Audiences in Tobago will have the rare opportunity to see a youthful Calypso Rose and Mighty Shadow as actors in the movie Bacchanal Time, on Wednesday 30 January at MovieTowne, Tobago. The free film screening is part of the trinidad+tobago film festival’s (ttff) Carnival Film Series, which starts on 23 Jan and continues to 05 February throughout T&T.

Bacchanal Time is a wildly hilarious comedy set at Carnival time in Trinidad and crammed with the music of the season. The story is centered around an island-wide stickfight competition on Carnival Sunday, and bubbles with Carnival weekend excitement, culminating with the first bands on J’ouvert morning.

Produced in 1977, this classic Carnival film stars Gregory Ballantine (the calypsonian GB) and Kamalo Deen (who directed the film) as stickfighters, and features appearances by Rose, Crazy, Count Robin, Trinidad Rio, Mighty Wanderer, Stork St. Hill and a host of others.

This is the second time that the ttff will be showing a free film at Movie Towne, Tobago. Last August film fans crammed the cinema for the classic Hollywood film Fire Down Below, which was shot partly in the island. The upcoming screening of Bacchanal Time also follows a three-year history of free community screenings by the ttff throughout Tobago.

The Carnival Film Series features Carnival-themed narrative and documentary films, both short and feature-length. The series is sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company. Admission to all the screenings is free.

Image: Mighty Shadow in Bacchanal Time

Our third annual Carnival Film Series, sponsored by the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, kicks off on 23 January. The series showcases Carnival-themed documentary and dramatic films, and takes place at venues across the country. Admission is free.

Wednesday 23 January, 7pm
Medulla Art Gallery, 37 Fitt Street, Woodbrook
Tribute to Peter Minshall
Masman: The Complete Work/TT/89 mins
Rat Race/TT/20 mins
Director: Dalton Narine

Friday 25 January, 7pm
Amphitheatre, National Library, Port-of-Spain*
Vintage Calypso, Pan and Mas on Screen: A Presentation by Ray Funk
TT/90 mins

Sunday 27 January, 7pm
Holy Faith Convent, Couva *
Mystic Fighters/TT, France, UK/52 mins
Director: Sophie Meyer
Jeffrey’s Calypso/TT, USA/25 mins
Director: Vashti Anderson
Centre-staging the Jamette: An Interview with Machel Montano/TT/30 mins

Wednesday 30 January, 7pm
MovieTowne, Tobago*
Bacchanal Time/TT/110 mins
Director: Kamalo Deen

Tuesday 5 February, 7pm
Trevor’s Edge, St. John’s Rd, St. Augustine*
Jab/TT/47 mins
Director: Alex de Verteuil
Series of short films on traditional mas characters and the fire dance
TT/50mins
Director: Yao Ramesar

*Refreshments will be sold at these locations

Image: Mystic Fighters

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) will launch its programme of events for this year with its third annual Carnival Film Series. Sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company (TTFC) as part of the T&T Film Nights community film screenings initiative, the series showcases Carnival-themed films, and takes place from 23 January to 5 February at venues across the country. Admission is free and all screenings start at 7pm.

The programme gets underway on Wednesday 23 January at Medulla Art Gallery, 37 Fitt Street in Woodbrook, where there will be a tribute to celebrated Carnival bandleader, Peter Minshall. The tribute will take the form of screenings of two films about Minshall and his work: Rat Race and Masman: The Complete Work, both directed by Dalton Narine.

Then on Friday 25 January, Carnival researcher Ray Funk will make a presentation at the amphitheatre of the National Library, Port-of-Spain. This 90-minute event will include the screening of vintage, never-before-seen video footage of Mighty Sparrow, Lord Christo, Desperadoes, Cavaliers and others.

Sunday 27 January will see the pgrogramme move into Couva, at Holy Faith Convent. Here three films will be screened: the stickfighting documentary Mystic Fighters, directed by Sophie Meyer; Jeffrey’s Calypso, a short dramatic film written and directed by Vashti Anderson; and Centre-staging the Jamette, an interview with Machel Montano conducted by Sr Theresa Vialva.

Tobago will then get its share of the action, with a screening of Kamalo Deen’s classic comedy Bacchanal Time, featuring appearances by Mighty Shadow, Crazy, Calypso Rose and others. This takes place on Wednesday 30 January, at MovieTowne in Lowlands.

The programme comes to an end on Tuesday 5 February at Trevor’s Edge, St. John’s Rd, St. Augustine. Here there will be a screening of Jab: The Blue Devils of Paramin, directed by Alex de Verteuil, and a series of short films by Yao Ramesar, on traditional mas characters and the fire dance.

Image: Peter Minshall

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) and the National Library and Information Systems Authority (Nalis), in association with the Trinidad & Tobago Entertainment Company and North Eleven, are pleased to present the first ever Carnival Film Series (CFS).

Taking place at the National Library, Port of Spain on 27 (6pm to 10pm) and 28 February (7pm to 10pm), and at the Point Fortin Public Library on 3 March (7pm to 10pm), the CFS will be an entertaining three nights of Carnival-themed movies, live music performances and appearances by traditional Carnival characters.

One of the films being shown is the classic Bacchanal Time (1977), written and directed by Kamalo Deen. A comedy that follows the exploits of a couple of top stick-fighters, the film features acting performances by a number of calypsonians including Crazy and Gregory Ballantine, and a soundtrack featuring original songs by Calypso Rose, the Mighty Shadow and others.

Other films include the documentary Soca Power (2007), which follows the fortunes of four soca stars through a Carnival season, and the short Too Young to Soca (1986), a fascinating portrait of a youthful Machel Montano.

In addition to the films, there will be live performances at the National Library by Black Prince, Sheldon Nugget, North West Laventille Cultural Movement, Kimba Sorzano and various traditional Carnival characters. The MC is Black Sage.

Admission to the CFS is $40 at the National Library, and free in Point Fortin. There will be food and drinks on sale, plus door prizes to be won. Limited seating is provided, so you may wish to bring a cushion.

The ttff, which is in its sixth year, is presented by Flow. The Festival receives leading sponsorship from RBC/RBTT, and supporting sponsorship from the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, the Tourism Development Corporation, the Tobago House of Assembly and the National Gas Company.

For more information, including each night’s entire schedule, visit www.ttfilmfestival.com or www.nalis.gov.tt, or call 621.0709 or 623.6962.