Carnival Fantastique

Held over the two days before Ash Wednesday, Trinidad's famous carnival is the most anticipated event of the island's cultural calendar. Here Edric Connor shows us the sights, sounds and quirky customs of this glorious event. Filmmaker Edric Connor was a Trinidadian actor and singer who popularised Day Dah Light, the song that became an international hit for Harry Belafonte as Day-O (The Banana Boat Song). An actor in British and American films of the 1950s, Connor went on, with his wife Pearl, to set up the first theatrical agency for black British performers, the Afro-Asian-Caribbean Agency.

Directed by Edric Connor, Carnival Fantastique leans on a strong ensemble — Edric Connor — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1960.