A strong lineup of critically acclaimed, award-winning films will screen at this year’s trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), to be held from 19 – 26 September, at MovieTowne Port of Spain, San Fernando and Tobago, as well as at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine.

Feminist cinema, james baldwin, the orange economy, human trafficking are just some of the issues that will be highlighted at this year’s Festival. The 12th annual trinidad+tobago film festival, and will screen nearly 120 feature-length, short and experimental narrative and documentary films from the Caribbean, its diaspora and contemporary world cinema.

Tickets will be available at the box office, and at the time of screenings. Tickets at MovieTowne are $30. For Schools Screenings at 10:30am, only school children in uniform and teachers pay $20. Screenings at Hyatt Regency Trinidad and the University of the West Indies, St Augustine are free.

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 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+tobago film festival, which runs from 19 – 26 September. The UWI programme will take place at 12 Carmody Street, St Augustine, with a day of documentaries on Friday 22, and a showcase of student films, with Q+As, on Saturday 23 September.

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.

La Matamoros tells the story of Marta Matamoros, a phenomenal figure in Panamanian history who rose from being a factory dressmaker to becoming an international trade union leader, playing a key role in asserting Panamanian independence against U.S. domination. Dedicated to the defense of the rights of Panamanian women and workers, her struggle brought her persecution and imprisonment, yet she remained fearless in the face of oppression, refusing to be bribed or intimidated. It is through her struggles that Panamanians gained a minimum wage and paid maternity leave.

As part of the country’s celebration of Patriotism Month, the trinidad+tobago film festival will host Feature T+T—a day-long celebration of T&T through the screening of local short and feature films, followed by Q&A sessions with some of the filmmakers. The screenings—which will be held on Republic Day, Sunday 24 September, at MovieTowne Port-of-Spain, San Fernando and Tobago—are sponsored by the Ministry of Community Development Culture and the Arts.

Among the feature films to be screened is Moko Jumbie by Trinidadian-American director, Vashti Anderson. It tells the story of Asha who, on vacation from England to visit family in rural Trinidad, soon discovers there’s trouble in paradise. Drawn to her neighbour, a young fisherman, the strain between the two families, one Indian and one African, is palpable and as Asha’s attraction deepens, she must navigate racial taboos, family disapproval, political turmoil, and mysterious hauntings by ancestral spirits. Moko Jumbie—Anderson’s feature film debut—was a selection at the 2017 LA Film Festival.

In Quick Pick, by Tobagonian filmmaker Miguel K Lashley, young construction worker Travis Duke is out of luck with love, work and money, until a winning lotto ticket changes his fortunes. With no cash in hand yet, he borrows money from a drug lord to kickstart the celebrations and buy a car and a condo. But has Travis put the cart before the donkey?

The third feature film in the T+T line up is Clifford Seedansingh’s The Lies We Tell, a comedy about a serial adulterer and what happens when the tables are turned.

Excitement is high for the film adaptation of Michael Anthony’s 1967 coming of age novel Green Days by the River.

The movie will open the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival on Tuesday, September 19 with a red carpet gala and screening to be held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA),

Director Michael Moleedhar and two of the stars from the film, Sudai Tafari and Anand Lawkaran dropped into The Lounge to give us a glimpse into what we can expect when the movie opens this weekend and goes into nation-wide release from September 27.

The award-winning film Ninth Floor, a documentary produced by Trinidadian-born, Canada-based,  Selwyn Jacob, will make its cinematic return to Trinidad this Thursday at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. The free screening is presented by the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) in partnership with the Department of Cultural Studies, UWI.

Described as addressing, “the most dramatic and violent racial conflict in modern Canadian history” by povmagazine.com, Ninth Floor examines the Sir George Williams University riot of February 1969, when six Caribbean students mounted a protest against institutional racism. It would snowball into 14 days of chaos and violence, with riot police storming the occupied ninth floor, and a storm of computer cards raining down onto the streets below.

The film–which uses never-before-seen footage of the students’ protest and occupation of the ninth floor computer room as well as interviews with several of the students involved–was chosen as one of Canada’s top ten films by the the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)  in 2016.

Directed by independent filmmaker Mina Shum, Ninth Floor screens Thursday 20 July, 5:30PM at the Centre for Language Learning (CLL), The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine.  It is rated 14+.

The award-winning film Ninth Floor, a documentary produced by TT-born, Canada-based,  Selwyn Jacob, will make its cinematic return to Trinidad this July at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. The free screening is presented by the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) in partnership with the Department of Cultural Studies, UWI.

Described as addressing “the most dramatic and violent racial conflict in modern Canadian history” by povmagazine.com, Ninth Floor examines the Sir George Williams University riot of February 1969, when six Caribbean students mounted a protest against institutional racism. It would snowball into 14-days of chaos and violence, with riot police storming the occupied ninth floor, and a storm of computer cards raining down onto the streets below.

The film – which uses never-before-seen footage of the students’ protest and occupation of the ninth floor computer room, as well as interviews with several of the students involved – was chosen as one of Canada’s top ten films by the the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)  in 2016.

The award-winning film Ninth Floor, a documentary produced by TT-born, Canada-based Selwyn Jacob, will make its cinematic return to Trinidad this month at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St Augustine.

The free ­screening is presented by the ­trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) in partnership with the Department of Cultural Studies, The UWI.

