THE FILM

Derek Walcott, Literature Nobel Laureate has travelled the world while remaining closely connected to his beloved island St. Lucia. As a poet, playwright, painter and even filmmaker, Derek Walcott has been hymning the Caribbean for over 60 years. This documentary presents an intimate portrait of him, set in his beloved native island St. Lucia. The place he always longs for, when he is taken to far away places by his universally acclaimed work. What moves and inspires this great poet? Who are the people whose lives became poetry through his writings? And how do they experience the gift of language of their friend, their mentor, and their father? This film explores the poetry of Derek Walcott, the landscapes and people that inspire it. It observes Walcott in places essential to his work and life, and gathers the thoughts of some of his closest childhood friends. Most importantly, this documentary is a celebration of the greatest gift Walcott has given the world: his poetry.

Awards

Poetry is an island has received four awards on International Film Festivals for best documentary Feature.

About Derek Walcott

Derek Walcott,  is an icon of Caribbean and world literature and of the creative arts. Walcott has always, not least in his efforts to create an indigenous drama, felt himself deeply-rooted in Caribbean society with its cultural fusion of African, Asiatic and European elements. For many years, he divided his time between Trinidad, where he had his home as a writer, and the various universities where he has taught literature and creative writing. Walcott founded the Boston Playwrights' Theatre at Boston University in 1981 and taught literature and writing at Boston University, retiring in 2007. In 2009, he began a three-year distinguished scholar-in-residence position at the University of Alberta. In 2010, he became Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex. Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. The Nobel committee described his work as “a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by an historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment.” Derek Walcott holds many Awards and Honours.

About the Director

Ida Does is an award winning filmdirector who was born in Suriname and is of French, Chinese and Dutch Creole descent. She has worked as an independent journalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker for the past two decades and resides both in Aruba and the Netherlands. She is the founder and owner of Ida Does Productions. She has directed numerous TV series and received awards for her documentaries about national figures of Suriname-freedom fighter Anton de Kom –Peace, memories of Anton de Kom- and poet Trefossa (Henri Frans de Ziel- Trefossa-I Am Not I.

Fore more information about Ida Does and her work visit idadoes.nl