ttff/20 industry programme

trinidad+tobago film festival is proud to announce the industry programme for this year’s edition! From the Caribbean to Latin America, Europe to North America, our masterclass and workshop facilitators, presenters and panelists are a diverse, international and award-winning group of filmmakers.

Online industry events and training will be offered as panels and presentations, which will be free and live-streamed via the ttff Facebook page; or workshops, which will be ticketed and take place via Zoom. For Zoom workshops, tickets must be paid for in full and in advance, and Zoom links will be sent in advance of workshop commencement. All workshop tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com (see event-specific ticket links below). They can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person at our office at 22 Jerningham Ave.

Please register for our industry events here, and one of the ttff team will be in touch to arrange payment and/ or send Zoom links as necessary.

Please email Catherine at admin@filmco.org for information on payment options and discount codes. FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in this year’s festival and students with valid photo IDs can receive a discount on all workshops.

*If you sign up for three or more ‘paid-for’  industry events at once, you will be entitled to a total discount of 30% off the ticket price.

ttff’s online industry events are made possible thanks to the support of Shell Trinidad and Tobago Ltd.


Masterclass

The Art of Creative Producing

with Lee Thomas

07–11 September, 2.30pm–4.00pm
Tickets: $1,000 TTD / $150 USD
Online via Zoom

In a world where all the gatekeepers seem to want to say “No,” it’s sometimes difficult to survive as a producer and get your projects out into the world. This intensive five-part masterclass on the art of creatively and sustainably producing your film will be facilitated by acclaimed UK film and television producer, Lee Thomas.

Click here for more information.

This workshop is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.


Workshops

Build Your Film’s Website with the Magic of WordPress

with Shaun Rambaran

10 September, 12.30pm–2.30pm and 3.30pm–5.30pm
Tickets: $240 TTD / $35 USD
Online via Zoom

Websites have become an essential tool in a film’s promotional kit, but they can often cost a fortune to produce. Join web developer Shaun Rambaran as he gives this essential wide-ranging lesson in preparing and running your own website using WordPress.

This workshop is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.

Cost-Effective Lighting for Film

with Robert Macfarlane

10–11 September, 9.30am–12.30pm
Tickets: $360 TTD / $56 USD
Online via Zoom

Lighting is fundamental to film: it creates mood and atmosphere, and adds to a sense of meaning. In this two-day online workshop led by narrative film director Robert Macfarlane, participants will learn how to cost-effectively achieve professional lighting systems for their projects.

Click here for more information.

This workshop is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.

Edit Your Trailer like a Pro!

with Ryan C. Khan

11 September, 9.30am–12.30pm and 2.30pm–5.30pm
Tickets: $360 TTD / $56 USD

In this all-day workshop, facilitator Ryan C. Khan will explore the key elements of a good trailer – what aspects of the story to leave in and leave out; graphics; the right music; and essential information to include in all trailers.

Click here for more information.

This workshop is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.

Breaking it Down:
The Role of the DP

with Gabrielle Blackwood

14 September, 10.00am–1.00pm
Tickets: $180 TTD / $28 USD
Online via Zoom

Understanding the role of the film’s director of photography, and the various departments the dp works with, is invaluable before beginning a project. This foundational three-hour workshop, led by Jamaican director and dp Gabrielle Blackwood, will discuss the role and process of the director of photography, both on and off set.

Click here for more information.

This workshop is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.


Presentations

Social Media Marketing for Filmmakers

with Neala Bhagwansingh

10 September, 12.00pm–1.30pm
Online via Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival

Love it or hate it, social media has become a valuable tool for independent filmmakers. In this ttff/20 presentation, practitioner Neala Bhagwansingh will share invaluable tools and tips for harnessing the power of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to drive interest and investment in you and your film projects.

This presentation is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.

Navigating Contracts and Clearances

with Dionne Mcnicol-Stephenson and Cindy F. Daniel

10 september, 9.30am–11.30am
Online via Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival

If the words ‘contract’ and ‘clearance’ keep you staring at the ceiling at night, you’re not alone. This enlightening two-hour session led by facilitators Dionne McNicol-Stephenson and Cindy F. Daniel will guide listeners through the main types of film contracts including the often-misunderstood collection of music clearances and rights.

