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Nicole Avant, the award-winning producer behind The Black Godfather and The Six Triple Eight, bestselling author, philanthropist and former United States Ambassador to The Bahamas, will serve as Guest of Honour at the 2026 Festival. 

At the Opening Night Gala at Baha Mar in Nassau on Thursday, Dec. 10, BIFF will present Avant with the Visionary Producer Award and confer upon her the title of Honorary Patron of the Bahamas International Film Festival. The Visionary Producer Award recognises Avant's distinctive body of work as a producer who brings powerful, often untold stories to the screen.

“Nicole Avant is a powerhouse in her own right: a producer, author and diplomat who has opened doors wherever she has gone, and her contribution to The Bahamas is part of its record. This honour reflects the regard in which she is held, not only by this Festival, but by the film industry around the globe and The Bahamas as a whole,” said Leslie Vanderpool, BIFF Founder & Executive Director.

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Regional Tributes

For the first time ever, BIFF will present two new tributes honoring filmmakers from our region. Lavado Stubbs, founder of Conchboy Films, will receive the Bahamian Rising Star Tribute, and Caymanian filmmaker Frank E. Flowers will receive the inaugural Caribbean Shining Star Tribute.

Nassau-born director and producer Lavado Stubbs founded Conchboy Films, where he creates short films, music videos, commercials and documentaries with a style rooted in Bahamian culture. His short Training Wheels challenges how Black fathers are portrayed on screen.

From Haven, the first feature filmed entirely on Grand Cayman, to the record-breaking global success of The Bluff, Frank’s work continues to bring Caribbean stories, talent and vision to audiences around the world.

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Join us Sunday, December 13th at John Watling’s Distillery as we celebrate Caribbean cinema and the storytellers rising from our own shores. Stay tuned for more details.

BIFF honorees join a roll call that includes Morgan Freeman, Sir Sean Connery, Johnny Depp, Debra Messing, Roger Corman, Heather Graham, Danny Glover, Alan Arkin, Daryl Hannah, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Grace Jones, Anna Faris, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Zoë Kravitz, Michael K. Williams, Rae Dawn Chong, Cicely Tyson, Naomie Harris, Sophie Okonedo, Sawyer Spielberg and Anthony Mackie.