Tribeca Festival 2026 Exclusive: The Tropical Sun and His Eyes interviews
Among the films that had its World Premiere in the International Narrative Competition at the 2026 Tribeca Festival was ‘The Tropical Sun and His Eyes,’ written, directed and produced by Elisee Junior St Preux.
The cast includes Stevenson Jean, Blangue Machiny, and Ulrick Remy.
Among the producing team are Two Lewis and Naturi Naughton-Lewis through their Take Two Entertainment banner. Calixto Chinchilla from NYLFF Cinematics and Warner Bros. Discovery OneFifty exec produces.
Ruben, a despondent 26-year-old, returns home to Haiti to reconnect with his estranged father before his father passes away. The moment Ruben arrives on land, he is spiritually confronted by childhood memories of his father. As Ruben makes his way to his father’s house on foot, he meets a Young Boy who insists on accompanying Ruben. The Young Boy wants to connect with Ruben on a familial level, but Ruben’s trauma toward family prevents Ruben from being vulnerable to him.
The Young Boy’s youthfulness inspires Ruben to embrace his radical imagination while Ruben’s determination to reconnect with his father, despite the pain it causes him, gives the Young Boy hope that one day he will find his own family. As they interact with locals along the way and hear their stories of joy and pain, it becomes more apparent that they must love out loud and break generational trauma together. Filmed in the historic northern region of Cap-Haïtien, the city is widely known for its significant role in the Haitian Revolution.
Blackfilmandtv.com's Wilson Morales talks to The Tropical Sun and His Eyes director Elisee Junior St. Preux, actor Stevenson Jean, and producers Naturi Naughton-Lewis, Two Lewis and Calixto Chinchilla.