This presentation is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.

Getting Ready for Distribution

with Patricia Martin

11 September, 9.30am–11.30am
Online via Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival

Sales agents, distributors and digital outlets expect more than just an HD master to release a film. ttff/20 is pleased to present this integral talk on distribution facilitated by Patricia Martin of Habanero Film Sales in Brazil, in which Martin will explain why filmmakers must start budgeting and preparing their team for distribution long before heading out to film.

This presentation is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.


ttff Talk with Orlando von Einsiedel

ttff talk with Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Orlando von Einsiedel
12 September, 10.30am–11.30am
Online via Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival

In this, our first ever ttff talk, we’ll be sitting down for a wide-ranging discussion with Academy Award-winning documentary director, Orlando von Einsiedel, on documentary filmmaking, curiosity and finding compelling stories in some of the world’s most dangerous places.

This presentation is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.


Every year, the ttff presents filmmakers’ panels, which provide an opportunity for local, regional and international filmmakers to come together to discuss the shared experience of making films within an independent industry context.

Filmmaker Panels

Narrative Filmmakers Panel

with Shola Amoo (‘The Last Tree’), Akkel ‘Lee’ Charles (‘Get Free’), Isabella Issa (‘Yellow Girl and Me’), Calyx Passailaigue (‘Zeen?’), and Héctor M. Valdez (‘Malpaso’)
9 September, 11.00am–12.30pm
Online via Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival

Documentary Filmmakers Panel

with Henrique Amud (‘Stunned, I Remain Alert’), Gabrielle Blackwood (‘Unbroken’), Sam Lockyer (‘501 Not Out’), Shari Petti (‘Jump!’), and Michèle Stephenson (‘Stateless’)
12 September, 1.00pm–2.30pm
Online via Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival

Meet ttff/20 Festival Artist, Mark King

Our festival artist for the 15th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival is the talented interdisciplinary artist, Mark King, whose work combines fashion, surface design, sculpture and installation to name just a few of the tools he uses. FILMCO’s education coordinator, Catherine Emmanuel, spoke with King about his work, his interests and thoughts on being our ttff/20 festival artist.

ttff You work in many varied mediums such as photography, fashion and surface design. What drew you to this diverse combination of tools?

MK My curiosity and general interests are what pushed me to explore these mediums. A strong desire to communicate abstract concepts in different ways guides this approach. It is also through collaboration that I am able to experiment with a wide range of creative tools in both my fine art and commercial life.

ttff How do you use these mediums to explore the subjects that interest you?

MK Each medium plays a role in the expression and transmission of a concept. The decision to use any medium, whether independently or in a grouping, depends on many factors. I’m concerned with how people engage with my work. Lately, I have been thinking of the objects I create as artifacts that go on to be activated/animated by the owner, wearer, or viewer.

ttff Your work is focused on examining the ‘underlying forces that guide our behaviour’. Can you tell us what your work has allowed you to observe and learn about this in the last few years?

MK A great example is a recent collaboration called, ​Look on me and be renewed ​(2018). Commissioned by Up Projects and the Science Gallery of London for their HOOKED exhibition, the project enabled me to further expand my practice in this direction. It was a collaboration with Dr John Marsden, Professor of Addiction Psychology at King’s College London and Changing 7, a group of people with lived experience of treatment and recovery from substance use. ​Look on me and be renewed​ invited viewers to reflect on the interplay between human beings, objects and environments, highlighting how visual prompts from our surroundings are connected to the behavioural patterns and rhythms that govern or determine our decisions and experiences.

Empathic Loops/Ode to the Widow’s Walk, 2018
Archival inkjet print 16 x 22.4 in (40.64 x 56.9 cm)
Edition of 5
Kimono made in collaboration with fashion designer, Bregje Cox. 

ttff As a Caribbean artist who’s lived in the region as well as abroad, how do you think this has shaped and influenced your work?

