Mocho Gears Up for premier Pear Festival and homecoming

Kingston, Jamaica — The Greater August Town Film Festival (GATFFEST) celebrates its 14th anniversary with an expanded programme of screenings, workshops, and special events, reinforcing its position as one of Jamaica’s leading platforms for emerging filmmakers, cultural exchange, and the showcasing of Jamaican, Caribbean, and international cinema. The Caribbean’s premier short film festival officially kicks off with a Community Film Night in Port Royal on May 16, followed by a full week of activities from May 30 to June 7. Since its inception, GATFFEST has served as an important incubator for local and regional talent. “Reaching fourteen years is a significant milestone for GATFFEST, particularly within an industry where independent creative platforms often face considerable challenges in sustaining long-term growth. This anniversary is not simply about looking back; it is about recognising the impact the festival has had in creating access, nurturing talent, and helping to shape Jamaica’s independent film ecosystem,” said Festival Director Savannah Peridot. A centrepiece of the anniversary celebrations will be GATFFEST Rewind, a special retrospective event on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the UWI Mona Confucius Centre, featuring more than 30 standout films from the festival’s archives. The showcase offers audiences a rare opportunity to revisit some of the most compelling stories and cinematic voices that have emerged through the GATFFEST platform over the years. The retrospective will include works by celebrated Jamaican filmmakers including Kevin Jackson, Kia Moses, Tony Hendriks, Nadean Rawlins, Gareth Cobran, Joshua Paul, Kyle Chin, Kaiel Eytle, Kurt Wright, among others whose films have helped define the festival’s creative journey. “GATFFEST Rewind is a celebration of the creative voices that have grown with this festival. Many of the filmmakers featured have gone on to build meaningful careers, and their journeys reflect exactly why platforms like this matter. We want audiences to see not only the films themselves, but the evolution of Caribbean storytelling, the risks our filmmakers have taken, and the cultural narratives that deserve continued visibility,” she said. Peridot also emphasised the festival’s broader international dimension, noting that this year’s programme will continue to include collaborations with diplomatic and academic partners, including the French, Colombian, and German Embassies, as well as CARIMAC. These partnerships will support a diverse programme of showcases highlighting Jamaican, Caribbean, and international cinema.“Film has a unique ability to connect communities, cultures, and perspectives. This year’s programme reflects that spirit of exchange bringing together local stories and global voices in a way that strengthens dialogue, creative collaboration, and audience engagement. GATFFEST has always been rooted in community, but it has also consistently looked outward, creating opportunities for cultural connection through cinema,” said Peridot. The 2026 festival will feature both free and paid events including community film screenings, professional development opportunities, curated local and international film nights, and a closing awards ceremony recognising excellence in filmmaking. Admission to GATFFEST Rewind is JMD $5,000, with tickets available via Cariflow.com or at the gate. GATFFEST DATES AND EVENTS Saturday, May 16, 2026 – Community Film Night – Port Royal, Port Royal Primary 7pm, in collaboration with Embassy of Colombia Saturday, May 30, 2026 – GATFFEST Rewind – UWI, Mona, Confucius Centre, 2 pm to 10 pm Sunday, May 31, 2026 – Workshop – UWI, Mona Centre for Community Outreach and Development, 2 pm – 4pm Monday, June 1, 2026 – Colombian Film Night – Palace Cineplex Tuesday, June 2, 2026 – France – Utech – 7pm Wednesday, June 3, 2026 – Germany – German Embassy – 7pm Thursday, June 4, 2026 – CARIMAC Film Night – Palace Cineplex 5pm Friday, June 5, 2026 – International Film Night – Palace Cineplex, 5pm, 8pm Saturday, June 6, 2026 – Jamaica Night – Palace Cineplex – 5 pm, 8pm Sunday, June 7, 2026 – Closing Night/ Awards Ceremony – Confucius Centre For the full festival programme, screening details, and updates, visit www.gatffest.com

MIRAMAR, Florida — Jamaica’s iconic Rebel Salute festival has successfully extended its reach into the diaspora, delivering a solid debut staging in Miramar, Florida on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Kingston, Jamaica. March 3, 2026 – Reggae recording artiste Aaron Silk’s powerful new single “Painful Birth” recently topped the New York-based Foundation Radio Top 20 Chart peaking at number two after an impressive 13- week climb.

