ttff/22 in competition: narrative features and shorts
We are pleased to announce the short and feature length narrative 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.
For film synopses, screening details and director bios, please click the links (indicated as blue underlines) below.
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
Cette Maison (This house), directed by Miryam Charles
We’re delighted to announce our programming team for the 17th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival, ttff/22. Once again, we made a public call for applications to become a film festival programmer in the hope of continuing to build the transparency of the festival’s operations, while considering the role of festival programmers in a more strategic way. This year, our team is composed of three Caribbean and two international programmers: Bruce Paddington (ttff founder), Danielle Dieffenthaller, BC Pires, Ivonne Cotorruelo and Jim Kolmar. By extending our programming team to people outside of the Caribbean, we have significantly widened the net both in terms of the films we can curate, and in terms of bringing greater international visibility to our Caribbean films and to ttff.
Ivonne Cotorruelo Ivonne Cotorruelo is a Cuban Film Curator and Producer based in New York, who has been empowering storytellers for over a decade. She is a Features Programmer at Cleveland International Film Festival CIFF, Outfest, Atlanta Film Festival ATLFF, Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival TTFF and a Shorts Programmer for Aspen ShortFest. She has served as Juror for the Miami Film Festival, New Filmmakers LA, and Havana Film Festival NY. A Berlinale Talent Campus alumnus, she is always seeking out stories for underrepresented voices. Working on a plan of strategic diversity, equity and inclusion.
Danielle Dieffenthaller Danielle Dieffenthaller has over 20 years of experience in the television and film industry. She is committed to telling the Caribbean story through quality dramatic and documentary film and television productions. Dieffenthaller is the owner/producer/director of Dieffenthaller Style Films Ltd, which produced the popular programmes “Iere Vibe” and “The Reef”. She was the main force behind the television production company Earth TV Ltd, and producer/director and co-writer of the acclaimed “Ecowatch” series and the long-running “Westwood Park” (100 episodes). Dieffenthaller’s resumé includes work with TTT, UK-production company Bandung Productions and the groundbreaking production house Banyan Productions, where she and one other crew member were the only local crew to capture the events of the 1990 attempted coup. Among her credits are dramatic, educational, environmental, political and business projects for local, regional and international audiences. She is a co-founder of FILMCO and the 2019 Arts and Letters Laureate of the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.
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 organizations including Austin Film Society, BAFICI, Berlinale, Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), CONNeXT, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFPanama, IN-EDIT Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Ventana Sur.
Dr Bruce Paddington Bruce Paddington (PhD) is a filmmaker, lecturer, academic and film festival curator. He was a senior lecturer in film at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and the co-founder of the Bachelor of Arts Film Programme. He is the founder of Banyan Productions, the New World Film Centre and the trinidad+tobago film festival and was the festival director from 2006–19. He is a consultant and programmer for ttff/20.
BC Pires BC Pires was called to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago in 1984 and enrolled as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1989 but, since January 1988, has done nothing but write for a living. His satirical column, “Thank God It’s Friday”, published more or less every Friday of the last 32 years, began at the Express and, after a few years at the Guardian, has appeared in Newsday since 2017. He has tried to write sensibly about film from an informed lay perspective since 1988. He sat on the first jury of the trinidad+tobago film festival and wrote the Judges’ Report. He has also written about West Indies cricket for publications all over the world, notably, the UK Guardian and Observer newspapers. He has lived in Port of Spain, London, Georgetown and, since 2008, Barbados. He is married to Carla Castagne. Their adult children live in London, where they first went to school, but the remaining family of six dogs, a parrot and a frequently outraged but always loving cat remain firmly settled in the Bajan countryside.
we’re hiring an industry programme coordinator!
FILMCO is hiring an industry programme coordinator on a three-month contract to plan and implement the ttff/22 industry programme. This contract will run from 04 July to 30 September, 2022. Please send us a cover letter and your resumé to info@filmco.org. The application deadline is 24 June.
