in Jamaica’s film and television sector and with the practitioners who drive it.
Since its founding, JAFTA has played a pivotal role in building Jamaica’s audiovisual industry, uniting creatives, lobbying for industry growth, and launching initiatives that have propelled local talent onto the world stage.
“To create a whole new world in front of a camera every production day takes enormous skill, talent and determination, not from one person, but from an association of people bent on telling our stories, on our land, to which the Jamaica Film and Television Association aims to protect, prop and promote. Happy anniversary JAFTA!” said Basil Jones Jr, JAFTA founding member.
Over the past decade, JAFTA has offered training programmes, funding opportunities, advocacy, and member benefits such as health insurance. Its script-to-screen short film initiative, JAFTA Propella, has produced more than 25 short films, several of which have won awards at international film festivals. The short film Flight was screened on HBO. The organisation’s Feature Film Lab has trained more than 30 participants, including screenwriters, editors, and producers, in developing feature film scripts for international markets. It has also hosted workshops in camera operation, sound recording, post-production, and actor training.
Through strategic partnerships with government agencies, the private sector, production houses, and community organisations, JAFTA has expanded opportunities for its members and strengthened the national industry.
“This milestone is not only a time to reflect on our accomplishments, but also to celebrate the incredible talent Jamaica has to offer and to reaffirm the importance of creating opportunities for our stories to be seen by audiences everywhere,” said Nadean Rawlins, president of JAFTA. “Our mission remains to empower our members, strengthen our industry, and ensure Jamaica’s voice resonates on screens across the globe.”
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