The media launch

The media kit and programme schedule for the trinidad+tobago film festival/09

Yesterday was a busy day for us at the trinidad+tobago film festival. Last evening, the unveiling of the official Festival image, Eddie Bowen’s Cobo, took place at the National Museum; this was preceded in the morning by the media launch, which was also held at the Museum.

Speaking to the gathered members of the media at the launch were Bruce Paddington, the founder and director of the TTFF; Kisha Wilson, corporate communications officer of Flow, the Festival’s presenting sponsor; Carla Foderingham, the CEO of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, one of the supporting sponsors; Wynda Chandler, community relations officer of the National Gas Company, also a supporting sponsor; and Eddie Bowen, the official Festival artist. Marina Salandy-Brown, executive director of the TTFF, was master of ceremonies.

Kicking things off was Bruce, who gave a potted history of the TTFF. He remarked that this year, submissions were up an astounding 500% over last year, and that this year’s Festival will be the biggest yet, with over seventy films, more than half of which are local films.

Kisha Wilson spoke on behalf of the cable television company Flow, the presenting sponsor of the Festival. She talked about the pay-per-view system, introduced last year, whereby films screened at the Festival will be made available after the Festival to Flow customers to watch at home, with 100% of the proceeds going to the filmmakers.

Carla Foderingham then spoke of the involvement of the T&T; Film Company with the Festival, including its sponsorship of the TT$30,000 award for best locally-made film, while Wynda Chandler spoke of the National Gas Company’s sponsorship of the US$10,000 jury prize for best film.

Rounding things out, Eddie Bowen gave a tantalising preview of his talk on the rationale behind Cobo, this year’s Festival image. He mentioned being inspired both by last year’s Festival image, Peter Doig’s Lapeyrouse Wall, and by an actual cobo he encountered at Toco, on Trinidad’s north coast. He also noted with satisfaction the carte blanche brief he was given by the Festival for coming up with the image, which seems guaranteed to get people talking.

Wynda Chandler of the National Gas Company addresses the media

Wynda Chandler, Eddie Bowen, Marina Salandy-Brown, Kisha Wilson, Bruce Paddington, and Carla Foderingham

Filmmaker Thomas Jemmerson (director of the short film Queen of the Brands, which screens on the opening night of the Festival), Emilie Upczak, Creative Director of the TTFF, and Bruce Paddington take a look at the Festival trailer

Last year’s Festival artist, Peter Doig of StudioFilmClub, and writer and Festival jury member BC Pires chat in front of a print of Doig’s Lapeyrouse Wall