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An invitation to travel. As it does every year, the Saint-Barth Film Festival invites audiences to discover new places and cultures through the big screen. For this 29th edition, running from April 29 to May 2, the journey begins right here in Saint-Barth. On Wednesday, April 29, the festival opened with a special evening titled “Tradition St Bat’,” dedicated to the screening of documentary films about the island’s heritage (JSB 1662).
By chance, all the films presented throughout the week are documentaries (both short and feature-length). Whether festival regulars or first-time participants, lovers of documentary cinema will be on hand to introduce their films and engage with the audience, such as Stéphanie and Steve James. Their film “The Mermaid and the Knight” will screen on Friday, May 1, at the Théâtre du Paradis at 10 a.m.
“Documentary is our favorite genre,” says Stéphanie James, the film’s producer. “The most beautiful stories are found in real life.” Throughout their careers as documentary filmmakers, Steve and Stéphanie James have rarely gone out in search of new stories; “they’ve always come to us,” says the producer.
“I had to share her music and her story”
Soprano Charlotta Hundt in Steve James’ “The Mermaid and the Knight” will be screened on Friday, May 1, at 10 a.m. at the Théâtre du Paradis in Gustavia
This is the case for their third film about the Knight of Saint George, titled “The Mermaid and the Knight.” The project was conceived on their terrace in Guadeloupe when Swedish soprano Charlotta Huldt discovered the story of this violinist, born to a slave mother and a colonial father. “It was a revelation,” exclaims the soprano. “I had spent eight years at the conservatory without even knowing his name. I had to share his music and his story.”
Charlotta Huldt then set out to rewrite these violin compositions as opera arias. A creative process that lasted seven years. Throughout those years, Steve and Stephanie James followed Charlotta Huldt to document this “musical road movie,” leading up to the project’s climax: the performance of the opera *Sucre* in Cuba in October 2024. “It was pretty dramatic—we had two hurricanes, an earthquake, and a power outage across the entire island during the festival,” the singer recounts. “But we managed to complete all our performances before the festival was canceled due to the hurricane.”
Capturing life’s events
Christopher Laird
Proof that “life imitates art.” With over 300 documentaries to his credit, director Christopher Laird knows the documentary form well. He’s dabbled in fiction, but cinema verité remains his favorite. “I think I’m a bit of an anthropologist at heart,” smiles Christopher Laird. “I like to tell what traditions say about us and capture life’s events.”
Christopher Laird’s film “No Bois Man No Fraid” follows two Trinidadians as they discover their origins through the practice of a martial art: Kalinda stick fighting.
His film “No Bois Man No Fraid,” screening this Thursday, April 30, at 10 a.m., follows two Trinidadians as they discover their roots through the practice of a martial art: Kalinda stick fighting. “I think technically, this is my best film,” the director enthuses. A regular at the Saint-Barth Film Festival, Christopher Laird will be featured in a retrospective of his short films on Saturday, May 2, at 10 a.m. “It’s truly an honor,” the director says emotionally. “I’m not just proud; I’m touched that my work is recognized by my peers.”
Christopher Laird’s short film “Concert de la forêt tropicale” will be screened as part of the retrospective on the director on Saturday, May 2, at 10 a.m. at the Théâtre du Paradis.
The short film “The Power of Video” showcases the Banyan Collection, a digitized video archive “dedicated to Caribbean culture and society.” The director spent forty years collecting more than 3,000 videotapes, which have now been acquired by the government of Barbados. A digital gold mine that bears witness to “the richness and astonishing complexity of the Caribbean.”
Thursday, April 30, 2026
• 8:00 PM, AJOE Lorient
- Un Tango Más by German Kral
In the presence of the director (2015, documentary, Germany/Argentina, 1h25
Friday, May 1, 2026
10 a.m., Théâtre du Paradis (Gustavia)
- La Sirène et le Chevalier by Steve James
In the presence of the director and singer Charlotta Huldt (2019–2026, documentary, Guadeloupe, United States, France, Sweden, Cuba, 52 min)
• 8:00 PM, AJOE Lorient
- Soundtrack to a Coup D’État by Johan Grimonprez
In the presence of the director (2024, documentary, Belgium/France/Netherlands, 2h30m)
Saturday, May 2, 2026
• 10 a.m., Théâtre du Paradis (Gustavia)
- Retrospective of Christopher Laird’s short films
Partir (22 min), La mort du cygne (10 min), Concert dans la forêt tropicale (25 min), The Power Of Video (6 min) The Banyan Collection
• 8:00 PM, AJOE Lorient, closing night
- Cuban Food Stories by Asori Soto
In the presence of executive producer Joey Carey (2018, documentary, US/Cuba, 1h22m)
Sunday, May 3, 2026
• 6:00 PM, Anglican Church (Gustavia)
- Classical vocal concert featuring soprano Charlotta Huldt
Free admission; donations accepted