Employment Position type: Part time position, minimum of 24 hrs/ 3 days a week to maximum of 40 hrs/ 5 days a week (during the month of September 2022) Duration: 3 MONTHS Daily rate: $335 per day
Industry Programme Coordinator DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
As the Industry Programme Coordinator, you will further develop, plan and implement FILMCO’s Industry Programme during the trinidad+tobago film festival (September 2022).
GENERAL
Perform basic accounting for your projects, including running costs, budget requests, income and expenditure reports
Ensure timely communication – internal/ external – for the organisation (telephone, email) on a daily basis (team, service providers, participants etc)
Ensure implementation of the organisation’s policies and practices
INDUSTRY
Further develop, plan and implement FILMCO’s Industry Programme and associated activities during the trinidad+tobago film festival, including (but not limited to) Masterclasses, Weeknight Workshops, info sessions, ttff industry panels and presentations. This includes:
Course development
Hiring and communicating with course facilitators
Ensuring course facilitator preparedness and relevance of course outline and materials
Quality control
Copywriting specific to the ttff/22 Industry Programme
Maintain budget and track expenditure/ transactions
Ensure technology is used correctly for all operations (video conferencing, presentations etc.)
Collect attendance data, tracking statistics, and prepare reports
Liaise with social media manager to promote industry programme across the platforms, including website/ social media
Generate industry programme-related content for electronic mailers/ web posts and social media promotions
Coordinate/ undertake then set-up and break down of all industry events
Liaise with Volunteer coordinator to manage volunteers (schedule/ attendance/ quality control) at all industry events during ttff/22
The selected candidate must have skills in project management, time management and administration; strong writing skills are important as candidate will need to be the conduit for communicating all workshops, logistics, facilitator info etc by creating web posts, electronic mailers etc. Also, the selected candidate should work well in a team and be able to work independently and under pressure; must have good people skills, be personable, friendly and helpful. Fluency in either French or Spanish would be beneficial but not essential.
announcing the ttff/22 call for submissions!
We’re delighted to announce the call for submissions for the 17th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival, ttff/22! The ttff seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of fiction and documentary films and experimental works made in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and its diaspora. The Festival therefore accepts submissions from Caribbean filmmakers in the region and in the diaspora; and international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora. Submissions must have been completed after 01 January 2020. For full submission guidelines and categories, please visit our portal on Film Freeway.
ttff/22 will include new shorts, and features, narrative films, documentaries and experimental films, which explore the Caribbean experience. Filmmakers – whether student, emerging or established – with films that fit our criteria are welcome to apply! Our 2022 festival will be a hybrid, with a combination of online and in-person events and screenings – all in keeping with the guidelines of the Trinidad & Tobago Government.
Our training and professional development programmes will continue to be a core offering of ttff in 2022, and will include, Masterclasses (intensive workshops led by international industry professionals), filmmaker panels, introductory industry workshops and presentations, and youth-focused mentorship and training.
We’re delighted to announce the selected filmmakers for the EFM Doc and Fiction Toolbox programmes: Vonley Smith (Barbados) with his film ‘Voice of the Ocean’ and Teneille Newallo (Trinidad and Tobago) with her film, ‘La Diablesse’. Both filmmakers will participate online in a series of development and mentorship sessions in preparation for the 2022 European Film Market. At FILMCO we hope that their participation in the market will bolster and help advance their film projects as well as grow their capacity towards operating within the international industry.
With close links to the Berlinale, the European Film Marketis one of the top three meeting places of the international film and media industries. Over a period of eight days, around 10,000 representatives of the international film and media industries – primarily producers, buyers and sales agents, distributors and financiers – come together to network, exchange, inform themselves and do business.
FILMCO convened a small committee of Board members to review the applications and select the projects based a series of criteria. Marks were added to a score sheet, with the projects (which met the criteria) with the highest scores selected for participaton.
About La Diablesse narrative feature in development An American woman, Crystal awakes with no memory and finds herself trapped in a deserted colonial estate – an old slave plantation – in Trinidad. She bumps into others, suffering the same fate as her and as she searches for a way out, finds herself hounded by flashes of tormenting memories of these strangers, and terrifying coincidences that prevent her escape. It eventually becomes apparent that an insidious witch is feeding on their fears and that the only way out is for each of them to face the terrifying truth and confront their twisted past.
