Brought to the Caribbean by the French settlers, Carnival uniquely forms part of our identity. Carnival, an annual event in Trinidad and Tobago versus Carnival held in Guadeloupe that is how I would sum up the documentary titled Mas.

The adage states that, ‘you cannot play mas and fraid powder!’ Director Jessy Schuster confidently brought to life this idea of being a participant of Caribbean Carnival celebrations. The documentary Mas expressed much of what I have been previously exposed to since a young child playing in sailor costumes back in primary school. The expression of a rainbow of colours, music, dance, happiness and laughter symbolises the feelings of masquerades on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. In Trinidad and Tobago Carnival commences soon after Christmas with fetes or Soca parties every weekend till Fantastic Friday, this is where people are permitted five days to parade through the streets of Port of Spain. However, once the clock strikes 12 midnight on Tuesday it signals the beginning of lent therefore all celebrations must end and a length of 40 days reflection begins. During this observation by the Roman Catholic society, time is allocated towards prays and fasting till Easter.

Guadeloupe’s Carnival celebrations did not appear to be an immense difference according to spokeswoman Nottingham in Mas, whom visited the country to experience this festival of colour. In the film she mentioned a lot of details which depicted the meaning behind Carnival and why it has evolved from a privately secluded French party to crowds of people in costumes parading the local streets. Pre-Emancipation period did not allow the African slaves to participate in any type of celebrations because their slave masters were afraid that they would become rebellious and destroy the plantations along with their owners. As such, the Africans were helplessly forced to stare in awe through the delicately designed windows of their slave owners for a peek of the elite French Carnival. This picture brought about a massive change and on August 1^st 1834 when all slaves were freed and slavery was abolished, Carnival was transformed with the help of Calypso, Soca, Rapso and reggae music. The Africans incorporated their instruments such as drums, sticks and bamboos into their music and dance.

Today, Carnival is portrayed as the biggest show on earth with an influx of foreigners who visit these two Caribbean islands each year and help generate revenue to the local entrepreneurs. If you have a desire to play mas, but anxious of being in an open space with strange people adorned in beautiful creative artistic designs, then the documentary Mas is for you. We may not have been considered equal although everyone was free after slavery, but Carnival has the ability to display equality, fun and enjoyment.

Una Noche De Calypso is a festive, musical documentary that gives an analysis of the Panamanian calypso group, Amistad. It brings into perspective cultural, religious, political, and historical views surrounding calypso in Panama, from its origin to its present. The journey and history of the group is intricately highlighted, with themes of friendship, discrimination and Imperialism being explored.

As the group puts on an exhilarating performance at their concert, Director Fernando Munoz aims to raise awareness and showcase the art form with a host of interviews, rehearsals and enlightening words from band members, artistes and scholars alike.

The 83 minute documentary shows group members Leslie George, Monchi, Ringing Bell, Palmer, Victor and Edward as they relive youthful moments of when they became involved in the craft. They show off their unique skills of writing, singing and playing instruments whilst comically teasing about rehearsals. They also discuss the ups and downs of being a part of the group for decades as well as being able to work with idols who paved the way for them. Calypso as a genre of music has changed dramatically over the last few decades. At its best, calypso is deeply poetic and is punctuated with witty lyrics and an upbeat tempo; however, in the last two decades or so it has often been seen as a dying art form with mainly traditionalists fighting hard to keep it alive. This is true of these passionate artistic men.

Scenic visuals are momentarily displayed to give a clear picture of what it was like living in the age that brought about the birth of Calypso music. From the building of the Panama Canal to the migration of West Indians to the country, it is thoughtfully and sensitively portrayed. The dynamic genre of music is explained in such a way that even non-calypso lovers would be intrigued. The West Indian influence serves as a great combination that one could only describe as a melting pot. To top it off the energy and joy coming from the audience at the concert, in the film, was just heart-warming. It is quite difficult to not feel a sense of pride as a Caribbean audience.

