One Hand Don't Clap

Directed by Kavery Dutta Kaul

Calypso music is central to Caribbean culture, providing a grounding point for communities to express themselves authentically: One Hand Don’t Clap is a bright and energising look at Calypso’s importance. Kavery Dutta Kaul’s documentary features insightful interviews from genre legends such as Calypso Rose and Lord Kitchener as they put their careers into perspective.

The film gives us an insider’s look at the music’s presence and origins on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago, where it emerged in the early 19th century. Alongside this, One Hand Don’t Clap puts us straight in the lead-up to coronation of the Calypso Monarch in Trinidad in 1986, a first-hand account of its role in the community and the celebrations that surround it, featuring beautiful live performances of songs such as ‘Pan in A Minor’ and ‘Solomon’.

Digitally restored by the Academy Film Archive and the Women’s Film Preservation Fund with support from the Leon Levy Foundation.

Presented as part of Cinema Rediscovered on Tour, a Watershed project.
With support from BFI awarding funds from The National Lottery, Park Circus and MUBI.