About halfway into the Barbadian documentary Hall, which started off as a standard ‘true crime story’ of a man convicted for the murder of an elderly plantation owner, the narrative shifts into a tale of nearly pure folly and comedy. Criminals and crimes often make fascinating stories. What makes for an even more fascinating story is when the criminal becomes a celebrity. I will say that the compelling story surrounding Winston Hall, the most notorious fugitive in Barbadian history, is one that needed to be told.

Through multiple accounts from historians, journalists and even entertainers, we learn of a man that has achieved ‘folklore’ status in Barbados. A youthful Hall found himself involved in a gang, eventually culminating in the murder of Cyril Sisnett. He was charged with murder, convicted, and sent to prison. He escaped prison in 1985. But he escaped prison a few times after that. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Watch the film to see how many times Hall made fools out of the Bajan police…

The great thing about Hall’s multiple prison escapes is that it highlights the dynamic between a man on the wrong side of the law and the general public’s reaction to it. The media fanned the flames of Hall’s escapades, making him into a hero. Musicians took the pulse of the public and songs were composed lauding Hall’s tenacity. Calypso music features prominently in the film and rightfully so. Like the musical art form, Hall himself becomes a form of social commentary on the failure of Barbados’s police and prison service.

Director Rommel Hall (no relation to the titular character) spoke of this film as being a labour of love, spending almost a decade attempting to get it off the ground. In the end, I would say it was worth the labour and the love. The audience in attendance actually rooted for a convicted murderer. I have to admit; so did I. In fact, most of Barbados did to. I guess I don’t feel that bad now. Hall is worth your time and attention, because it pulls off a truly remarkable feat, in making a man, who committed a serious crime, a person that you could feel sympathy for, a human that you could relate to, and a fugitive that you could secretly and not so secretly cheer for. The internal conflict it brings on makes this film a true success.

ttff/17 RBC Future Critics

Kafou is terrifying odyssey into the dark underbelly of Haiti’s underworld. Director Bruno Mourral has delivered a twisted little tale of two men, Doc and Zoe, as they are assigned to make a delivery for a company that specialises in kidnapping. Both men are given three rules – Never stop the car. Never open the window. Never open the trunk. Of course all rules are eventually broken. Then the nightmare truly starts.

The major conflict in the film occurs when Zoe discovers that the person in the trunk they were assigned to deliver turns out to be his own uncle. There is an unnerving feeling of dread in the viewer as the film progresses. And, as with all good stories, events unfold and build onto each other until it reaches a fever pitch climax. The film is rife with brutal scenes of intense gore and violence. Mourral pulls no punches. You’re simply left reeling from shock and horror.

The two lead actors play off of each other well. They are moments of humour, horror and humanity that both characters share. It’s always a sign of good filmmaking when the director makes you sympathize with extremely flawed characters. Despite their criminal undertakings, Doc and Zoe earned my sympathy. It seemed as if they were swept up in the ugliness of their world, helpless to the machinations of forces way beyond their control.

Mention has to be made of the cinematography in this film. Most of the movie takes place at night. There is a pervading darkness that literally fills the screen. This leaves the viewer with a feeling of unease, where danger lurks behind every shadow.

Kafou juggles the genres of neo-noir, black comedy and pure horror exceptionally well. The result is a film that haunts you long after you’ve left the theatre. Kafou when translated into English means “intersection”. All horror movie fans need to enter the world of Kafou. A world where nightmares intersect with life. 

ttff/17 RBC Future Critics

Paddlin’ Spirit  explores the beautiful, yet highly controversial art work of Jamaican artist, Laura Facey, who uses her sculptures as a means of healing herself of personal trauma, while discussing the abuse endured by Afro-Jamaicans during slavery, and the  ill-treatment of women throughout the Caribbean’s difficult history.

The film portrays amazing, larger-than-life designs, while introducing us to Facey as an individual. This short documentary, lasting only 26 minutes, manages to delve into considerable depth, as director Amanda Sans skilfully uses the striking art work to tell the story.

