How can you follow your heart when your soul does not yet feel ready?

Rich in surreal imagery and suffused with magical realism, MOKO is coming-of-age drama that tackles one Bajan teenager’s journey of desire and grief as she comes to terms with who she is all while battling ghosts—both literal and figurative. 

Blood and Water, 1x01 (2020)

Thrown into the middle of a school day, we watch quiet Zaria, a bright 15 year old, buckle under the weight, expectation, and conformity of her educational environment. These pressures disappear whenever she catches sight of Thea, a fellow classmate who seems unperturbed by the thoughts or judgements of those around her.

Zaria’s crush is complicated by the shame she harbors of her non-heternormative feelings. This is externalized by the literal haunting of Zaria by her mother’s ghost, who rejected Zaria’s feelings when the young girl confessed them to her whilst she was still alive.

Atlantics (2019) dir. Mati Diop

When Zaria discovers Thea is moving away, she is heartbroken. When Thea urges her to come to an upcoming field trip, Zaria knows she must find a way to go.

Tasked with finding the money for the trip, Zaria turns to her Aunty Pat. When Pat challenges Zaria about her sudden interest in going on the field trip, Zaria retreats, hiding within herself. 

Simultaneously, the hauntings grow more persistent, plaguing both Zaria’s waking and slumbering moments.

Mami Wata (2025) dir. CJ Obasi

After a particularly jarring dream, Zaria seeks comfort to combat the deep sense of foreboding she feels in Aunty Pat . She quickly grows frustrated when Pat pushes her to be honest about who she is and what it is that she wants, giving no easy answers.

The next morning, Zaria is on the verge of giving it all up when Pat shows up and gives her the money for the field trip. This act emboldens Zaria, who rushes to get to the field trip on time.

Once there, Zaria and Thea run off but the tables turn when it is Thea who runs away from their reality. 

But Zaria isn't left alone for long. 

It is now, when she chooses to be brave, that her mother's ghost, surrounded by their ancestors, manifests for the final time. At this moment, Zaria realizes the truth. They are not here to judge her. They are standing as proud witnesses to their legacy: Zaria. 

With a wordless song, they imbue her with their strength, with their wisdom and power. Her mother stands at the front, apology in her eyes and a warm blessing in her smile.

Zaria receives it with open arms, having reconciled who she is and what she feels within herself.

With that, her mother’s ghost finds true peace and is able to let go.

Ascended, Zaria stands in her truth.

Benjamin Benmoyal

MOKO is a story that needs to be told now. Barbados and the wider Caribbean are themselves reckoning with their identities. This film is not interested in easy answers. It asks the audience to consider a future that does not live in the past but still honors those who have come before.

There is a rising wave of Caribbean storytellers bringing our stories to the world’s stage. Queer stories cannot be left out because people of all identities are part of our communities too. We are important threads that make the tapestry of the islands so rich and strong in culture.

This story is inspired by the countless stories just like it that unfold every day in Barbados, the Caribbean, and around the world. Told through a unique lens and with a specific cultural voice.

Our director was just named as one of the rising voices in Caribbean cinema. As the New Wave of Caribbean Cinema gains steam, MOKO is a story that deserves to lead the charge and crest the horizon. 

We’re inviting you to help make that a reality.

Barbados has been a central theme of my films at Columbia. We are a small country, with less than 300,000 people, but our culture is rich, our history long. MOKO is an extension of this work, tackling a topic often relegated to the shadows in Caribbean storytelling: that of queerness.

The Moko Jumbie is a towering figure in Caribbean folklore. He is a guide, a protector, and a harbinger—most often of change. I found the tall stiltmen—its colloquial term—frightening as a child. As I grew older, that fear turned to fascination. Now, they evoke a familiar comfort.

Maybe it is pure coincidence that this mirrors my own reckoning with queerness. Or maybe, my ancestors—my own Mokos—knew better, and laid out a path for me to follow. I just had to take that first step. I imbued this journey into Zaria, our lead character.

This film doesn’t give answers. It is meant as a meditation, a reckoning. How does one break generational cycles? How do you accept your true self when the world wants someone different?

Our team is approaching this production with care—investing in local and diasporic talent, and honoring the environments we’re filming in. We hope to invite audiences into this world, and to inspire queer youth to speak their own truths when they are ready.

MOKO exists between two spaces: the physical world of Barbados, and a spiritual world shaped by ancestry, memory, and fear. Both are anchored in the tangible history engraved into our casts' faces, embodied by the movement of their bodies, enriched by the lyrical speech of their tongues.

Sankofa (1993) dir. Haile Gerima

Set against the landscapes of Barbados—its coastlines, fields, and communities—the film captures a grounded, lived-in reality. But layered within it is something else: visions, spirits, and ancestral presences that blur the line between what is real and what is felt.

At the center of this is the Moko Jumbie, a figure in Caribbean folklore known as a protector, healer, and guide.

Red Moko Jumbie by David Francke

In MOKO, these spirits are not just myth—they are emotional truth. They represent the weight of inheritance, the fear of being seen, and ultimately, the possibility of transformation.

Visually, the film moves between:

• Intimate, naturalistic moments
• Dreamlike sequences filled with movement, sound, and ritual
• A world where the unseen becomes impossible to ignore

This is not just a setting—it is a presence.

Black Mother (2018) dir. Khalik Allah

This is an ambitious production and we are committed to doing it right. This campaign represents around 30% of our overall budget, covering critical parts of our financing.

We need to hit at least 80% to be green-lit!

We are raising $15,000 to help support:

• Feeding our cast and crew
• Renting camera and lighting equipment
• Creating authentic costumes rooted in Caribbean culture
• Paying our cast—especially local Bajan performers
• Covering travel, lodging, and production logistics
• Completing post-production (editing, sound, music)

Our Stretch Goal is $20,000!



We have secured primary funding through Columbia University's Katharina Otto Bernstein Mentorship Grant, allowing us to move forward into principal production—we shoot in Barbados in June 2026—but we still have a gap to close to fully realize this vision.

Your support directly impacts the quality, care, and integrity of this film.

This project is built on:

• Investing in local and diasporic talent
• Respecting the land, history, and culture of Barbados
• Creating a safe, collaborative production environment
• Telling a story that is both specific and universal

We are not just making a film.

We are building something with intention.

Your support means more than just funding.

It means belief, visibility.

It means this story gets to exist.

This film is about finding your voice. About stepping into something unknown.

About becoming who you were always meant to be.

We can’t do that alone. There are so many ways to support Moko:

• Donate — every contribution brings us closer.
• Share — with your friends, community, and networks.
• Follow — @mokofilmbb and stay connected throughout the journey.
• Spread the word — this matters more than you think!