Described as addressing “the most dramatic and violent racial conflict in modern Canadian history” by povmagazine.com, Ninth Floor examines the Sir George Williams University riot of February 1969, when six Caribbean students mounted a protest against institutional racism.

AS the dry season takes hold, the allure and romance of cinema under the stars is back on the trinidad+- tobago film festival’s calendar, with screenings in Chaguanas, San Fernando and Chaguaramas, as part of its Community Cinergy Series, sponsored by bpTT. More open-air screenings are planned in the coming months across both islands.
Through its community development programme, the ttff has presented over a 100 free film screenings to various communities nationwide, using film as a vehicle for social transformation and education and impetus for discussion.

According to the festival’s director of community development, Melvina Hazard, while the festival’s free outdoor screenings are popular, well attended and lots of fun for family and friends, they provide an opportunity for so much more.

“Open air cinema also plays an important role in social inclusion and community cohesion, reaching far flung and under-served communities that might not otherwise attend festival screenings in Portof- Spain. Community cinema can also be used to provide learning opportunities, improve skills, knowledge and sometimes even self esteem,” Hazard said in a media release.

“This April however, we are asking people to join us outdoors for the pure joy of a great night out under-thestars with family and friends.” Admission to all screenings is free.

For decades, soca superstar Machel Montano has enthralled listeners and audiences with his infectious music and electrifying live performances. Now, he makes the leap onto the silver screen with his motion-picture debut in the film Bazodee, which will have its world premiere at the 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff/15).

The ttff is partnering with Monk Pictures, Indiepelago Films and FilmTT to bring Bazodee and members of its stellar cast to a T&T audience, on Wednesday 23 September from 8.00pm at the historic Globe Cinema in Port of Spain. The stars of the film will travel from India, the USA and the UK to be in Trinidad for the event. The screening will be followed by an after-party at Aria Lounge on Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook.

Tickets for this special event will be on sale at the ttff office, 199 Belmont Circular Road, Belmont, from Friday 4 September. Tickets for the screening (only) cost $250, while tickets for the screening and after-party cost $350. To book your tickets call the Festival office at 621-0709, or email hello@ttfilmfestival.com.

Bazodee is a musical drama about a rugged soca singer (Lee, played by Montano) who falls for a beautiful young Indian woman (Anita, played by Natalie Perera, a London-born newcomer of Sri Lankan parentage). Anita happens to be engaged to Kumar, a man she doesn’t love (Staz Nair).

Anita is the daughter of Ram (Bollywood star Kabir Bedi), a secretly deep-in-debt businessman. When Anita encounters Lee, hired at the last minute to perform at her engagement party, sparks fly, and soon the two fall for each other.

Nikhil (UK-based T&T actor Valmike Rampersad), Anita’s malevolent, future brother-in-law, notices. Once he discovers the truth about Ram’s finances, Nikhil threatens to expose everything, forcing Anita to fight for the wealth that truly matters—love.

Bazodee also features acting talents of a number of other T&T actors, including Teneille Newallo, who plays Poorvi, Anita’s cousin; and Cindy F. Daniel, who plays Anita’s servant Lalima.

The long-anticipated Bazodee is directed by Todd Kessler, an award-winning American film and television writer, producer and director. He is the director of the feature film Keith (2008), and co-creator of Nickelodeon’s pre-school series Blue’s Clues.

The world-premiere screening of Bazodee will be preceded by an introduction from Todd Kessler, Machel Montano and Natalie Perera, as well as some of its co-stars. After the screening, patrons can head to Aria Lounge, where they will have the opportunity to mingle with the stars. Machel Montano will perform a short live set at the after-party.

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Twenty-five feature-length films from world cinema will screen at the 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), which takes place from 15–29 September.

This section of films, known as the Panorama section, is comprised of fiction films and documentaries from around the world, including Trinidad and Tobago’s “heritage” countries and regions, which include India, Africa, Europe, China and the Middle East. There will also be films from Latin America and the USA, and—for the first time—Mauritius.

The lineup includes many prestigious titles from the international film festival circuit. One such film is the Indian legal drama Court, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, which had a prizewinning premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Also screening will be the Kenyan LGBT-themed portmanteau drama Stories of Our Lives, directed by Jim Chuchu. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, both to great acclaim.

Another acclaimed Berlin selection, Anna Muylaert’s Brazilian domestic-worker comedy-drama The Second Mother, will screen at ttff/15. So to will Zhou Hao’s The Chinese Mayor, a political documentary that bowed at the Sundance Film Festival.

Amy, Asif Kapadia’s Cannes-premiering study of the life and death of British singer Amy Winehouse, is also a ttff/15 selection. And Tales of the Grim Sleeper, acclaimed documentarian Nick Broomfield’s investigation of the crimes of a serial killer in Los Angeles, will be presented at the ttff/15 by Broomfield himself, who will lead a masterclass at the Festival.

All of these films, and most of the others in the Panorama section, will be making their Caribbean premiere at the ttff/15. For the full lineup, visit www.ttfilmfestival.com.

Today’s announcement of films adds to the lineup already announced for the ttff/15: the opening night film (Haitian documentary Sweet Micky for President) and the feature-length and short Caribbean films screening in and out of competition. The experimental and avant garde films of the Festival’s New Media section will be announced soon.

Image: A still from Amy