The aroma of rhythmic, exciting and informative language engulfed with singing and dancing leaves you mesmerised and excited to learn more about calypso. It is definitely an eye opener as well as hip jerker and if you’re interested in music or anything remotely cultural it’s a must see.

 

 

 

The documentary Sun, Sea and Science: Trinidad after Oil is arguably the most important film being shown at the ttff this year. Although quite technical in parts, director Raymond Ramcharitar has done an admirable job making a clear, easily accessible film. Running at 40 mins Sun, Sea and Science: Trinidad after Oil is an incredibly well researched documentary that would make compelling viewing for anyone involved in Trinidad’s energy sector and necessary viewing for everyone from our Twin island Republic.

Ramcharitar provides a fascinating insight into Trinidad’s dependency on petroleum and natural gas with possible solutions to this issue. With the spectre of Petrotrin’s recent closure looming the showing was packed to near capacity. Given the stressful circumstances of the energy sector in the last few years, this film was even more relevant to the current national zeitgeist of Trinidad’s relationship with oil.

Diversification is brought up many times throughout the film. How does Trinidad “diversify” its economy? Can we? According to Ramcharitar the two stumbling blocks to diversification lie in the form of money and our own culture. To combat the “money” problem Sun, Sea and Science proposes that the answer lies in entrepreneur Anthony Sabga. Through the Sabga funded Caribbean Awards for Excellence, the businessman could almost be likened to (as strange as it would sound) a Bruce Wayne type figure from Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Bruce Wayne invests in Gotham. Sabga allocates some of his resources into Trinidad’s private sector. As the saying goes- not all heroes wear capes.

We are introduced to three scientists and past winners of the Caribbean Awards for Excellence; microbiologist Dr Adesh Ramsubhag, computer scientist Prof Patrick Hosein, and medical researcher Prof Paul Teelucksingh. All of them are Trinidadians. And all of them lament the lack of financial resources devoted by the Government into their respective scientific fields. One thing is made quite clear in the film though – each of their respective disciplines are clear options the Government can invest in if it wants to break the shackles of oil dependency.

Ramcharitar then tackles the issue of culture. The film argues that Carnival takes precedence over other potentially profitable sectors of the economy. By highlighting academic research conducted into the yearly losses generated from the Government’s investment into Carnival over the past decades, Ramcharitar has a point. Why not invest a fraction of the allocation that goes into Carnival in local scientific endeavours instead? This, argues Ramcharitar, would be money better spent compared to a Carnival industry that is losing money and asking for more?

“Diversification is such an annoying word! How do you diversify? Where do you diversify?” Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says in a stock clip in the film. At the Q&A session following the screening Ramcharitar stated members of the Government were given copies of the film. It would be interesting to hear Dr. Rowley’s take on it.

Go see Sun, Sea and Science: Trinidad after Oil and decide for yourself if the solution it presents makes sense or not.

 

Cocote is not a movie to be watched but experienced. The director Nelson Carlo De Santos Arias is bold, and uses powerful sounds to add drama to seemingly uninteresting moments. He uses the stunning, natural scenery of the Dominican Republic as a backdrop for his film. At times he switches from excessively bright lighting to black and white almost seamlessly creating artistically intriguing scenes; the sliding of colour and lighting also makes the film a bit hard to follow, becoming more of a distraction the further into the film we get.

Alberto (Vicente Santos) is literally a bible toting, Evangelical Christian gardener working for a wealthy family in the county’s capital of Santa Domingo when he receives news of his father’s death. He must now journey to his childhood home in rural Pueblo. There he discovers the gruesome facts of his father’s death. He learns his father was murdered by a self proclaimed “community leader” and lieutenant, Martinez (Ricardo Ariel Toribio). There he further learns that his family expects him to avenge his father’s honour by seeking revenge for his death because only then will the soul of his father rest in peace. This goes against his own religious and personal beliefs. Alberto must now force himself to partake in the morning rites of his village the Rezos; a heavily catholic ritual with pagan and voodoo influences.