MK I feel that my international experience has made me curious about what rests beneath the surface and how it shapes our behavior on a cultural level. Living in the region and internationally has expanded my network of friends and collaborators. This has inspired me to create work that speaks to many disparate groups of people.

ttff  Do you think your early childhood moves played a role in your development as an artist?

MK Most definitely! I started drawing as a toddler living in Barbados. I took my first after school art classes while growing up in Nassau, Bahamas and continued taking after school classes through middle school and high school in Brussels, Belgium. It gave me the confidence to know that it was possible to be a different kind of artist.

ttff Who and what are your major influences?

MK Lately I’ve found the practices of artists Llanor Alleyne, Olafur Eliasson, Hella Jongerius, Nyugen Smith, the Third Horizon collective, and Rodell Warner to be a source of great inspiration.

ttff What are you presently working on?

MK I’m working with Dutch fashion designer, Bregje Cox on our Enclothed Cognition collaboration. That’s me in the ttff artwork (​Untitled,​ 2017) wearing our VIRTUAL suit. We are currently developing new textiles and have a collaboration with site-specific dance company, Tori Lawrence + Co. in the works. Other than that, I have my personal studio practice and am working as a Creative Director in Pop-Up Magazine’s Brand Studio.

Untitled, 2017

ttff  What are your thoughts on being ttff/20’s festival artist?

MK I’m honored to be named this year’s ttff festival artist. I’ve wanted to participate in the festival for many years now. I’m not a filmmaker (yet) and being invited to contribute as a festival artist always seemed like an ideal way to participate creatively. I’ve admired ttff from next door in Barbados for many years but have yet to attend. It’s always been a standout festival in my mind.

ttff How do you view ttff and its role within the region?

MK ttff is one of the most important film platforms in the region. That makes it significant to the global film industry. There aren’t many opportunities for Caribbean filmmakers to screen their films let alone network, attend workshops, update their skills through masterclasses. This is what makes ttff special and significant in the Caribbean arts/film community.

ttff What impact would you like your work to have?

MK I want it to catch your attention and encourage you to think of a once familiar subject in a totally new way. It is my hope that my works get one to spark delight and thought long after I am gone.

ttff Has the (COVID-19) pandemic affected your work in terms of the topics and issues you want to explore?

MK It has instilled a sense of urgency following the initial shock of it all. The focus of my artwork hasn’t changed much since the pandemic is exposing the vulnerabilities of our current systems, many of which I have come to interrogate through my artwork. For example, our relationship with artifacts and the built environment are still important and have an impact on our well-being. That isn’t going to change. The pandemic provides new context and perspectives.

You can learn more about Mark King’s work by visiting his site:
markkingismarkings.com

Announcing the ttff/20 Call for Submissions

UPDATE: 22 May – the 2020 ttff call for submissions has now closed.

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ttff/20 celebrating 15 years in 2020!

Port of Spain, Monday 03 February 2020: The trinidad+tobago film festival is pleased to announce the call for submissions for our 15th anniversary festival, ttff/20! Submissions can be made through our festival portal on Film Freeway.

The ttff seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of fiction and documentary feature and short films made in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and its diaspora. The Festival therefore accepts submissions from Caribbean filmmakers in the region and in the diaspora; and international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora. Submissions must have been completed after 01 January 2018. For full submission guidelines and categories, please visit our portal on Film Freeway.

ttff/20 will include new shorts, and features, narrative films, documentaries and experimental films, which explore the Caribbean experience. As always, the festival will include curated film screenings at Movietowne (Port of Spain, San Fernando and Tobago) and a programme of outdoor screenings of favourite classics, People’s Choice and jury award-winning films.

In 2020 we’re also launching a new submission and prize category for student filmmakers (whether secondary or tertiary) to encourage and support the early careers of emerging talent.

Our training and professional development programmes will continue to be a core offering of ttff in 2020, with the launch of Masterclasses (intensive 3-day workshops led by international industry professionals), the re-introduction of filmmaker panels, and continuing our introductory industry workshops, and youth-focused mentorship and training.

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our frequently asked questions or drop us a line at hello@ttfilmfestival.com.

Please click the button below to submit your film to ttff/20 via FilmFreeway.