At just 17 years old, Barbadian filmmaker Trinity Rose is setting the international creative world ablaze.
Her short film Perturbed, which explores the often-silenced struggles of mental health among Caribbean youth, has been officially selected for screening at the 2025 Caribbean Film Festival this June.
The bold, emotionally raw piece was written and directed by Rose, who channels her personal battles with bullying and self-discovery into the heart of the narrative. For this rising star, Perturbed is more than just a film—it’s a statement.
Rose grew up in Barbados as the “weird girl” in class—labelled and bullied for her love of cartoons and anime, things that didn’t quite align with the expectations of her peers. But her proclivities and innate creativity would soon become her superpower.
A twist of fate came when her father landed a background acting role and convinced an agent to give both Rose and her younger brother, Zion Rose, an opportunity to act. That small break snowballed into a passion for acting and storytelling, leading the siblings to join productions and eventually take their place behind the camera.
The turning point came during a youth film camp hosted by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment in Barbados. With the acting high wearing off and the desire to explore all facets of filmmaking, Rose turned to writing.
Along with her brother, she penned a 35-page screenplay titled The Mystery of Trizone Camp and submitted it to Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley. This bold move signalled not only her ambition but also her readiness to contribute to the island’s growing creative landscape.
In 2023, Rose’s journey took her to the New York Film Academy, an opportunity facilitated by Carol Roberts and the National Cultural Foundation. There, she spent a week learning and practising the nuts and bolts of filmmaking—writing, directing, editing, and managing a full film crew. One of her biggest challenges? Condensing over three hours of footage into a tight two-minute edit.
“It was so hard but it was such a proud moment,” she recalls. “Seeing a film school for the first time, walking the streets of a big city, managing a film.”
Following this experience, she received a diploma in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy.
Her creative energy is not limited to film, and Rose has another significant creative new outlet: fashion. A lover of vintage styles from the 1920s to the present, she designs bold, colourful outfits inspired by Barbie dolls and cartoon characters. She wore one of her most recent pieces—a graffiti-splashed satin jacket—at the Caribbean Film Festival last week.
Her fashion designs have even graced the runways of Berlin Fashion Week 2025, a career-defining opportunity. She insists that “my filmmaking and fashion are the two different sides of me, my clothes are bright and bold and colourful, while my films are dark and scary”.
Together with her brother, Rose is making an impression across multiple disciplines—film, fashion, and acting. Their story has been featured on the cover of Caribbean Entertainment Magazine (May 2024) and in South Africa’s PPMC Magazine (Issue 142).
Their faces even adorn the show window of Selima Optique in Paris, just steps from the Louvre.
Rose’s unique contrast—dark, haunting films and vibrant, whimsical fashion—captures her duality as an artist.
She cites Tim Burton as her favourite director, drawn to the eerie and mysterious aspects of his work. “Thrillers are really powerful,” she says. “I can express things through my films and base characters on people from my real life.” The same applies to her fashion, as in her wardrobe, she embraces pastels, fluff, and sparkle—expressing joy and individuality through every stitch.
Being selected for the Caribbean Film Festival has been an emotional ride for Rose. “I was really nervous,” she admits. “But seeing so many Caribbean creatives in one place—it was like Hollywood in the Caribbean.”
Rose felt invigorated by her time at the Caribbean Film Festival, and inspired to continue creating, as “there are so many scenes and films right here for us to create in the Caribbean”.
Through Perturbed, Rose wants to change the conversation around mental health and bullying. “Why do we bully people for being different? I remember being slapped in class for just being me. Those experiences are what I write about.”
As a filmmaker, she’s learning to handle criticism with grace. “I had to play a male character, and I studied my dad for a long time and really prepared,” she says, “and I was told I missed the mark, and I went home and cried.”
But later, Rose understood that it wasn’t personal, but a moment to learn and grow and improve. She channels that vulnerability into her screenwriting, transforming personal wounds into stories that resonate far beyond her island home. Many of her films speak to the overlooked, the misfits, the dreamers.
Trinity Rose may still be in her teens, but she’s already redefining what it means to be a Caribbean creative. Acknowledging her support system, including her family, her generous sponsors and her community, she feels blessed to be making strides in the international film arena.
Whether in the director’s chair, the fashion studio, or on stage, her story is one of bold imagination, fearless vulnerability, and relentless drive. And for the region, Rose’s ascent offers a glimpse into a new generation of talent—one that honours its roots while taking on the world.