This documentary is an excellent depiction of how one woman’s pain is transformed into art, and how she empathises so deeply with the suffering of the enslaved in Jamaica. Nevertheless, Facey’s work has, at times, received severe criticism. There are those who feel that she had no place expressing these immense feelings for the  enslaved, since she is not black. As a black woman myself, I find this criticism unfounded, and to a degree, unwarranted. Part of what the documentary does, is explore the difference between nationality and race. And also the territorial nature of suffering and victimhood. But what is remarkable, is how Facey shows determination to make her claim to Jamaican history as a Jamaican, and not as a Jamaican of a particular colour or race. She shows, in her work, that it is not race that matters, but authenticity of feeling and affinity.

I have travelled to Jamaica, and had the pleasure of  viewing one of her most controversial pieces entitled “Redemption Song”, which features two naked black bodies, one male and one female located at the front of a park in New Kingston. Although the artwork was condemned by some, I applaud Facey’s depiction of what she considered to be a free man and woman; we are born naked.  Children, particularly in the Caribbean often run around naked, we see it as freedom. We do not judge it as anything sexual because, like “Redemption Song”, it is not.

I enjoyed the film, as a woman of African descent who hails from the Caribbean, Facey made me feel proud to be who I am and to claim our Caribbean history.This film will appeal to many audiences due to its many layers and its raw discussion of history, complexity, and truth. While some may feel that it was too personal, others will be moved to a new understanding of themselves, and of the artist, by hearing truth spoken so eloquently.

As part of our commitment to use film to develop transferable skills among young people, we have 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.

Future Critic mentor, B.C. Pires

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. 

Last year’s Top Future Critic, Shivan Sawh (in photograph below) commented oh his experience “I know being giving the title of Top Future Critic will continue to inspire me towards my aspirations of becoming a writer of stories, film scripts and possibly film directing”.

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.”

According to Melvina Hazard, the ttff’s community development director and coordinator of the programme:  “We look forward to the new crop of trainee journalists who bring enthusiasm and dedication to learning the craft of film review, and who seem to benefit enormously from their period of mentorship with BC Pires.”The ten selected journalism students will be announced in September at the start of COSAATT’s new academic year.

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 presented by Flow; given leading sponsorship by bpTT and the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts; supporting sponsorship by the Inter-American Development Bank and UN Women; and contributing sponsorship from RBC Royal Bank.

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.”

Amelia Thomas-Student, Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies

This was the first time I watched a film and felt like I had to be high to understand what was happening. I would like to think that with such a short film, the creator would at least get us to understand what it was about. I got lost somewhere between the white body suits and rainbow Mohawks.

It was only until the end of the film that I came to a conclusion about what the film was about or what I thought it was about. Within the bar scene, the two that seemed to be the main characters wore white body suits and had rainbow coloured Mohawks. The one thing I remember about the rainbow Mohawks is the colour. The LGBT community is represented by a rainbow. However, the pair in the body suits were not two females neither two males. Instead it was a male and a female, perhaps symbolizing a heterosexual norm? So I scratched that idea.

However, I noticed that the pair were the only ones dressed that way. They were being treated with great hospitality from the persons surrounding them. With this in mind, I came to the realisation that they were being treated like tourists. When it comes to the Caribbean dynamic of hospitality and customer service, tourists almost always have the upper hand on locals.
It got me thinking, “What are we leaving for locals if we only give tourists the courteous treatment?” It was refreshing to see that these people who were so different from the people they were around were being treated with such courtesy. It was also a bit disappointing because I didn’t see any other people at the bar being treated that way.

The scene was almost a display of the satellite and metropole relationship the Caribbean has with western territories. This sort of “beck and call” functionality that can make the people of the Caribbean think that everything foreign is better. This film was nothing like what I expected. I believe ‘At the Stardust Café’ was intended to appeal to an audience comprising of those who are very in touch with their “artsy” side. This film would not appeal to the average man as the concept of it is not one that would be easily understood.

Granted I had gotten the opportunity to talk with the director of the film, I would have had a better understanding as I would have heard it “straight from the horse’s mouth.’ I hope that whatever the creator tried to accomplish with this film, that they got it done. People usually dislike what they don’t understand, which is why this film was not an enjoyable one for me.
Would I have watched this on the big screen? Definitely not. It isn’t one I would recommend either. I honestly think this film was directed at a thin sliver of society, but was not suitable for the general audience.

Shiv Sawh-Student, Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies