‘Sugar Island’ by Johanné Gómez explores the realities of life in the sugarcane fields

Santo Domingo.- Dominican filmmaker Johanné Gómez presents Sugar Island, a film that explores life in the bateyes, where Dominican-Haitian sugarcane workers face displacement due to mechanization. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate Degli Autori section, was also featured at the Santo Domingo Global Film Festival.

Gómez, known for her documentary Caribbean Fantasy, infused the film with personal experiences and emotions. Inspired by her niece’s teenage pregnancy, Sugar Island incorporates themes of family, decolonization, and social struggles. The story reflects her connection to San Pedro de Macorís, where her paternal grandparents lived, and her academic focus on anti-racist and cimarrón cinema.

A co-production between Dominican company Güasábara Cine and Spain’s Tinglado Film, Sugar Island is part of the broader anti-racist and decolonial movement in the Dominican Republic. Gómez also drew on personal grief, as she lost her mother in 2021, a loss that influenced the mother-daughter dynamic in the film, adding emotional depth to its narrative.