24 Dec Paradise Discovered: The Virgin Islanders 2.0 Wins Best Documentary at Grenada Film Festival

Paradise Discovered: The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders 2.0 took home top honours for best feature documentary at the fifth annual 12°N, 61°W Grenada Film Festival (1261 Film Festival). 

Unbreakable won amid the competitive field of films presented at the festival, including stories from Jamaica, Guadeloupe, USA, Dominica, Trinidad, Guyana, St Vincent, Grenada, and the UK.  

“Congratulations to Peter Bailey and his team for winning best documentary film with Paradise Discovered, a poignant reminder of the importance of sharing Caribbean stories worldwide,” said 1261 Film Festival founder Meschida Philip. “Their exploration of cultural nuances fosters understanding among diverse audiences. We celebrate their achievement and value their contribution to our festival and Caribbean cinema.”

Developed from Bailey’s New York Times Op-Ed, “Has America Forgotten the Virgin Islands,” the groundbreaking Paradise Discovered series chronicles the survival and rebuilding efforts of the people of the USVI in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The series also highlights the impact of climate change on the culture and people of the USVI. It’s a story that deeply resonated with attendees of this year’s 1261 Film Festival.  

“I’m honoured to continue this journey to share the inspiring story of USVI resilience, which is the collective Caribbean story,” says Bailey, a St Thomas native. “Caribbean people are craving to see our stories cinematically in our authentic voice, and Grenada’s 1261 Film Festival is helping in this unprecedented movement.”
After experiencing both storms firsthand, Bailey famously wrote the Times’ piece while building a makeshift roof after the storms ravaged his family’s home. He made international headlines for criticising the US government’s handling of the island’s recovery and calling out neglect from mainstream media in its coverage. The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders 2.0 is the sequel to Paradise Discovered: The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders, which won best feature documentary at Toronto’s Caribbean Tales International Film Festival in 2019 and is now streaming on Apple T.V., Tubi, and other outlets after debuting as one of the top 200 documentaries on Itunes in 2021.  

The first film from the series, Paradise Discovered: The Anguilla Connection, premiered in Anguilla in 2018. Bailey premiered his latest Paradise Discovered film last November with USVI public high school students, which was featured in Essence magazine. Students described the screening experience as something that both instilled pride in them and opened their eyes to certain issues facing the local community.

“Having this opportunity to witness this movie was very engaging and eye-opening to the current issue facing us here in the Virgin Islands—the recurring issue of food security,” said Alani Arnold, a Complex High School senior. “How many students here in the territory don’t really understand how food grows at home? We are reliant on other nations instead of our own when we have this great amount of land diversity where we can grow food at our homes, so we don’t have to rely on neighbouring countries or islands,” said Arnold.  

Local leaders believe Paradise Discovered will serve as a catalyst for developing the region’s film industry while promoting the territory. “This film beautifully captures the spirit of resilience and the boundless potential that lies within the Virgin Islands. We are immensely proud to have been a part of this journey, and we are grateful that this message of creativity, innovation, and the power of technology to transform lives resonates not only with our beloved Virgin Islands but also with the wider Caribbean community,” said Peter Chapman, CEO of the UVI Research & Technology Park. “We are proud of the way Mr Bailey continues to help spotlight our beautiful territory through film and look forward to his continued recognition,” added US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.  

The series has been added to public libraries throughout North America, including Toronto, New York City, San Diego, and Los Angeles, and is being used in classes at Stanford University, Notre Dame University, University of Miami, University of Houston, and the College at William & Mary, to name a few.