About Voice of the Ocean documentary feature in development Voice of The Ocean is a multi-faceted cinematic documentary centered around the inseparable connection between the ocean and our consciousness. Vonley Smith and experienced storytellers come together to have conversations on their thoughts about the ocean, and its impact on them living on an island heavily affected by climate change. Voice of The Ocean documentary film will be told through the personal story of Vonley Smith, a storyteller who embarks on an inner and outer journey to rediscover his voice as a filmmaker by diving into his intrinsic connection to water.
call for EFM fiction toolbox applications
The trinidad+tobago film festival, with the support of FILMCO and in partnership with EFM (European Film Market), is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2022 EFM Fiction Toolbox Programme. Entry-to-mid level fiction film producers or producing filmmakers – from Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados and St Kitts & Nevis – with a feature-length fiction film (60 mins or longer) in development and based on Caribbean issues or themes are invited to apply here. FILMCO will support the online participation of one project.
Under the guidance of a consultant and a coordinator, the Fiction Toolbox Programme is intended to endow fiction creatives with market intelligence, connections and a kit of transferable business know-how.
With close links to the Berlinale, the European Film Marketis one of the top three meeting places of the international film and media industries. Over a period of eight days, around 10,000 representatives of the international film and media industries – primarily producers, buyers and sales agents, distributors and financiers – come together to network, exchange, inform themselves and do business.
The Fiction Toolbox Programme includes:
In the preparatory phase: online meeting between co-consultants and participants with feedback on projects and strategic planning for networking at the EFM, as well as organisational and logistical advice on the EFM from the coordinators.
Two weeks before the EFM : an immersive programme of focused workshops with experienced tutors on the following topics: Development strategy: packaging your project, A to Z of Pitches, Funding initiatives for underrepresented film creatives, Sales & Distribution, Working with streamers, Marketing & PR, Impact Producing
During the EFM (10.02.-17.02.2022): participation in matchmaking, networking and community building events.
Application prerequisites:
Applicants should possess at least one feature-length fiction project that is either in development (preferably with some financing and/ or funding already secured) as well as marketing materials such as a mood reel, teaser or trailer/ promo.
The application deadline is 5pm AST, December 13, 2021. **Applications received after this time will not be considered.
EFM doc toolbox call for applications!
The trinidad+tobago film festival, with the support of FILMCO and in partnership with EFM (European Film Market), is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2022 EFM Doc Toolbox Programme. Entry-to-mid level documentary film producers or producing filmmakers – from Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados and St Kitts & Nevis – with a feature-length documentary film (60 mins or longer) in development and based on Caribbean issues or themes are invited to apply here. FILMCO will support the online participation of one project.
Under the guidance of a consultant and a coordinator, the Doc Toolbox Programme is intended to endow documentary creatives with market intelligence, connections and a kit of transferable business know-how.
With close links to the Berlinale, the European Film Marketis one of the top three meeting places of the international film and media industries. Over a period of eight days, around 10,000 representatives of the international film and media industries – primarily producers, buyers and sales agents, distributors and financiers – come together to network, exchange, inform themselves and do business.
The Doc Toolbox Programme includes:
In the preparatory phase: online meeting between co-consultants and participants with feedback on projects and strategic planning for networking at the EFM, as well as organisational and logistical advice on the EFM from the coordinators.
Two weeks before the EFM (21.01. – 07.02.2022): an immersive 13-day programme of focused workshops with experienced tutors on the following topics: Pitching tools, Funding and incubators, Grant writing, Impact marketing, Sales and distribution, Press/PR.
During the EFM (10.02.-17.02.2022): participation in matchmaking, networking and community building events.
Application prerequisites:
Applicants should possess at least one feature-length doc project that is either in development (preferably with some financing and/ or funding already secured) as well as marketing materials such as a mood reel, teaser or trailer/ promo. The application deadline is 5pm AST, December 09, 2021.
infosession: introducing locarno film festival’s ‘open doors’ programme
We’re delighted to be facilitating an InfoSession with the renowned Locarno Film Festival on their upcoming ‘Open Doors’ programme, a development initiative that shines a light on emerging filmmaking countries and contributes to their sustainable growth. For the next cycle of the ‘Open Doors’ programme, the focus will be on Latin America and the Caribbean. With 22 countries ready to be part of the section, Locarno’s Sophie Bourdon notes: “20 years after the launch of Open Doors and its first focus on Cuba, we are excited to explore today’s vibrant cinematographic scene of such a diverse region.”
