Kumina Queen 

JM, US | 2022 | 57'   

In the wake of the loss of her mother, documentary filmmaker Nyasha Laing travels into the heart of the Jamaican countryside to research the ancestral ritual of Kumina. “Once you beat that drum, you have called the ancestors”, says Imogene “Queenie” Kennedy. Queenie was a contemporary priestess in post-colonial Jamaica, who catapulted her African spiritual practice into renown. Her mysterious world reveals a divergent pathway to freedom, healing, and transformation. Interwoven with Queenie’s life story are the personal journeys of a generation of cultural icons of Jamaican heritage who unearth their roots and examine their identities. Versed in dance, music and cosmology, they open up a portal to the past, as well as a glimpse into the future.