In Hindi, “cheenee” means sugar—the resource behind the forced relocation of thousands of Indians to Trinidad and Tobago as indentured servants in the nineteenth century. Cheenee is the story of how Indian immigrants struggled, and later flourished, building communities and developing distinct architectural styles in the Caribbean. Antonopoulos’s film combines troves of gorgeous archival photographs, shots of industrial ruins and landscape footage with visual portraits of third- and fourth-generation descendents of labourers.

Anchoring the film is a diverse company of dancers, whose contemporary interpretations of classical dance feature eye-catching costumes and mixed cultural influences, just as the island culture combines Indian, African and European histories and traditions. The dancers move through fields, forest groves and courtyards with vibrant, inventive and energetic choreography. A must-see for lovers of dance and music, and for those interested in Indo-Caribbean culture. -KR