As filmmakers, our hope is that the visual presentation of our story is compelling to the audience. Cinematography creates a visual interpretation of the world of the film. Knowing how to wield the camera, lights, lenses and filters to create this world is the art and job of the cinematographer.

With 14 years of experience in the industry, cinematographer Oliver Milne will share his knowledge in this introductory workshop. He will explore the foundational aspects of cinematography, the role of the cinematographer as well as the on-going relationship between director and cinematographer.

logistics

date: Saturday 24 September, 2022
time: 10.30am–12.00pm + 12.30–2.00pm 
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: TT$300. Tickets will cover the cost of the two sessions. They are available here.
facilitator: Oliver Milne
Presented with the support of Shell

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Oliver Milne

Oliver has directed and shot a number of award-winning short films, music videos and TV commercials including ADDY award-winning spots for Bmobile and bpTT, and music videos for artists such as Kes the Band and Freetown Collective. His last short film ‘Salty Dog’ won the People’s Choice Award at the 2017 trinidad+tobago film festival and the Youth Jury Prize for Best Short Film in Rencontres Cinéma Martinique in 2018. Oliver finds inspiration from unique character-driven stories as well as from being in nature; he also enjoys experimenting with light, colour and texture while shooting film photography.

Have you ever wondered why it’s the producer and not the director who gets the “best film” award at the Academy Awards? It’s because the producer is the person who takes the film from idea to screen. “Film producing 101” is a two-part masterclass in which participants will learn about the four key skills they will need to succeed in the industry: creative development; hands-on producing; finance and business affairs; and distribution/sales. This course is intended to give first-time and emerging producers a thorough introduction to producing, as well as share case studies to help guide their own paths to financing, making and distributing films.

logistics

Presented in partnership with the US Embassy Port of Spain

about Stanley Nelson Jr.

Stanley Nelson Jr is today’s leading documentarian of the African-American experience. His films combine compelling narratives with rich historical detail to illuminate the under-explored American past. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Nelson has received numerous honours over the course of his career, including five Primetime Emmy Awards for his films, as well as lifetime achievement awards from the Emmys, the Peabodys, and IDA. In 2013, Nelson received the National Medal in the Humanities from President Barack Obama. His latest film, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, premiered at Sundance in January 2019.

In 2000, Mr Nelson, along with his wife, Marcia A. Smith, founded Firelight Media, a non-profit production company dedicated to using historical film to advance contemporary social justice causes, and to mentoring, inspiring and training a new generation of diverse young filmmakers committed to telling underrepresented stories.

FILMCO is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2022 Strategies for Succeeding on the Festival Circuit Workshop. We will be selecting six filmmakers to take part in a one on one session during the trinidad+tobago film festival. Filmmakers with an interest in joining the festival circuit are invited to apply here!

In recent years, film festivals have become the first go-to exhibition stop for independent filmmakers, many of whom would struggle to find distribution and audiences otherwise. But, with so many film festivals all over the world, and with clear hierarchies in the festival circuit, choosing which ones you should send your film to, and in what order, needs to be considered as part of an overarching strategy that can guide your decision-making as you seek to release your film. Under the guidance of industry professionals – European Film Market head of diversity and inclusion, Themba Bhebhe; film industry publicist, Marcin J. Sobczak; festival programmer, Jim Kolmar; and filmmaker, Michaelangelo Masangkay , you will receive individual advice on how you should approach getting  your work onto the festival circuit.

Once chosen your project will be assigned to one or more film festival experts with whom you’ll have the opportunity to sit with one on one and strategise plans for the festival release of your film during the scheduled workshop on Friday 23 September, 2022 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at NALIS (Seminar Room 2).

