Caribbean and international films on show at T&T Film Festival

Founded in 2006, the film festival is an annual celebration of Caribbean films and seeks to facilitate the growth of the Caribbean film industry.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Friday September 21, 2012 – From now until October 2, the twin-island state will be the Mecca of movie buffs as the seventh annual Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival takes centre stage with a potpourri of entertainment celebrating Caribbean film and welcoming contributions from Canada, Africa and Latin America.

The festival, which opened on Wednesday with a gala and the screening of the highly-acclaimed documentary “Marley”, about Jamaica’s iconic reggae superstar, is continuing daily with a packed programme of feature films, documentaries, new media productions, workshops, and more.

The two-week event, which has been growing steadily in popularity over the years, promises to be the biggest and best to date with a total of 175 films, including new media and experimental shorts, 38 of which will be world premieres.

Diverse topics to come under the spotlight will run the gamut from the black power movement to chocolate, and patrons can look forward to the screening of such films as the Cuban feature “Juan of the Dead”, a film about zombies in Havana; “Call Me Kuchu”, which deals with the persecution of gays in Uganda; and “The Iran Job”, a film about a young man from the US Virgin Islands who finds himself in Iran amid tensions between both countries.

Other highlights include short films such as Shaun Escayg’s “Fish” and Roger Alexis’ “Douen” exploring local culture and folklore, while the contribution by members of the YMCA Men Touring Programme, a short film titled “Shoot to Live” made by young men from the Beetham area, is also keenly anticipated.

Films will be shown at MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain and Tobago for a small admission fee and moviegoers can also take advantage of free screenings at the University of the West Indies, Little Carib Theatre and several other locations.

More than just entertainment, the festival has the added benefit of providing exposure for many upcoming filmmakers and facilitating a platform for them to show their work among peers.

Filmmakers will also benefit from more than $170,000 in cash and prizes, including trips to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and SilverDocs film festival in Maryland.

Filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers also have the opportunity to take advantage of several partnerships between the film festival and private organisations such as RBC, bpTT and Flow.

These partnerships provide exposure, with Flow making films available with its On Demand service immediately after the festival, and bpTT providing community screenings. The partnership with RBC’s Immersion initiative provides development programmes and exposure leading to a grant for filmmakers.

Founded in 2006, the film festival is an annual celebration of Caribbean films and seeks to facilitate the growth of the Caribbean film industry by hosting workshops, panel discussions, seminars, conferences and networking opportunities with international film professionals. Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)