London-based writer and director Ajuane Isaac-George heads to the Croisette with his film project Duppy, which will be part of the proof-of-concept section of Cannes’ biggest genre showcase, the Frontière Platform.
The film is a British-Jamaican co-production and is set in 1998, one of the most violent years in Jamaica’s history. This is the story of 12-year-old Rainbow, who is left in the care of her grandparents in rural Jamaica. Feeling alone and abandoned, she summons a hostile spirit to get revenge on her strict, religious grandmother, and unknowingly makes an unbreakable pact with the shape-shifting demon.
“‘Duppy’ is a culturally specific horror that transforms Jamaican folklore into a universal story about grief, loneliness, and the destructive power of childhood emotions.” Rarely has it been explored through the lens of Ra. This is cinematic, visceral, character-driven horror in which a child’s desire for control unleashes something far more terrifying,” Isaac-George told Variety.
“I don’t think there has ever been a Jamaican project that explores folklore, myths and legends as we know them,” added Frontières Platform Executive Director Annick Mahnert.
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 screened at Oscar nominee Holy Shorts. His short documentary Seventeen, which follows a group of roller skaters during their final summer of adolescence, premiered at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival.
The Duppy team (from left to right): Producer Dorotya Szekely, writer/director Afjan Isaac-George, producer Aleksandra Bilic
‘Duppy’ was screened to an industry audience at Film London’s Production Finance Market in 2025, showcasing projects from emerging filmmakers. The film is produced by My Accomplice, executive produced by British producers Aleksandra Bilic, Dorotia Szekely and Jamie Clarke, and co-produced by Mental Telepathy and Jamaica’s Robert A. Mailer.
Organized by Fantasia International Film Festival in partnership with Marché du Film, Frontière is the world’s leading international genre co-production marketplace and networking platform between Europe and North America. The Frontière Platform will be held at the Palais des Festivals from May 16th to 17th.
John Hopewell contributed to this article.