Application prerequisites

• All genres will be accepted
• Film must be set in the Caribbean
• Applicants must have a financed film in production or post-production. The application deadline is 12 pm AST, September 19 2022.
• You must be able to attend the workshop in person on Friday 23 September, 2022 @ 10:30am – 12:00pm

logistics

date: Friday 23 September, 2022
time: 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
application: please apply here
tickets: TT$150. Tickets are available here.
facilitators: Themba Bhebhe, Jim Kolmar, Michaelangelo Masangkay + Marcin J. Sobczak

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Themba Bhebhe

After working for a decade in international film sales, Themba has been in charge of Diversity & Inclusion at the European Film Market (Berlinale) since the autumn of 2017. His work comprises curating a series of events on inclusion, equity and accessibility at the EFM’s Industry Sessions, and liaising with community-based film organisations and advocacy groups whose policies also strive towards greater inclusivity in the film sector. Founded with Dok Leipzig’s Nadja Tennstedt, Themba also co-manages the EFM’s Doc and Fiction Toolbox Programmes for marginalised and Global South film producers as well as the EFM (Online) Market Badge Inclusion Initiative. Within the framework of this role, he also works in close collaboration with imagineNATIVE and a host of other Indigenous-led film organisations regarding, in particular, the Native Indigenous Cinema Stand and the Native Fellows Programme at the EFM.

Themba is also one of the founding members of the Programmers of Colour Collective (POC2) that aims at working towards a more diverse and inclusive programming pool at international film festivals through research, awareness events, networking, profile raising, mentoring and shadowing. Alongside Chloë Walters-Wallace, Themba co-founded the Caribbean Film Academy, an initiative of Third Horizon that, through workshops, community-building, seminars and industry meetings, aims at introducing filmmakers from across the Caribbean region and its diaspora to burgeoning new resources in order to further their access to the film landscape. Themba is a mentor for Durban FilmMart’s Pitching and Financing Forum, where he has advised long-feature fiction projects from across the African continent. Also born from his connection with DFM, alongside Mitchell Harper and Tiny Mungwe, Themba is the co-founder of Engage, a series of curated think tank conversations and panels on the pertinent, challenging and multi-faceted questions facing the African film industry.

about Jim Kolmar

Jim Kolmar is an independent programmer who curated films for South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) from 2009-2020, where he continues to consult on international and feature films. He is also currently programming for trinidad+tobago film festival, and was a founding committee member at Festival Internacional de Cine Tulum (FICTU). Jim was also a guest curator for Portland International Film Festival 2021. Jim is a contributing writer for Ambulante Film Festival in Mexico, and has served on juries, panels and committees for organisations including Austin Film Society, BAFICI, Berlinale, Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), CONNeXT, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFPanama, IN-EDIT Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Ventana Sur.

about Michaelangelo Masangkay

Michaelangelo Masangkay is a respected filmmaker, producer, director (at the Toronto Film School), and gifted drone pilot, with 15 years in the independent film industry. His vast industry knowledge and extensive global network enables him to seize opportunities for clients across Canada, the US and beyond.

about Marcin J. Sobczak

Marcin J. Sobczak, owner of This Way Publicity, has worked in the film industry for over 13 years, supporting sales and production and every step of film development, working on more than 50 films, running international campaigns, and recently handling international Academy Awards campaigns. Some of the titles he has worked on include ‘Coda’, ‘Summer of soul’, ‘Cargo’ (by Kareem Mortimer), and ‘The enforcer’.

You’re thinking of making a film which you’re sure can become a huge hit! But you realise you have no idea how to get your film in front of audiences (who aren’t made up of your family and friends)! Enter the sales agent – the person who will work with you to promote and build the visibility of your film to get your film sold to distributors. In this presentation, participants will learn about the key roles of the sales agent; why the film festival circuit is so important for independent films; as well as the essential promotional materials you should be thinking about to shore up your film’s chances of finding distribution.

logistics

date: Sun 25 September, 2022
time: 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: TT$150. Tickets must be bought in advance and are available here.
facilitator: Michaelangelo Masangkay

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Michaelangelo Masangkay

Michaelangelo Masangkay is a respected filmmaker, producer, director (at the Toronto Film School), and gifted drone pilot, with 15 years in the independent film industry. His vast industry knowledge and extensive global network enables him to seize opportunities for clients across Canada, the US and beyond.