The director truly captures the raw grief and frustration that happens when a loved one is taken violently. The scenes of the Rezos itself are striking and uncomfortable. The roaring, rhythmic beating of the drums and openly uncontrolled morning and praying will either captivate you or alienate you.

Alberto himself seems uneasy with the rituals and vengeance. Instead, he attempts to get justice through the law; only to be stopped on learning that Martinez is a police officer and no charges will be brought against him. In the mean time his sisters Patricia (Yuberbi de la Rosa) and Karina (Judith Rodriguez Perez) go looking for trouble which leads to not only his life being threatened, but also the lives of his family. You see him throughout the film trying to stay true to himself and his faith, but finding a middle ground is hard when the growing frustration of his family causes them to pressure him to seek revenge. The scenes where he and his sister argue are intense and saturated with profanity which is a stark contrast to the natural settings they are shot in which are beautiful and calm.

Essentially, this film is so much more than a drama; it is a documentary highlighting the different religious beliefs that exist in the Dominican Republic. It is a film about class and corruption and at times these themes dominate the movie, leaving little room for growth, development and elucidating the back stories of the supporting characters. As spectators, we cannot help but crave more from this film. We see the potential, the superb acting of its cast, leaves us wanting more complexity from its two dimensional characters. We want to be told the story of Alberto, but his story falls short if we do not include the stories of Patricia, Karina or even Martinez.

Despite its flaws Cocote is a remarkable achievement for the first time Director Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Aria. He pushes the envelope unapologetically. He has taken a film and elevated it to a work of art. It is only fitting therefore that this movie should not be consumed like any other film. Be open-minded, and allow yourself to experience it.

Directed by Kelley “Kali” Chatman Lalo’s House is a masterfully created short film. However before continuing I must say the film is in French, so if subtitles are not your cup of tea and you don’t speak French, this may be a bit difficult for you- but there is still much value in giving the film a chance. Also, the subtitles were spot on, and easy to read.

The film begins up with preteen sisters Manouchka and Pharra listening to folk tales instead of heading directly home after school. The film initially appears to be a coming of age story chronicling the sisterhood of two Haitian girls. But by the end of the first act the film takes an unexpectedly dark turn. Given that I headed into this film having read no reviews or synopses of the film this turn of events caught me totally off guard. In retrospect though I realise there were clever and subtle metaphors and hints blatantly littered throughout the first act foreshadowing the real direction and end of the film.

From the opening scene you immediately begin to be drawn in and invested in the characters through the use of an enthralling score coupled with fantastic visual story telling elements. Elements which lend to the ultimate gut punch that is the twist of the film. The film is made even more gripping by the director’s apt use of appealing and appropriate colour schemes and cinematography to heighten emotional moments throughout the film.

You are then further absorbed into the world of these two sisters by phenomenal acting especially by its two young protagonists and vicious antagonist. It’s a great achievement in my opinion when a director can present you with an antagonist, a character to dislike, a clearly detestable human being but yet still show you a different side to that character; some sliver of humanity about them that will make you empathetic to their situation.

As difficult to digest and as dark as the second and third acts of this film were it did hammer home an issue which needs to be addressed. A worldwide peril we as a society and human beings need to face and find a resolution for. This film is a true success as sad as that may be. I applaud the director for bringing exposure to this and I recommend spending the 26 minutes to view it and even a further 26 minutes to view it a second time, because it is that good.

We are in the year 2018 and the world has evolved tremendously. Nevertheless, discrimination of the most basic nature still exists.

The 20 minute documentary, Black Hair, puts reality in our face as Gabriella Bernard, an upcoming international model based in Trinidad, shares her battle with having natural hair. “I live in a world where I am told my black beauty isn’t enough,” Gabriella expressed. She is a young, hardworking model who is willing to do anything to make it in the modelling industry. But she did not expect the industry to want her to tame her identity and to denature her beauty.

