Out Of The Caribbean: ‘Stew Peas’ Makes Powerful World Premiere in Kingston

Award-winning cinematographer Sosiessia Nixon-Kelly makes her feature directing debut with a suspense drama that showcases Jamaican talent both on and off screen.

On Saturday, June 27, Carib 5 Cinema in Kingston, Jamaica, hosted the world premiere of Stew Peas, the much-anticipated feature film written, directed, and produced by award-winning Jamaican cinematographer Sosiessia Nixon-Kelly. This debut feature highlights the trials and triumphs of the Caribbean experience. What began as a joke about food became something far more substantial.

Nixon-Kelly was cooking stew peas in her kitchen during Hurricane Beryl in 2024 when her husband walked in, caught the scent, and joked that she must have used it to “tie” him, a nod to the old Jamaican belief that a woman can bind a man to her through her cooking. Nixon-Kelly decided on the spot that she was going to write a film called Stew Peas. She had, by her own account, no plot and no concept, only an instinct that her idea would work, drawing on West African traditions that survived the Middle Passage and took root in the Caribbean.

That instinct became a suspense drama about a family’s buried secrets, shot entirely in Jamaica with an entirely Jamaican cast and crew in just twelve days. Stew Peas premiered with a red carpet screening at Carib 5 Cinema in Kingston on June 27th and has since collected six Caribbean Film Award nominations.

Minister of Culture Olivia Grange, who was present at the premiere, was blunt about what the achievement represents. Shooting a feature in twelve days, she noted, “requires discipline, careful planning, and extraordinary teamwork,” and the film’s wholly local production “confirms that Jamaica possesses the creative and technical expertise to produce films that can compete confidently on the international stage.”

The film was produced by Horane Henry, who expressed his joy at seeing the response from the homegrown audience. “We are proud of the work that we put into this film, especially to receive such resounding applause from an audience who saw themselves represented authentically on screen.”

The cast reflects a deliberate mix of established and emerging talent. Social media personality Kerry-Ann “ChineyK” Collins makes her feature debut alongside model Tarique Barrett, Mr World Jamaica and Mr World Caribbean, in his first major acting role. They are joined by Shernet Swearine, who appeared in HBO’s Get Millie Black, and stage veteran Quera South, whose credits include multiple award-winning productions. Produced by iKon Media & Films with Fareye Films, and distributed internationally through FilmWorks Global, Stew Peas is positioned not simply as a local success story but as a test case for whether Jamaican cinema can build the same global footprint that Jamaican music achieved a generation ago.

Film Commissioner Jackie Jackson, addressing the premiere crowd, credited iKon Media as the first Jamaican production company to qualify for Oscar consideration on the strength of Nixon-Kelly’s earlier short film Raw Material, a distinction that quietly reframes what “homegrown” Caribbean cinema is now capable of.

Jamaica Screen Development Initiative

This premiere arrives at a significant moment. The Jamaican government has officially launched the Jamaica Screen Development Initiative (JSDI), a one-billion-dollar financing initiative designed to support eligible screen-based projects and provide opportunities for new, emerging, and established talent. Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed that seven projects have already been awarded film festival support, a further nine films in progress will receive assistance towards completion, and 51 more have been selected for development funding.

The government’s stated ambition is clear. Jamaica intends to build a serious, sustainable film industry on the back of the cultural power of Brand Jamaica.

International distribution through FilmWorks Global positions Stew Peas not just as a local success story but as part of a growing wave of Caribbean stories reaching the global stage. Sosiessia Nixon-Kelly has said she wanted to trust Jamaican storytelling to travel. On the evidence of the Carib 5 premiere, she was right.