As narrative filmmakers we are called to tell engaging and relatable stories. How do we get inspired by our own stories and find, not only the courage but also the commitment to see them through? How do we relay indigenous stories in a way that explore universal themes whilst remaining true to our roots? It’s important for us to recognise that our Caribbean identity, experience and history are strengths which can be used to our advantage to stand out globally. Award-winning Dominican director, José María Cabral, has proven successful in creating compelling films from his uniquely Caribbean perspective.

This two-part masterclass is an opportunity to learn from Cabral’s route to staying true to the Caribbean while also deconstructing his process as a filmmaker. From how we should go about writing a script to working with actors and having them remain authentically Caribbean in their portrayals, to post-production, this is the chance to gain invaluable insight into how he’s able to bring his visions to life – choosing appropriate stories; film financing; techniques on working with a limited budget; editing; marketing; distribution; and festivals. His feature film, ‘Perejil’, which is in competition at ttff/22, will be a case study.

logistics

dates: Thursday 22 + Friday 23 September, 2022
time: 12.30pm–2.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: TT$300. Tickets will cover the cost of the two sessions. They are available here.
facilitator: José María Cabral

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about José María Cabral

José María Cabral is a Dominican film director, screenwriter and producer. He  started making films when he was 16 years old, giving private screenings of his work to family and friends at local movie theatres. One of his short films, ‘Excexos’, got national distribution. His first feature film, ‘Jaque Mate’ (2011), was screened at a number of film festivals and selected as the Dominican entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. ‘Arrobá’, ‘Despertar’ and ‘Detective Willy’ followed. Cabral premiered ‘Carpinteros’, a film about the realities and relationships of prisoners in Dominican jails, at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. He also represented the Dominican Republic’s Oscar submission with his following film ‘The Projectionist’ (2019).

Documentaries on historical figures create space for us to pay homage to those that paved the way for social change. Filmmaker Shola Lynch believes, as James Baldwin said, “History is not the past. It is the present.”  Lynch has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2016 and a Peabody, Emmy Award and Image Award winning filmmaker. While she has been working in film since 1997, she is best known for her independent documentaries on, and in-depth interviews with, the academic and activist, Angela Davis, and the visionary politician with Caribbean roots, Shirley Chisholm. Lynch is a master at relaying history in a meaningful, inspiring, and captivating way. Guided by her personal philosophy, she showcases her passion and brings stories told through the eyes of the people, the women, that lived them. 

In this masterclass, Lynch will take participants through a process of deconstructing how she tells stories in her films. Also to be explored: her research process; her storytelling inspiration; finding the courage to stay with a project over many years; exploring all sides of a story and embracing controversy. She will also share insights into building a twenty-five year long career in the film business as a director.

logistics

date: Tuesday 27 September, 2022
times: 10.30am–12.00pm + 12.30–2.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: TT$300. Tickets will cover the cost of the two sessions. They are available here.
facilitator: Shola Lynch

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Shola Lynch

Shola Lynch is an award-winning American filmmaker best known for the feature documentary ‘Free Angela and all political prisoners’ and the Peabody Award-winning documentary ‘Chisholm ’72: Unbought and unbossed’. Her independent film body of work and her other collaborative projects feed her passion to bring history alive with captivating stories of people, places, and events. Since 2013 she has also served as the curator of the Moving Image & Recorded Sound division of the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. In 2016, Shola became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  Shola is currently finishing a documentary about the American sprinter, cultural icon and still World Record holder, Flo Jo. She will also helm the Apple Original film, ‘Number One on the call sheet’, which will celebrate Black achievement in the film industry, and explore what it takes for Black actresses to find success in Hollywood. Shola believes deeply in the value of preserving history and its power in storytelling. 

