WOMEN OF DOMINICA To Be Debuted At 2026 Urban Film Festival

Filmmaker Farrah La Ronde-Hutchison's debut documentary focuses on 10 women across generations and on the Caribbean island that shaped them.

When filmmaker Farrah La Ronde-Hutchison began Women of Dominica, she was thinking about two women at opposite ends of her family's generational story: her mother and her young daughter. Her mother had spent years preserving Dominica's traditional dress, work that earned her the island's prestigious Golden Drum Award in 2019. Her daughter, just four years old, was growing up in the United States and beginning to understand what it meant to be connected to her Dominican heritage. Between them was a story La Ronde-Hutchison felt compelled to preserve.

'My mother and my daughter inspired the film,' she said. 'I've had many women who have been pillars throughout my life, and I wanted to honor that ideal and pay tribute to them in the film.'

That inspiration became Women of Dominica, an intimate documentary that follows 10 women across generations as they reflect on womanhood, mentorship, sisterhood, identity, and the wisdom passed from one generation to the next.

The documentary will have its first public screening at the 2026 Urban Film Festival on Saturday, September 5, at 3:05 p.m. in Theater 14 at Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami. Register for free at: https://urbanfilmfestivals.com/.

Presented by Florida Film House International, the Urban Film Festival offers emerging and independent filmmakers from the United States and around the world a platform to showcase their work, build industry relationships, and reach new audiences.

For La Ronde-Hutchison, premiering the film in Miami is especially significant given the city's deep ties to the Caribbean and its diaspora.

'Being selected for the 2026 Urban Film Festival in Miami is a true honor,' she said. 'It's validation from the community and the industry that our stories are seen and appreciated. Screening the film publicly for the first time in Miami is especially meaningful because we can share this moment with the large Caribbean diaspora.'

A Six-Year Journey Rooted in Sisterhood

What began as a personal tribute evolved into a six-year filmmaking journey that deepened La Ronde-Hutchison's understanding of how women support one another and preserve knowledge, culture, and identity.

'The most important lesson I learned was the true meaning of sisterhood, women creating a supportive space where each other can not only succeed but also thrive,' she said. That sisterhood extended far beyond what was captured on camera.

While working on the documentary outside Dominica, La Ronde-Hutchison relied on the women featured in the film to verify cultural information, answer questions, and help secure the materials she needed to tell the story authentically.

'I would never have been able to complete the film at this level without their dedication to the project at every stage,' she said.

The experience also challenged conventional ideas about mentorship. Rather than presenting wisdom as something passed only from older women to younger generations, Women of Dominica portrays learning as an exchange that flows in both directions.

'I believe it's a misnomer to think that if someone is younger than you, there's nothing you can learn from them,' La Ronde-Hutchison said. 'I absolutely disagree. My kids, ages 15 and 10, teach me so much every day.'

By bringing together women at different ages and stages of life, the documentary suggests that lived experience does not follow a hierarchy: everyone has something to teach and something to learn.

The Island as a Character

The documentary may center on 10 women, but another unmistakable presence runs throughout the film: Dominica itself.

Known as the Nature Isle of the Caribbean, Dominica's mountains, forests, waterways, and traditions are woven into the women's stories, as is the island's vulnerability to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

'To be Dominican is to be connected to our island,' La Ronde-Hutchison said. 'We live in harmony with nature. The beauty, strength, and resilience of Dominica's culture ground these stories in our rich Creole heritage.'

That connection becomes especially powerful as the women reflect on their survival and rebuilding after natural disasters. La Ronde-Hutchison sees a parallel between the island's ability to regenerate and the resilience of the women who call it home.

'The miracle happens after these catastrophic events, when you see the first signs of life, such as a tree sprouting, or hear birdsong,' she said. 'It's as if these women draw their strength directly from the island.'

Traditional folk songs, cuisine, clothing, and other cultural expressions are woven throughout the film, expanding the documentary beyond 10 individual stories to a broader portrait of Dominican heritage and the people determined to carry it forward.

From Environmental Scientist to Filmmaker

La Ronde-Hutchison took an unconventional path to filmmaking. An environmental scientist, educator, and cultural advocate, she has spent more than a decade in coastal restoration and sustainability, collaborating with communities to protect fragile ecosystems and promote environmental stewardship.

That background shaped her approach to her first film. Her scientific training brought a research-driven perspective to the project, while her experience as an educator helped her create space for the women to tell their stories in their own voices.

'As a cultural advocate for Dominica, I saw the importance of our taking control of the narrative and telling our own stories,' she said. 'Having grown up in a family rooted in Dominican heritage gave me a deep understanding of the value of identity and cultural pride.'