Bahamas International Film Festival to Honor Frank Flowers with the Caribbean Shining Star Tribute

Photo courtesy BIFF

The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced that filmmaker Frank Flowers will receive the Caribbean Shining Star Tribute at the 21st annual festival, taking place December 7–14, 2026, with events in Nassau, New Providence and Harbour Island, Eleuthera. The honor recognizes Flowers' continued rise as a filmmaker whose work has helped bring Caribbean stories and talent to the global stage.

Flowers is best known for writing and directing Haven, the 2004 feature shot on location in the Cayman Islands and starring Anthony Mackie, Zoe Saldana and Orlando Bloom. The film marked a milestone for Caribbean cinema as the first feature entirely photographed on Grand Cayman, and it launched Flowers as a filmmaker to watch. BIFF hosted a special event around the film when it was completed and released, an early recognition of Flowers' talent that foreshadowed the acclaimed career that has followed.

Since Haven, Flowers has built an incredible body of work that spans continents, including co-writing Metro Manila, winner of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and a BAFTA nominee, and Bob Marley: One Love, now among the top 10 highest-grossing musical biopics of all time. He was also commissioned to write Shooting Stars, the film chronicling NBA legend LeBron James' high school years.

Most recently, Flowers wrote and directed The Bluff, the Amazon MGM Studios/AGBO pirate thriller starring Priyanka Chopra and Karl Urban. Released on Prime Video in February 2026, the film made history by climbing to the No. 1 movie on Prime Video both in the United States and globally within days of its debut and went on to top Variety's global Streaming Original Film chart in its first full week of release. On the strength of that success, AGBO has since acquired a new project to be scripted by Flowers and his Bluff co-writer Joe Ballarini, the latest sign that Flowers' star is still on the rise.

Beyond the screen, Flowers remains deeply invested in his home region, serving as Chairperson of the Cayman Islands Film Commission board, where he works to advance Caribbean culture and storytelling in film.

"Frank has been part of the BIFF family since the very beginning, and it has been extraordinary to watch his career grow from a young Caribbean filmmaker to a director whose work now tops the charts on a global stage," said Leslie Vanderpool, Founder and Executive Director of BIFF. "As Frank continues to grow as a filmmaker, it is a pleasure to honor his star as it continues to rise."

The Caribbean Shining Star Tribute marks a first for BIFF. Where the festival has traditionally reserved its Shining Star Tribute for international actors, the Caribbean Shining Star Tribute was created to turn that spotlight closer to home, honoring the filmmakers and storytellers rising from the region's own shores.

The tribute ceremony takes place Sunday, December 13^th at John Watlings, more information to follow at www.bintlfilmfest.com 

“Frank Flowers’ success demonstrates the extraordinary filmmaking talent coming out of the Caribbean, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor,” said Pepin Argamasilla, Managing Partner of John Watling’s Distillery. “We are proud to continue supporting BIFF and its monthly film series at John Watling’s Distillery, celebrating Caribbean cinema throughout the year.”