Kingston, Jamaica. David Rodigan is known as legend in Reggae circles and his latest appearance at Dubwise in Kingston in mid-January further established his dominion. He had a very crowded venue at 10A West Kings House eating out of the palm of his hand with unique dub after dub – unleashing a musical onslaught on DJ’s Jazzy T and Delano from Renaissance Disco. While DJ Jazzy T tried valiantly to show that Renaissance’s was no new kid on the block and had over the years accumulated some special dubs from artistes such as Marcia Griffiths, Junior Gong and so on, Rodigan was able to draw for one-of-a-kind dubs from the 1960’s such as Phillis Dillon and Alton Ellis. While thrilling the packed to capacity venue with his dexterity, Rodigan also thanked them for coming out to support the fundraising efforts of the BREDS Foundation (a grassroots community lead organization based in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica). Proceeds from the event will go towards post-hurricane Melissa rebuilding efforts in St. Elizabeth. David Rodigan is a radio deejay and selector based in the United Kingdom. He has been playing reggae music since the 1970’s and has built a strong following in Jamaica and the United Kingdom as well as internationally. Prior to his clash with DJ Jazzy T, he gave the audience an hour of juggling some of his favorite reggae hits – punctuating the selections with riveting and historic stories of how he got some of the dubs. Also playing at the event was Rory from Stone Love. - Written by Indi Mclymont-Lafayette, Journalist. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fellowship Tabernacle and Partners launch post-Melissa support

Kingston, Jamaica. September 14, 2025. For the period 2020 – 2024, roughly 168 Jamaican children were murdered while from 2019 – 2023, 619 women were killed. Statistics from 2023 show that over 80% of Jamaica’s murder victims were men. For singer, Aaron Silk, enough is enough and his new song and video, Painful Birth, signals his call to action for all Jamaicans to take a stand against violence. “Painful Birth for me is more than just an ordinary song—it's a tribute, a protest, and a prayer. It struck a chord deep inside me and I knew I had to liberate it to serve its purpose,” said Silk. The just released single was written by Michael Orrett and produced by Tru-Frequency Music based in Canada. A very poignant song, it gives a heartfelt lament echoing the grief, resilience, and hope of mothers who have lost their children to the harsh realities of life - especially in inner-city communities. Through vivid imagery, spiritual references, and emotional rawness, the lyrics convey a deep sense of sorrow, questioning, and ultimately, strength. “I wrote the song, but Aaron owned it. He made it his and delivered an exceptional rendition with his captivating voice,” said Orrett explaining that for him, it was a modern-day ballad of resistance and remembrance, giving voice to the voiceless and offering solace to grieving hearts. The song has been released on all major platforms such as Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora, Boomplay, Amazon music, the itunes Store, Spotify etc. (Mike to add where else it is available). The accompanying music video, which was set in Jamaica, features noted Jamaican Actress Audrey Reid as the grieving mother and several other local talents. It was shot by Fareye Productions and is slated for release on X. “This one hit deep. We want to call on everyone, man, woman, boy, politicians, churches, all of us to come forward and take action to stop violence. In the video, the mother transformed her pain into purpose and made sure that her son’s death was not in vain. We want to ensure that other mothers don’t have to go through her experience, and our sons and daughters don’t die before fulfilling their dreams and mission,” said Silk.

Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Golf View Hotel stages second iteration of the gastronomic delight Genesis Featuring award winning Chef Oji Jajae 

Those were the words of emcee, Terri-Karelle Reid, as she glowingly described the performances of singers Andre Shepherd, Rory Baugh, Carole Reid, Lieutenant Commander John McFarlane, Courtni Jackson, Kamla Hamilton, Carla Tulloch, Canon Grace Jervis and musicians Dean Fraser, Warren Harris, and Yanique Leiba. Reid was describing a well organised fundraising production put on by noted songstress Carole Reid at the Christ Church in Vineyard Town recently. The evening featured pieces such as ‘Scandalise your name” where Carole Reid, Cannon Grace Jervis, Courtni Jackson and Tiffany Robinson sang about different scenarios where somebody was scandalizing their names. This was followed by Tiffany Robinson with her spoken word pieces – Duppy Passport and Story Time. The pieces – written by Jamaican poet Easton Lee – were very well received by the packed Christ Church audience as Robinson demonstrated her flair for the theatric through the pieces. Her other two pieces, Happy Anniversary and Granny, had the Church in stitches. Another outstanding piece was the tribute to deceased drummer Desi Jones by Rory Baugh, Andre Shephard, Harold Davis and Lt. Commander John McFarlene. The piece, Praise Him, was written by Desi Jones for the group, Chalice and has been a consistently popular song. Jones, who passed in May 2024, was born on February 21,1959. Organiser Carole Reid said that the event had been organised in tribute to Jones – who had agreed to be a part of the event before his passing. Baugh, consistently showed his skill as a performer with several pieces throughout the show. Pieces such as Figaro as a solo and A Perfect Symphony with Andre Shephard prompting emcee Terri-Karelle to hail him as “one of the greatest opera singers to come out of the Caribbean.” Carole Reid in turn was obviously enjoying the event and performed several pieces including Ave Maria and Tell Him with Carla Tulloch. Her joy, experience and expertise in delivery was quite inspiring. Tulloch too, demonstrated her tremendous talent with her rendition of Whitney Houston’s I will always love you. A rendition that garnered a standing ovation from her audience and queries about when she would be releasing her album as the audience wanted to hear more of her. Andre Shephard as always never disappoints and had the audience eating out of the palm of his hands. Overall, it was an evening of great musical feasting and Harold Davis brought the curtain down with a festive gospel medley that had Christchurch on its feet dancing. A fitting end to an outstanding show. - Review by Indi Mclymont-Lafayette.

The three gave short performances at the event before receiving their awards. The audience could not get enough of Lester Lewis and his wife, Singing Rose as he performed song such as Winner man and Everytime I read my Bible . Shirley Willis, who has not been seen in Jamaica for some time, said that many persons thought that she was dead because she has been so quiet but she was on stage in Jamaica on Saturday, January 4 only because of God’s Grace. She then started singing, Jesus the Sweetest name I know to the audiences delight. Throughout her performance she was supported by headliner at the show, Chevelle Franklin, who ensured that she had a chair for Willis to sit if she so desired. But Willis was having none of it, as she sang and danced during her performance. The third honouree, Sandra Brooks, gave a resounding performance reminding the audience of why her music was so successful. Songs such as That’s Enough , I found the answer down on my Knees ensured that she was called back for an encore. All the honourees were called back on stage at the end of the concert for special prayers by another veteran in both the gospel and secular music world, Papa San. A part of his prayer that more and new music would come from these artistes to continue touching lives. In turn, Papa San gave a riveting performance that saw young and old on their feet dancing, prancing and giving praise. Papa San indicated that he had worked closely with the event organizer, Annoleah Wynter and her team to get the event done as it was very important to him to honour the gospel stalwarts who had laid the ground for him and other artistes. His sentiments were echoed by the other show headliner, Chevelle Franklyn, who said that she had been praying for someone with a similar vision to work with to honour the artistes as well as to take back the music industry with more positive wholesome content. She expressed gratitude to Wynter and called her on stage for a special prayer at the end of her performance. Franklyn gave a soul stirring, foot stomping 45 minute set that fully satisfied her fans. The Reset event was well organized and promoted and patrons got their money’s worth. While the turnout was not as robust as it could have been, the event set a good precedent for starting 2025 and many shared the thought that they hoped it would be the first of many such events.