We’re mixing it up this year, with a new format for our popular ‘Ask the veterans’ offering – we’ll be combining access to a variety of veteran film professionals with a speed-dating format, so attendees can learn directly from folks who work in different areas of the film industry pipeline! This is an open, all-access pass to drill experienced film industry professionals on all aspects of their work.

logistics

date: Friday 23 September, 2022
time: 3.00pm–5.00pm
location: NALIS (Old Fire Station)
tickets: free of charge; pre-registration required. Sign up here!

industry veterans

SXSW programmer Jim Kolmar; TTT programme manager Diane Robertson; FilmTT general manager Leslie-Ann Caton; Firelight Media CEO Marcia Smith; film industry publicist Marcin J. Sobczak and others.

Creating a sustainable film industry requires years of work, training and support. This is why the trinidad+tobago film festival has remained committed to providing our community with access to industry leaders and professionals. Now in its seventeenth year, ttff/22 is excited to once again host a variety of workshops and capacity-building programmes – and (can we get an amen!) they will all be held in person! 

Our line up includes presentations, panels and talks which will all be offered free of charge. Our masterclasses and workshops, intended for emerging and established filmmakers, will take place at NALIS and registration and payment are required in advance. While all the workshops will be ticketed, one of our masterclasses will be offered free of charge, thanks to the support of the US Embassy, Port of Spain. 

This year, with the support of Shell, we are also offering a series of introductory workshops intended for young and/or beginner filmmakers called movie-making 101.

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 
*FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

ASK THE VETERAN

We’re mixing it up this year, with a new format for our popular ‘Ask the veterans’ offering – we’ll be combining access to a variety of veteran film professionals with a speed-dating format, so attendees can learn directly from folks who work in different areas of the film industry pipeline! This is an open, all-access pass to drill experienced film industry professionals on all aspects of their work. 

ask the veteran, speed dating edition!
Fri 23 Sept, 3.00–5.00pm
location: NALIS (Old Fire Station)
tickets: free of charge; pre-registration required
click here for more information

industry veterans
SXSW programmer Jim Kolmar; TTT programme manager Diane Robertson; FilmTT general manager Leslie-Ann Caton; Firelight Media CEO Marcia Smith; film industry publicist Marcin J. Sobczak and others.

MASTERCLASSES

telling our stories: directing the caribbean narrative feature
Thurs 22 + Fri 23 Sept, 12.30–2.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
tickets: TT$300
facilitator: José María Cabral
Presented with the support of FilmTT
click here for more information
*Pre-registration and payment in advance are required.

film producing 101
Fri 23 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm + 2.30–4.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
tickets: free
facilitator: Stanley Nelson Jr
Presented in partnership with the US Embassy, Port of Spain
click here for more information
*Pre-registration is required.

the role of the sales agent
Sun 25 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: TT$150
facilitator: Michaelangelo Masangkay
click here for more information
*Pre-registration and payment in advance are required.

bringing historical figures of colour to life through documentary
Tues 27 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm + 12.30–2.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
tickets: TT$300
facilitator: Shola Lynch
Presented with the support of FilmTT
click here for more information
*Pre-registration and payment in advance are required.

WORKSHOPS

strategies for succeeding on the festival circuit
Fri 23 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
tickets: $150
facilitators: Themba Bhebhe, Jim Kolmar, Michaelangelo Masangkay + Marcin J. Sobczak 
click here for more information
*Pre-payment for selected participants is required.

movie-making 101: introduction to cinematography
Sat 24 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm, 12.30–2.00pm 
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
tickets: TT$300
facilitator: Oliver Milne
Presented with the support of Shell
click here for more information
*Pre-registration and payment in advance are required.

working with a composer 
Sat 24 Sept, 12.30–2.00pm 
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
tickets: TT$150
facilitator: Navíd Lancaster
click here for more information
*Pre-registration and payment in advance are required.

movie-making 101: drone videography 
Sun 25 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm 
location: TBC
tickets: $150
facilitator: Michaelangelo Masangkay
Presented with the support of Shell
click here for more information
*Pre-registration and payment in advance are required.

