It’s Judgment Day at ttff/18

Francesca Hawkins, Director of Judgement  Day writes about LGBQTIA film activism

Court Artist Sketch of Jason Jones
During a ttff narrative screenwriting workshop with Annemarie Morais sponsored by The Canadian High Commission, the opportunity arose for the production of 3 short scripts from our group. The films would be chosen without our names attached to the proposals, to ensure neutrality in the selection process.
I had been working on a story about a young man I had met, who was innocent but spent 2 years in prison awaiting trial. Around that same time, the ruling in the case of Jason Jones vs the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago was coming up, challenging the constitutionality of the Sexual Offences Act. It was a tough choice as both topics explored the question of human rights in Trinidad and Tobago, the mandated subject from the Canadian High Commission.
Although I really wanted to do narrative form rather than a documentary piece, the case highlighted one of the biggest human rights issues in the Caribbean and across the Commonwealth. Ultimately, such a huge moment in legal history demanded documentation.
Jason agreed to participate and our team decided we would film events outside the Hall of Justice even if we were not chosen by the judges. We had no idea what would develop at the courthouse or where the judgment would go.  On the night before the ruling, Jason and several LGBTQIA activists received a bomb threat via text message.  Tensions were very high as so much was at stake for people on different sides of the argument.
 Jason Jones
The film is about 12 minutes long and is a record of the day and the historic ruling in the case. At the court, both protestors and supporters of the laws were gathered. We wanted to tell the story of the day, capturing the moods and the people who were there. We chose mainly cinema verite style including original courtroom audio. The courtroom scenes are illustrations as cameras are obviously not allowed in court.
Our aim is to allow the audience to come to its own opinions about the society through the debates that took place between groups at the rotunda and outside the Hall of Justice. In many ways, the legal case triggered a confrontation between the past, present and future and voices on the day of the ruling tell the story of Judgment Day.
Images courtesy Francesca Hawkins

Announcing the Reel Human Rights Winners

Winners L to R: Francesca Hawkins, Andrei Pierre and Siobhan Millette

The trinidad+tobago film festival in partnership with the Canadian High Commission is pleased to announce the winners of the The Reel Human Rights on Film training programme.

Filmmakers Siobhan Millette, Andrei Pierre and Francesca Hawkins will receive $5,000CDN each. The three short completed films will be shown at ttff/18 in September.

In March 2017 , the trinidad+tobago film festival  partnered with the Canadian High Commission to present a script writing programme for 15  emerging filmmakers. The workshop was facilitated by Canadian film professional Annmarie Morais who continued to mentor the filmmakers throughout the year.

In March of this year, the same fifteen filmmakers attended  a two-day workshop on ‘From script to Production’. This was conducted  by Film Board of Canada producer Selwyn Jacob, and also included presentations from specialists in human rights issues in order to assist the writers develop an approach to their topic. These filmmakers were then tasked to  produce a script for a five minute short narrative or documentary film, on a human rights issue in Trinidad and Tobago, or the wider Caribbean.

In Photo: Her Excellency Carla Hogan Rufelds presents cheque to Dr. Bruce Paddington, Founder and Festival Director, ttff.

At the cheque presentation ceremony at the Canadian High Commission, Her Excellency Carla Hogan Rufelds, reiterated that Canada regards human rights as universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated . She emphasised that human rights cinema plays an important role in the struggle for justice and dignity, speaking out against censorship and repression. She remarked that “this extremely powerful medium can touch and inspire audiences, challenging individuals to expand their knowledge and perspectives. It can also stimulate healthy dialogue, and ultimately, change.”

An important part of the ttff’s annual programme is a strong lineup of films that focus on issues of gender inequality, children’s rights, issues impacting the LGBTQI community and other human rights and social and economic inequalities.

According to Annabelle Alcazar, programme director of the ttff: “This programme marries our interest in developing the skills of local filmmakers and writers, with advancing the conversations on human rights in Trinidad and Tobago. We were very excited about this project and we are pleased to see how the filmmakers rose to the challenge of using their artistic knowledge and skill to bring these important issues alive.”

The three successful filmmakers were jubilant about being able to realise their projects. According to Siobhan Millette: “I’m grateful that the Canadian High Commission has afforded me the opportunity to bring attention to one aspect of how these prejudices affect one of the many marginalized communities here in Trinidad and Tobago. Often late to the table, it is high time that ALL citizens are afforded equality and protection from discrimination, violence, unfair treatment and biases under the laws of our land”.

Andrei Pierre remarked on the advantages to his professional development: “This program has given me robust legs to stand on as a filmmaker. I’ve been able to not just hone my craft, but now have an opportunity to prove it. I’m a grateful for the privilege to hold a lens to underrepresented communities and under-addressed issues in our culture, and help tell their stories responsibly and with due empathy.”

Francesca Hawkins complimented the partnership and initiative:
“Our names were removed from the submissions to ensure transparency in the judging process. This collaboration between ttff and the CHC has been extremely supportive of film development while also raising awareness on a variety of Human Rights issues in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through an annual festival and year-round screenings. In addition, the ttff seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities. The ttff is given leading sponsorship by BP Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts; supporting sponsorship by The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago and Republic Bank Limited; and contributing sponsorship by FilmTT and The National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB).

15 Filmmakers Selected for ttff Workshop

Fifteen local filmmakers and writers have been selected to participate in a trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) screenwriting workshop, to be held in partnership with the Canadian High Commission.

The three-day intensive workshop will be facilitated by Canadian-Jamaican film professional, Annemarie Morais, from March 24-26. Under her guidance, participants will be supported in further developing their screenwriting skills, to international industry standards.

Canadian Embassy, ttff to support Filmmakers

THE trinidad+- tobago film festival (ttff) has joined forces with the Canadian High Commission to offer a three-day intensive, basic screenwriting workshop for emerging film-makers who have already written at least one short screen play (film script). The workshop will be held from March 24 to 26.

Under the guidance of Canadian-Jamaican film professional, Annmarie Morais, ten to 15 participants will be given the opportunity to develop the craft of screenwriting to international standards.

ttfilm festival and Canadian High Commission team up to support Filmmakers

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) has joined forces with the Canadian High Commission to offer a three-day intensive, basic screenwriting workshop for emerging filmmakers  who have already written at least one short screen play (film script). The workshop will be held from 24 – 26 March 2017.

Under the guidance of Canadian-Jamaican film professional, Annmarie Morais, ten – fifteen participants will be given the opportunity to develop the craft of screenwriting, to international standards.

According to Bruce Paddington, founder and festival director of the ttff: “The overall aim of the workshop is to provide support in an area that has been identified by local filmmakers, and to strengthen the capacity of Caribbean films to hold their own in an international market.”

ttfilm festival and Canadian High Commission Team Up to Support Emerging Filmakers

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) has joined forces with the Canadian High Commission to offer a three-day intensive, basic screenwriting workshop for emerging filmmakers who have already written at least one short screen play (film script). The workshop will be held from 24 – 26 March 2017.

Under the guidance of Canadian-Jamaican film professional, Annmarie Morais, ten – fifteen participants will be given the opportunity to develop the craft of screenwriting, to international standards.

According to Bruce Paddington, founder and festival director of the ttff: “The overall aim of the workshop is to provide support in an area that has been identified by local filmmakers, and to strengthen the capacity of Caribbean films to hold their own in an international market.”