About the movie

The Other Side of Carnival is a soon to be released documentary directed and produced by Charysse Tia Harper and helped along the way by a handful of volunteering crew from around the world.

The Other Side of Carnival project started in 2007 resulting in the filming of the 2009 Trinidad Carnival. We have made many friends along the way and met many talented musicians and craftsmen who were all happy to tell their story of their experience with the Trinidad Carnival. We followed small town Mass Bands, Port-of-Spain's The Blue Devils and the general public through their journey of Carnival and managed to get an overall outlook to the life lived through it and beyond.

We saw first hand how Trinidad shuts down for this event and comes together to celebrate. But the celebration can get out of hand and there is another side to Carnival that not many see or want to admit is there. The criminal side that effects community, the tourism that boosts it's popularity and the closure of schools and work places that effects the economy.

This documentary captures the roots of Carnival and how far some are trying to keep it alive, and how others have lost there way.