Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has selected the top 10 finalists in the 2026 FiWi Short Film Competition.

The films, which are available for viewing on the JCDC’s YouTube channel, give Jamaicans at home and across the Diaspora an opportunity to experience the creativity and storytelling talent of emerging local film-makers ahead of the competition’s awards ceremony on November 26.

The top 10 finalists are Reciprocity (horror) – Gillian Wisdom; Mi Soon Come (animation) – Nathan Chen; Aged (sci-fi) – Terron Mitchell; The Last Cookie (sci-fi) – Cleveland McLeish;
Running on Empty (drama) – Marrissa Hepburn; Day Off (comedy) – Ricardo Anderson; Borrowed Time (sci-fi) – Alicia Walker; Last Hand (drama/thriller) – Diandra Michelle Schroeter; Dancer Girl (drama) – Jayda Pitter; and Trench Town: The Birth of a Cultural Revolution (documentary) – Lennox Richards.

The films highlight the imagination, originality and growing potential of Jamaica’s emerging film-makers. By making the productions accessible on
YouTube.

The JCDC noted that it is expanding opportunities for audiences to engage with local films, support new talent, and contribute to building a wider audience for Jamaican storytelling.

JCDC Executive Director Lenford Salmon said the competition is an important part of the Commission’s commitment to grass roots cultural development and the continued growth of Jamaica’s creative industries.

“We must create opportunities for our people, particularly emerging film-makers, to discover their potential, develop their craft, and share their stories with the world. Through the FiWi Short Film Competition, the JCDC is helping to lay that foundation by providing a platform for Jamaican talent to flourish and strengthening our capacity to tell our own stories through film,” Salmon said.

Shaun Drysdale, conceptualiser of the FiWi Short Film Competition and drama and theatre arts development specialist at the JCDC, shared that he was very encouraged by the high quality of this year’s entries.

“The films demonstrate creativity, imagination, and a growing confidence among our film-makers in their ability to tell compelling stories through film. The top 10 finalists represent an exciting showcase of local talent, and we look forward to audiences experiencing the work, thought and creativity that have gone into these productions,” Drysdale said.

The 2026 competition challenged participants to explore the overarching theme of ‘Resilience’ through original short films ranging from five to 15 minutes. Entrants were required to work within one of five genres — comedy, drama, science fiction, documentary or animation, drawing inspiration from a Jamaican proverb selected by the organisers.

The proverbs guiding this year’s entries are: “Any dutti waata kool hat iron,” “Ole file cyaan shaap’n new machete,” “A nuh same day leaf drap it ratten,” “Ef yuh bawn fi heng yuh cyaan drown,” and “Wha sweet Nanny goat ago run him belli.”

The public is invited to visit the JCDC’s official YouTube channel to view the finalist films and share the productions with friends, family and audiences across the Jamaican diaspora.