Premiere regional film festival returns for its 17th edition

Port of Spain, Tuesday 16 August 2022 – The region’s premier film festival, trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) is back with a full calendar of events. This year’s festival will see a return to in-person screenings and events after two years online due to pandemic restrictions.  

With an impressive panel of film programmers comprising three Caribbean and two international industry specialists, more than 250 films were considered for the festival programme. This year’s film programmers are Bruce Paddington (ttff founder), Danielle Dieffenthaller, BC Pires, Ivonne Cotorruelo and Jim Kolmar. Together, they have shortlisted just over 25 films to compete for prizes and awards recognition.

Kolmar, also a writer who has been curating features for the renowned South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW), shares, “It’s been a real thrill to work with the programming team on this year’s lineup. It represents the diversity, creativity and the sheer breadth of talent emerging from the Caribbean and beyond. Heartfelt and restlessly inventive, these films exemplify the bold visions and unique voices long celebrated by the festival.”

He continues, “The most exciting part of all this is the opportunity to watch these films with enthusiastic audiences. It’s the kind of community experience that we need more than ever, and it’s a great pleasure to play a part in that. I can’t wait for people to watch these remarkable films.”

Apart from the opening night (which will be at IMAX), screenings will be held at MovieTowne, Port of Spain and NALIS (AV Room and Amphitheatre). Screenings at NALIS are free to the public and tickets for MovieTowne will be available at their box office from 15 September.

The trinidad+tobago film festival wishes to acknowledge the generous support of our sponsors – our signature sponsor:The National Gas Company (NGC); our leading sponsors: Shell Trinidad and Tobago and Republic Bank; our contributing sponsor: the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts; our supporting sponsors:  the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Trinidad and Tobago Film Company Limited (FilmTT). 

We also acknowledge the contributions of our programming partners:  the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), the Embassy of the United States, Port of Spain, the Embassy of the Dominican Republic, Festival International du Film Documentaire Amazonie-Caraibes (FIFAC) and FILMCO; our event partners: the Dalai Llama, Calabash Garden, the Naughty Grape, MovieTowne and C15 Studios Limited; our media and promotion partners:  TTT Limited and Scrip-J.

featured image: production still from ‘Cette maison’

We are pleased to announce the short and feature length documentary films in competition at ttff/22. Films in juried competitions are rigorously discussed and dissected before being selected by the programming team, and must be unanimously agreed by the five programmers. They are then watched, scored and debated by the relevant jury, with the winning films ultimately being those which receive the highest aggregate scores. All the winners will be announced at the ttff/22 awards, 27 September, with cash prizes and trophies furnished by our sponsors.

For film synopses, screening details and director bios, please click the links (indicated as blue underlines) below.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

• Lo que se hereda (It runs in the family), directed by Victoria Linares Villegas
• Mafifa, directed by Daniela Muñoz Barroso
• Mr Emancipation: the Walter Perry story, directed by Preston Chase
• Paroles de nègres (The words of negroes), directed by Sylvaine Dampierre
• Studio 17: the lost reggae tapes, directed by Mark James

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

• Danaé, directed by Julio Benito Cabrera
• King David, directed by Walt Lovelace
• Pam’s kitchen, directed by David Gwynn
• Still we thrive, directed by Campbell X
• Strictly two wheel, directed by Ania Freer
• The sound of the time, directed by Jeissy Trompiz

Featured images: production stills from Studio 17: the lost reggae tapes and King David .

We’re delighted be be screening two of this year’s award-winning films at our first backyard cinema!  Join us Friday 13 November at 22 Jerningham Ave, Belmont, for in-person screenings of “Unbroken” and “I don’t call it Ghetto”. Tickets cost $35 each and must be purchased in advance for one of two showtimes: 5.30pm and 7.30pm. Films will be screened in compliance with health and safety guidelines for masks, size of the gathering, and social distancing.

buy tickets for 5.30 screening

buy tickets for 7.30 screening

#ttffbackyardcinema#ttffcommunityscreening#watchsomething
#inperson#sociallydistanced#ttfilmfestival#ttff20

trinidad+tobago film festival presents a free screening of “Hamilton” in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain.

Date: Saturday 24 October
Time: 5.30pm – 8.30pm
Location: 22 Jerningham Avenue, Belmont

Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and show tunes, “Hamilton” has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theater–a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Captured at the Richard Rodgers Theater on Broadway in June 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.

If you would like to attend, please register in advance at http://bit.ly/ttffhamiltonscreening This is an in-person event and there is limited seating. We ask that you only register if you are certain that you will attend. Groups are limited to a maximum of two persons per group.

This film will be screened in compliance with health and safety guidelines for masks, size of the gathering, and social distancing. 

#ttffcommunityscreening #watchsomething
#inperson #sociallydistanced #ttfilmfestival

The 12th T&T Film Festival closes with a spectacular bang today, with a terrific and groundbreaking film selection that was not picked before only because of the limitations of programming schedules. For many people, this will be the film of the festival.

There’s a long weekend ahead which means time to catch up on some rest, maybe hit the beach…and get your movie on!

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival is currently on and there is an overabundance of films not just from our twin islands but the region and around the world. We can understand that there may be a lot of selections to choose from, so we’ve put together our picks for screenings this weekend.

Three days of screenings of films by or about women will screen at this year’s trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff). Stories from a female point of view, highlighting political, economic or cultural discourse about women’s lives and critiquing the power structures holding gender inequality in place will feature. The free screenings will be followed by facilitated discussions on some of the issues raised.

Film buffs in south Trinidad will be pleased to know that there will be a full week of films shown in San Fernando at this Year’s T&T Film Festival (TTFF). TTFF programme director Annabelle Alcazar said this is the first year there will be a full week of programming in the southern city.

Over 120 films will be screened during this year’s festival, including short and feature-length films from T&T and the Caribbean.

Festival highlights will include Feature T&T (a full day of screenings in support of National Patriotism Month); panels and films on gender and social justice; a strong industry programme with a focus on screenwriting and script development; Code Orange (regional incentives and co-productions with our Latin American neighbours); panels and films examining the representation of women and girls in film; and the youth initiatives the RBC Future Critics Program and the RBC Youth Jury, both mentored by former Sunday Arts Section film critic BC Pires.

With the countdown on to the 2017 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF), the Festival team has issued an open invitation to film lovers to join them at their two pre-festival limes.

The first, this Friday, is at Drink! Lounge and Bistro, in Woodbrook. The following Friday— September 15—the lime moves to San Fernando at 519 Trinidad in the C3 Centre in San Fernando, a release said.

The limes provide an opportunity to meet filmmakers and others involved in the industry, find out about film screenings, to generally be part of the buzz and excitement that surrounds the Festival—and, according to the Festival, “get high on film.”

According to Azreena Khan, events and marketing coordinator at the TTFF, “this year we are particularly pleased to be heading to San Fernando for our first ever pre-festival lime in the South and we hope some of our regular party crew from the West will join us there.

The Film Programme at the University of the West Indies (UWI), will once again host the screening of internationally acclaimed and student-made films, as part of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, which runs from September 19 – 26.

The UWI programme will take place at 12 Carmody Street, St Augustine, with a day of documentaries on September 22, and a showcase of student films with Q&As on September 23.

Among the selection of films is La Matamoros, by Panamanian director Delfina Vidal, which won Best Picture at the International Film Festival Panama, in the Central America and Caribbean category.