Please note, this is a closed Zoom session, so pre-registration is required.
The 2022-2024 cycle will focus on the LAC region, championing film projects, talents and producers from Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), the Caribbean Islands (Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) and South America (Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela).
365 days
Alongside Open Doors coproduction Hub, producers Lab and screenings taking place during the Locarno Film Festival in August, the initiative offers a year-long online program, with its Hotline and Consultancy services, as well as its knowledge-sharing and networking web platform ToolBox.
One global community
Thanks to its two successive cycles in Asia, Open Doors has developed a strongly collaborative and like-minded community of more than 1’000 talents that is now curious to connect with their peers from the LAC region. “Despite different local specificities, filmmakers from all over the world have much more in common than what they think. With the support of digital tools such as the ToolBox, they can now easily connect with each other, share experiences, and explore collaboration opportunities beyond their borders. With our community going global, we think Open Doors can bring hope to professionals for a better future despite the very challenging times they are all going through”.
One Vision
The new Open Doors focus allows Locarno Pro to join forces and to fully embrace Latin America and the Caribbean. By exchanging views, discoveries and programs that will enhance international visibility and strengthen collaborations at the heart of the Locarno Film Festival, doors will be also open to more structured film industries such as Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Chile.
A unique initiative
Organized from the outset jointly with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Open Doors sidebar section is designed to assist and spotlight directors and their films from independent cinemas in the Global South and East. Open Doors also contributes to the diversity of the international filmmaking scene, offering space and visibility to diversified perspectives and debates. Open Doors is organized by Locarno Pro as part of the Locarno Film Festival and enjoys support from and collaborations with numerous European and international organizations.
about Locarno Film Festival
Throughout its 73-year history, the Locarno Film Festival has occupied a unique position in the landscape of the major film festivals. Every August, for eleven days the Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, becomes the world capital of auteur cinema. Thousands of film fans and industry professionals meet here every summer to share their thirst for new discoveries and a passion for cinema in all its diversity. In Locarno they find a quality program, rich, eclectic, surprising, and where emerging talent rubs shoulders with prestigious guests.
misogyny and the male gaze
Thurs 23 Sept, 1.00–2.30 p.m. (est) location: Facebook Live, YouTube Live,ttfilmfestival.com tickets: free moderator: BC Pires panellists: Nicola Cross, Ryan Lee, Sue Ann Barratt
For almost all of its history, men have dominated the film and TV industry. The representation of women on screen and behind the scenes is a direct corollary of that domination. But the global MeToo movement has brought these inequalities into sharp focus. This notwithstanding, the famed Bechdel test is still consistently failed, as women are presented through the lens of the male gaze. In this 90-minute session, panellists will take an in-depth look into the problematics of the ubiquitous male gaze in contemporary and Caribbean cinema; they’ll discuss how this shapes societal perception and the possible routes to transformation.
cultural appropriation and the Caribbean space
cultural appropriation and the Caribbean space Sun 26 Sept, 10.00–11.30 a.m. (est) location: Facebook Live, YouTube Live, ttfilmfestival.com tickets: free moderator: Franka Philip panellists: Alpha Obika, Abeo Jackson
Because of our multicultural history, the Caribbean has evolved to become a region overflowing with diversity and creativity. While there are similarities between the nations, each country has its own uniquely expressed culture and entanglement of traditions and practices brought by different settlers, whether free, enslaved or indentured. We can be protective of the artistic forms and practices that we’ve developed over the years because they tell a story of our roots, evolution and possible future. But, given that we are a region built on “appropriation”, whether forced or organic, can we argue against cultural appropriation? In this 90-minute conversation, journalist Franka Philip will delve into the effects of cultural appropriation across the Caribbean while giving her own insight into the topic.