Gabriella was a contestant on ‘Caribbean’s Next Top Model’. At this competition she was asked to relax her hair or be eliminated. Gabriella was heart-broken to choose between her hair and her career. At the end, her natural Black Hair was no more. Self-hate overpowered her, she felt ugly and uncomfortable with her relaxed hair.

Thankfully, she went back on the path of re-growing natural black Hair. She placed third in the competition but bigger and better opportunities came her way because of her black hair. She advocated in the film that we live in a world where black beauty traits are “trending on everyone except black people”, but she is proving them wrong as her career is taking off.

This film takes us on an interesting journey where hate becomes love and love becomes hate with an overarching message of eventually finding yourself. As a child Gabriella had thick natural hair that had to be combed daily for school. She hated her hair because it brought her a great deal of pain while combing it. This led to her relaxing her hair which made her felt like a ‘Barbie Doll’. Later on she realizes that relaxed hair was a greater struggle. Gabriella liked her relaxed hair and was complimented by others, but it took a lot of maintenance, chemicals, and artificiality to make her hair relaxed. In her adolescence her curls would grow back prodigiously but she was still displeased by it, as she was trying to embrace the relaxed look.

Later on she began to question herself about the constant cycles and need to relax her hair. These thoughts and questions stuck with her through university as she felt lost and didn’t have a personal brand as a model.

In a bold and possibly risky move, Gabriella cut her relaxed hair and embraced her natural Black Hair. The natural hair that once brought her pain now brought Gabriella something truly amazing; self-discovery, self-love, and self-empowerment. Gabriella was piecing together her self-identity and created her personal brand based on her beautiful Black Hair. But was she willing to risk her Black hair for her modeling career?

This film is a brave effort that adds its voice to a contentious debate taking place all over the world. It’s a cultural, ethnic, aesthetic and workplace debate, taking place in small and large ways in small and large spaces. This film certainly enters boldly into the national conversation on these matters, and gives many people without support a champion to rally around when they decide to wear their hair natural or wear it ‘Black’.

As part of its commitment to use film to develop transferable skills among young people, the trinidad+tobago film festival has teamed up with RBC Royal Bank for the RBC Future Critics Initiative to prepare journalism students for the rigour, best practices and industry standards of critical film analysis and festival reporting.

For the second consecutive year, ten students from the Ken Gordon School of Journalism at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts (COSTAATT) will be selected to attend special Festival events for professional journalists, as well as public screenings, in order to write critical reviews of films under the mentorship of film critic and journalist, BC Pires. The students will be expected to write daily reviews for the Festival’s website and post social media reports.

At the conclusion of the Festival, the best Future Critic will be selected on the basis of the quality of their writing and analysis, their ability to meet tight deadlines, and the number of reviews published. They will be awarded a cash prize of $TT5,000, by RBC Royal Bank, at the ttff’s award ceremony on 26 September.

According to Darryl White – Managing Director – RBC Royal Bank (Trinidad & Tobago) Ltd: “RBC has a long history of supporting initiatives that help young people realize their potential as leaders and contribute to the socio-economic and cultural fabric of society. We see the RBC Future Critics programme as an extension of this work, building capacity and a culture of excellence in young people.”

As part of its commitment to use film to develop transferable skills among young people, the trinidad+tobago film festival has teamed up with RBC Royal Bank for the RBC Future Critics Initiative to prepare journalism students for the rigour, best practices and industry standards of critical film analysis and festival reporting.

For the second consecutive year, ten students from the Ken Gordon School of Journalism at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts (COSTAATT) will be selected to attend special Festival events for professional journalists, as well as public screenings, in order to write critical reviews of films under the mentorship of film critic and journalist, BC Pires. The students will be expected to write daily reviews for the Festival’s website and post social media reports.

At the conclusion of the Festival, the best Future Critic will be selected on the basis of the quality of their writing and analysis, their ability to meet tight deadlines, and the number of reviews published. They will be awarded a cash prize of $TT5,000, by RBC Royal Bank, at the tt/ff’s award ceremony on September 26.