PRESENTATIONS

planning an impact campaign for your film 
Thurs 22 Sept, 12.30pm–2.00pm 
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
tickets: free
facilitator: Marcia Smith
Presented with the support of the US Embassy, Port of Spain
click here for more information

tt production rebate
Fri 23 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
facilitator: Leslie Ann Wills-Caton
Presented with the support of FilmTT
click here for more information

crowdfunding and direct-to-audience strategies 
Fri 23 Sept, 12.30–2.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
tickets: free
facilitator: Marcin J. Sobczak
click here for more information

contracts, copyright and clearances
Sat 24 Sept, 10.30am–12.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
facilitator: Justin Koo
click here for more information

movie-making 101: building your first filmmaking kit
Sat 24 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 1)
tickets: free
facilitator: Robert Macfarlane
Presented with the support of Shell
click here for more information

researching historical stories at the heritage library
Sat 24 Sept, 1.00–2.30pm
location: NALIS (Heritage Library)
tickets: free
facilitator: Jasmin P. Simmons
Presented in collaboration with NALIS
click here for more information

ABCs of why and how: having a career as a filmmaker
Sat 24 Sept, 2.30pm–4.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
tickets: free
facilitators: Mariel Brown + Marcin J. Sobczak
click here for more information

PANELS

route to audience
Thurs 22 Sept, 2.30–4.00 pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Mariel Brown
click here for more information

spotlight on the Dominican Republic film industry
Thurs 22 Sept, 4.30–5.45pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Mariel Brown
Presented with the support of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic
click here for more information

lgbtqia+ storytelling in the caribbean space
Fri 23 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Franka Philip
click here for more information

the tricky question of ‘truth’ in documentary
Sat 24 Sept, 12.30–2.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Stanley Nelson Jr
click here for more information

what are film festivals looking for?
Sat 24 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Asha Lovelace
click here for more information

film archives as repositories of history 
Sun 25 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Mariel Brown
click here for more information

see yuhself: our stories as a conduit to change
Sun 25 Sept, 4.30–5.45pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Franka Philip
click here for more information

making the indie film 
Mon 26 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm 
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Marcin J. Sobczak
click here for more information

the brave new world of NFTs
Tues 27 Sept, 2.30–4.00pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Anya Ayoung-Chee
Presented with the support of IDB
click here for more information

ttff talks

ttff talks are in depth and insightful conversations with creative masters on their creative journeys, inspiration, challenges and personal philosophies. ttff talks are presented with the support of The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

ttff talk with Christopher Laird + Dr Bruce Paddington 
Fri 23 Sept, ​​4.30–5.45pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Maria Nunes
click here for more information

ttff talk with Stanley Nelson Jr and Marcia Smith
Sat 24 Sept, ​4.30–5.45pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
tickets: free
moderator: Mariel Brown
click here for more information

We are pleased to announce the short and feature length documentary films in competition at ttff/22. Films in juried competitions are rigorously discussed and dissected before being selected by the programming team, and must be unanimously agreed by the five programmers. They are then watched, scored and debated by the relevant jury, with the winning films ultimately being those which receive the highest aggregate scores. All the winners will be announced at the ttff/22 awards, 27 September, with cash prizes and trophies furnished by our sponsors.

