London-based writer-director Ajuan Isaac-George heads to the Croisette with his film project “Duppy,” which will be part of the Proof of Concept section of the Frontiers platform, Cannes’ largest genre showcase.
The film is a co-production between the UK and Jamaica and takes place in Jamaica in 1998, the most violent year in the island’s history. It tells the story of 12-year-old Rainbow, who is left in the care of her grandparents in rural Jamaica. Feeling lonely and abandoned, she summons a hostile spirit to return to her strict religious grandmother, and unknowingly makes an unbreakable pact with a shape-shifting demon.
“‘Duppy’ is a culturally specific horror tale that transforms Jamaican folklore into a universal story about grief, loneliness and the destructive power of childhood emotions. Despite Jamaica’s worldwide cultural influence, its folklore is rarely explored through a cinematic horror lens. This is a cinematic, visceral, character-driven horror story where a child’s need for control uncovers something much more terrifying,” Isaac-George told Diversity.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a Jamaican project that explores its folklore, myths and legends that we know about,” said Annick Mahnert, executive director of the Frontiers Platform.
The film will be Isaac-George’s first feature-length project. His short film, “Snowfalls in the Summer”, premiered at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival and was featured in the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts. His short documentary, “Seventeen”, followed a group of roller skaters in their final summer of adolescence and premiered at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival.
The Duppy team, left to right: producer Dorotya Szekely, writer-director Ajuan Isaac-George, and producer Aleksandra Bilic.
“Duppy” was presented to an industry audience at Film London’s Production Finance Market in 2025, which showcases projects from emerging filmmakers. It is produced by My Accomplish, with UK producers Alexandra Billick and Dorotya Sheckley and Jamie Clarke executive-producing, with Mental Telepathy co-producing with Jamaica’s Robert A. Meyler is co-producer.
Organized by Fantasia International Film Festival in partnership with Marché du Film, Frontiers is the world’s leading international genre co-production market and networking platform between Europe and North America. Frontiers Platform takes place on 16–17 May at the Palais des Festivals.
John Hopewell contributed to this article.
