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MIAMI — Women of Dominica, the debut documentary from filmmaker, environmental scientist and cultural advocate Farrah La Ronde-Hutchison, will screen at the 2026 Urban Film Festival on Saturday, September 5, at 3:05 p.m. EDT in Theater 14 at Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami.
Presented by Florida Film House International, the festival selection brings the film to a city long shaped by Caribbean culture and diaspora audiences. The documentary follows 10 Dominican women across generations as they reflect on mentorship, family history, ancestral memory and the island that shaped their lives.
Blending intimate testimony with a broader meditation on land, culture and legacy, Women of Dominica examines how place can shape identity. Additionally, it shows how women become the keepers of stories that too often remain confined to families and communities. Consequently, these stories are rarely preserved for wider audiences.
“Women of Dominica is about listening to women whose lives carry generations of knowledge, strength and experience,” La Ronde-Hutchison said.
“I wanted to create a space where their stories could be heard. Furthermore, I wanted audiences to see how deeply identity is connected to the women who came before us, our communities and the places we call home.”
For La Ronde-Hutchison, the project extends a career devoted to the relationship between people, land, culture and heritage.
An environmental scientist, educator and cultural advocate, she has spent more than a decade working in coastal restoration and sustainability. She has collaborated with communities to protect fragile ecosystems and promote environmental stewardship. That work, she says, ultimately informed her move into filmmaking as another way to document memory, identity and resilience.
With Women of Dominica, La Ronde-Hutchison brings those worlds together, positioning the film at the intersection of environmental awareness, cultural preservation and women-centered storytelling.
The film also arrives at a moment when independent and diaspora filmmakers are increasingly pushing to expand who gets centered in documentary storytelling. By foregrounding Dominican women across generations, Women of Dominica captures lived histories, inherited wisdom and community memory rarely given a mainstream platform.
Its Urban Film Festival berth gives La Ronde-Hutchison a Miami launchpad for a debut feature rooted in the Caribbean. Moreover, it speaks to wider conversations about identity, preservation and the women who hold communities together.
About the Urban Film Festival
Presented by Florida Film House International, the Urban Film Festival returns September 4–6, 2026, for its 11th year in Historic Overtown and Downtown Miami. The festival showcases independent filmmakers, artists, students and industry professionals. It also creates space for emerging storytellers to screen new work, build relationships and connect with audiences.
Trailer: Women of Dominica Trailer
About Farrah La Ronde-Hutchison
Farrah La Ronde-Hutchison is an environmental scientist, educator, cultural advocate and filmmaker whose work explores the connections among people, land and heritage.
With over ten years of experience in coastal restoration and sustainability, she has worked with communities. She helps protect fragile ecosystems. Farrah also helps communities build strong habits of environmental stewardship. Her commitment to preserving cultural memory, especially through women’s voices, led her to filmmaking. She uses film to document identity, resilience, and heritage. Women of Dominica is her debut film.
Rapid-Fire Questions
Q: Dominica in one word?
A: Life
Q: A Dominican woman who inspires you?
A: Wow! My mother. She is the most disciplined, smart, and loving woman I know.
Q: One lesson from the women in the film that has stayed with you?
A: The importance of Patience and Fortitude.
Q: What do you hope audiences feel after watching Women of Dominica?
A: I want people to walk away feeling rejuvenated, reminded of what really matters in life, and inspired to savor moments with the people they love.
Q: What’s next for Farrah La Ronde-Hutchison as a filmmaker?
A: I’m exploring projects across documentary, live-action and animation. My stories will continue to amplify Caribbean voices. Follow me @gaiatarian as I share that journey with my community online.
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