The Sweetest Mango will be 20 years old in 2021 and has since been declared a Caribbean classic by the Trinidad & Tobago International Film Festival also it is now archived in the Toronto International Film Festival Bell Light Box Reference Library. We are very proud of this accomplishment.

This is how Mitzi Allen began this interview about “The Sweetest Mango” and its impact on Caribbean culture. The film is based on her own love story with director Howard Allen. However, “The Sweetest Mango” is so much more than a romance as it deals with themes like the diaspora coming back, the lifestyle of young people trying to live their dreams and to push through setbacks. This film is important for what it represents for the industry. We can produce quality content by telling our own stories. We can write our definition of “paradise” by our own standards.

The film is inspired by your own love story. How/Why did you decide to bring it to life considering there was no precedent for Antigua? Did you wonder if people would be dismissive because it's a love story?

Howard always wanted to make a movie and he decided that the first story we should tell, should be one we know, our own. There was no hesitation in telling the story, we really just wanted to inspire people to tell their own stories and we started by sharing ours. It was our millennium project, we began work on the film in 2000...to showcase what is possible in Antigua and Barbuda.

Did you feel a sense of pressure to get everything "right" since you were pioneers?

At the time we did not know we were doing pioneering work in film. There was no pressure to get everything right. It was only after we began doing the film festival circuit did we learned it was not only the first indigenous feature film for Antigua and Barbuda but in fact the Eastern Caribbean. Some intellectuals thought our first film should have had more 'grit' dealing with social issues.

How important was it to you that one of the lead characters hadn't spent its life on the island?

Mitzi Allen (producer), Howard Allen (director), Algernon Gomes (production assistant) on the set of “The Sweetest Mango” (June 2000).

The story is based on our lives so we were telling what we knew as it turned out that the theme of migration and returning home is common experience within the diaspora and across the Caribbean.

What was the hardest and the easiest part during the making process?

The hardest part of the process for me as the producer was funding. We used our own funds to make the movie so that was stressful. We wanted to be sure we could make it back. The easiest and fun part was collaborating with my husband Howard. For Howard as the director it was working with over 100 people and the easiest for him was the editing...bringing our story to life in the way he wanted.

How would you describe the response from the local audience? From other islands and the Caribbean diaspora?

It was overwhelmingly positive to this day. They loved the story. One woman said when she is feeling down she pops in the DVD to cheer herself up. We have done three other films and it is by far the most requested for screenings and distribution.

Is the film still shown in theaters in Antigua? Do you know how people in their 20's today feel about this film?

The film is no long in the theatre in Antigua. We do independent screenings across North American at special events and at Universities and Colleges. It is available on an online platform studioanansi.tv People in their 20's hear about the film from their parents..they also learn about it in schools. Those who know of it enjoy it. Which is why we plan to do a stage musical of The Sweetest Mango for CARIFESTA in 2021 when it will be 20 years since it's release.

Bonus: what comes to your mind when you hear the word Karukerament?

I have never heard of it before.

All pictures are used with the authorization of Mitzi Allen. For more info about her career and her work, you can check out hamafilms.com.

I want to thank Mitzi Allen for answering these questions. You can check out the French translation here.

Mitzi Allen : "At the time we did not know we were doing pioneering work in film."