By S.Browne. Updated 1:48 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Vincentian documentary Madulu, The Seaman has recorded sold-out screenings during a two-night run at the AFI Silver Theatre in Maryland, United States, drawing audiences from across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area as well as visitors from New York City.
According to a press release issued by cultural ambassador and filmmaker Akley Olton through Island Rebel Media, both screenings on June 9 and 10, 2026, reached full capacity at the independent cinema venue in Silver Spring.
The release states that audiences travelled from across the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region, with additional attendees making the journey from New York City for the 24-minute documentary.
The film, directed by Olton, explores the maritime heritage of Barrouallie in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It follows the story of young Amari Murray as he engages with oral histories and seafaring traditions connected to veteran whaleman George “Tall12” Frederick.
The documentary focuses on the preservation of maritime knowledge, cultural identity, and intergenerational storytelling within one of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ historic coastal fishing communities.
The screenings formed part of a two-night engagement at the AFI Silver Theatre, an independent cinema venue in Maryland, where the film was presented on consecutive evenings.
Madulu, The Seaman has been selected for more than 20 international film festivals across four continents since its premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, Canada, and has received recognition at festival events in Cuba and Belize.
The documentary is currently listed for streaming on The Criterion Channel in the United States and Canada, extending its reach beyond the festival and theatrical circuit.
The film has also been featured in academic and cultural programming, including the Driftlines Ocean Justice Film Festival, organised in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island, Ocean Nexus, and the University of Cambridge. Festival materials referenced in the release indicate discussions regarding potential inclusion in educational archives.
Speaking on the Maryland screenings, Olton described the audience response as highly engaged: “The energy in the theatre was electric — it was a full house, and they literally had to bring in extra chairs to the front row for paying patrons who came out to support a Vincentian documentary. We had people coming from across the DMV and as far as New York City, products and flavours sent up from Miami, and these maritime products and cultural stories that I brought straight from the Grenadines and across SVG. Hearing the room erupt in laughter and giggles as everyday Vincentian life was celebrated on the big screen was pure joy.”
The screenings form part of a wider international distribution and exhibition strategy for the documentary, which continues to circulate through festival circuits, academic programming, and streaming platforms.
The film is part of a broader effort to document and preserve Vincentian maritime heritage through contemporary storytelling, with a focus on coastal communities such as Barrouallie.
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