(Rick Elgood & Don Letts, 1997, Jamaica)
98mins, Digital Projection

Buried beneath a sea of analogous US independent films from the 1990s lies a small Jamaican treasure years ahead of its time. Though people barely took notice in any of the markets it was released in, those lucky enough to see Dancehall Queen found something clever, dazzling and wholly original. Made on a shoestring budget during the explosion of dancehall, Rick Elgood and Don Letts’ feature is one of the first films to directly accredit the genre, and is now considered a classic in Jamaica. With a soundtrack spotlighting Beenie Man, Grace Jones, Bounty Killer and Black Uhuru, Dancehall Queen is a musical feast that crafts a rhythm all its own. (In English and Jamaican Patois with subtitles.)