At the Zanzibar International Film Festival

From left: Bruce Paddington, Director of the trinidad+tobago film festival, Martin Mhando, Director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival, and Jennifer Sobol, Programme Officer (Culture), Commonwealth Foundation

Last year the Commonwealth Foundation sponsored a workshop on co-productions at the trinidad+tobago film festival. It was suggested then that the ttff should partner with a similar film festival, to have an exchange of films and filmmakers. The Zanzibar International Film Festival, on the island of Zanzibar in east Africa, was chosen. Bruce Paddington, our director, recently returned from ZIFF, and although the selected filmmaker (Lennie Little-White of Jamaica) was unable to accompany him, he reports that his trip was a great success. A number of the Caribbean films that were screened at the festival–including Glory to Gloriana (Jamaica) and Coolie Pink and Green (T&T;)–went over quite well.

Come September, films from this year’s ZIFF will be shown at our festival, and a number of guests from ZIFF will be here as well. As we look forward to that (and the rest of the festival), here are a few lovely photos from Bruce’s trip.

A view from up high of the historic Old Fort, in the heart of ancient Stone Town, where the nighttime screenings at ZIFF are held

Young girls enjoy a film screening

The programme at ZIFF includes nightly concerts at the Old Fort

A dhow, a traditional Arab sailing vessel, at sunset