For film synopses, screening details and director bios, please click the links (indicated as blue underlines) below.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

• Lo que se hereda (It runs in the family), directed by Victoria Linares Villegas
• Mafifa, directed by Daniela Muñoz Barroso
• Mr Emancipation: the Walter Perry story, directed by Preston Chase
• Paroles de nègres (The words of negroes), directed by Sylvaine Dampierre
• Studio 17: the lost reggae tapes, directed by Mark James

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

• Danaé, directed by Julio Benito Cabrera
• King David, directed by Walt Lovelace
• Pam’s kitchen, directed by David Gwynn
• Still we thrive, directed by Campbell X
• Strictly two wheel, directed by Ania Freer
• The sound of the time, directed by Jeissy Trompiz

Featured images: production stills from Studio 17: the lost reggae tapes and King David .

We are honoured to introduce the jury members who will be judging the narrative films in competition at ttff/22: head of diversity and inclusion at the European Film Market (Berlinale), Themba Bhebhe; filmmaker Laura Amelia Guzmán; writer Ayanna Lloyd Banwo. They hail from Europe and the Caribbean and are industry leaders in their specific fields.

Films in juried competitions are rigorously discussed and dissected before being selected by the programming team, and must be unanimously agreed by the five programmers. The shortlisted films then move to the juries which are given a list of criteria on which they must score each film. Films are then watched, scored and debated by the relevant jury, with the winning films ultimately being those which receive the highest aggregate scores. All the winners will be announced at the ttff/22 awards, 27 September.

Themba Bhebhe
After working for a decade in international film sales, Themba has been in charge of Diversity & Inclusion at the European Film Market (Berlinale) since the autumn of 2017. His work comprises curating a series of events on inclusion, equity and accessibility at the EFM’s Industry Sessions and liaising with community-based film organisations and advocacy groups whose policies also strive towards greater inclusivity in the film sector. Founded with Dok Leipzig’s Nadja Tennstedt, Themba also co-manages the EFM’s Doc and Fiction Toolbox Programmes for marginalised and Global South film producers as well as the EFM (Online) Market Badge Inclusion Initiative. Within the framework of this role, he also works in close collaboration with imagineNATIVE and a host of other Indigenous-led film organisations regarding, in particular, the Native Indigenous Cinema Stand and the Native Fellows Programme at the EFM. Themba is also one of the founding members of the Programmers of Colour Collective (POC2) that aims at working towards a more diverse and inclusive programming pool at international film festivals through research, awareness events, networking, profile raising, mentoring and shadowing. Alongside Chloë Walters-Wallace, Themba co-founded the Caribbean Film Academy, an initiative of Third Horizon that aims at introducing filmmakers from across the Caribbean region and its diaspora to burgeoning new resources in order to further their access to the film landscape. Themba is a mentor for Durban FilmMart’s Pitching and Financing Forum, where he has advised long-feature fiction projects from across the African continent.

Laura Amelia Guzmán
Laura Amelia Guzmán is a filmmaker from the Dominican Republic. She completed film studies at San Antonio de los Baños Film School in Cuba (EICTV) and Fine Arts at Altos de Chavón School of Design. Her work has been featured at festivals including Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Venice Film Festival and Rotterdam International Film Festival. Living between Mexico and DR for the past ten years, Laura produces and directs documentaries and scripted features. Her first feature, ‘Cochochi’, won the Discovery award at TIFF in 2007 and marks the beginning of her collaboration with Israel Cárdenas as co-director. ‘Jean Gentil’ followed in (2010), ‘Carmita’ (2013), ‘Sand Dollars’ (2014), ‘Sambá’ (2017), ‘Noelí Overseas’ (2017) and ‘Holy Beasts’ (2019). She is currently in  postproduction of a new feature, ‘La Hembrita’ (2023). Laura is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a writer from Trinidad + Tobago currently living in London, United Kingdom. Her debut novel When We Were Birds is an Indie Next Pick and has been named one of the UK Observer’s Best Debuts of 2022. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she is now a Creative and Critical Writing PhD student. Her work has been published in Moko Magazine, Small Axe, PREE, Callaloo and Anomaly among others, and shortlisted for Small Axe Literary Competition and the Wasafiri New Writing Prize. She is currently at work on her second novel.