It’s Judgment Day at ttff/18

Francesca Hawkins, Director of Judgement Day writes about LGBQTIA film activism

Court Artist Sketch of Jason Jones

During a ttff narrative screenwriting workshop with Annemarie Morais sponsored by The Canadian High Commission, the opportunity arose for the production of 3 short scripts from our group. The films would be chosen without our names attached to the proposals, to ensure neutrality in the selection process.

I had been working on a story about a young man I had met, who was innocent but spent 2 years in prison awaiting trial. Around that same time, the ruling in the case of Jason Jones vs the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago was coming up, challenging the constitutionality of the Sexual Offences Act. It was a tough choice as both topics explored the question of human rights in Trinidad and Tobago, the mandated subject from the Canadian High Commission.

Although I really wanted to do narrative form rather than a documentary piece, the case highlighted one of the biggest human rights issues in the Caribbean and across the Commonwealth. Ultimately, such a huge moment in legal history demanded documentation.

Jason agreed to participate and our team decided we would film events outside the Hall of Justice even if we were not chosen by the judges. We had no idea what would develop at the courthouse or where the judgment would go. On the night before the ruling, Jason and several LGBTQIA activists received a bomb threat via text message. Tensions were very high as so much was at stake for people on different sides of the argument.

Jason Jones

The film is about 12 minutes long and is a record of the day and the historic ruling in the case. At the court, both protestors and supporters of the laws were gathered. We wanted to tell the story of the day, capturing the moods and the people who were there. We chose mainly cinema verite style including original courtroom audio. The courtroom scenes are illustrations as cameras are obviously not allowed in court.

Our aim is to allow the audience to come to its own opinions about the society through the debates that took place between groups at the rotunda and outside the Hall of Justice. In many ways, the legal case triggered a confrontation between the past, present and future and voices on the day of the ruling tell the story of Judgment Day.

Images courtesy Francesca Hawkins

Grundlos Kollektiv: A Home For Creative Minds @ ttff/18

Grundlos Kollektiv (founded by Johanna Nahous) is a platform for progressive minds of any field or discipline, who are passionate about introducing new ideas, concepts and perspectives – being socially or politically influential with their art form, whatever it may be. Currently managed by Culturego Magazine, Grundlos Kollektiv is an inviting, enabling and flexible open-plan space in the center of Port of Spain. It is a home for a community of minds – different and alike – to create (Art exhibitions, film screenings, fashion shows, discussions, educational talks, yoga classes, social events) and to share their work with a diverse audience.

ttff has partnered with Grundlos Kollektiv to present:

Special events at Grundlos Kollektiv @ttff/18

Thursday 20 September, 7pm – 10pm/ART FILM curated by Culturego Magazine / free event

Films with Art. Film as Art. Art as film. Culturego Magazine presents a selection of short films from Caribbean filmmakers and visual artists: Dean Arlen (Trinidad and Tobago), Di – Andre Caprice (Jamaica), Ada M. Patterson (Barbados), Volney Smith (Barbados) and Rodell Warner (Trinidad and Tobago). Dean Arlen and Di -Andre Caprice will also be present for a Q+A session with the audience. DJ L Bee will close off the evening with his Funky Lounge.Film Still from Yuh Too Sweet

ART FILMS

East Waves, by Di- Andre Caprice, Jamaica

Anima Regalias by Rodell Warner, Trinidad and Tobago

Fragmentz by Volney Smith, Barbados

Sensing Travel by Dean Arlen, Trinidad and Tobago

Yuh too Sweet by Ada M. Patterson, Barbados

Saturday 22 September, 8.30pm – 10pm/The FUTURE is FEMALE. (in partnership with Women. Everywhere.) /free event

Film still from Brown Girl Begins

Meet and Greet with Sharon Lewis, Director – Brown Girl Begins (2017). Rooted in Caribbean folklore, Brown Girl Begins is the first ever Caribbean Sci-Fi film to be made, the protagonist is female and she is of Caribbean descent. Adeline Gregoire (Director – Women. Everywhere.) talks to Sharon Lewis about Afro-futurism, empowerment and a future which represents the true diversity of women.

RSVP: info.womeneverywhere@gmail.com

Sunday 23 September, 3 – 7pm – free event/Activism Day/free event

3pm: Screening of The Reel Human Rights films + Panel Discussion, sponsored by the High Commission for Canada

I Choose You – directed by Siobhan Millette

Please See Attached – directed Andrei Pierre

Judgment Day – directed by Francesca Hawkins

The filmmakers and activists from the LQBTQIA community will be present for the Panel Discussion; as well as the Canadian High Commissioner, Her Excellency Carla Hogan Rufelds.

4:30pm: Staging the Revolution

Join us for two very special panels dedicated to the LGBTQIA community and hman rights; then, Rhonda Chan Soo takes a fresh look at social activism in Trinidad and Tobago today, led by Girl Be Heard TT and The 2 Cents Movement. From the idea of change, to the mind bomb, to the whistle blowers, to activists tirelessly doing the work: It takes a revolution – however small – to change the world.

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 given leading sponsorship by BP Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts; supporting sponsorship by The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago and Republic Bank Limited; and contributing sponsorship by FilmTT and The National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB).

Amnesty International Awards Bahamamian Film

A recognition for a crisis in the Caribbean.

The Trinidadian and Tobago Film Festival came to a close last week and the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize went to “Cargo,” a Bahamian film about the Haitian migration crisis. Its filmmaker Kareem Mortimer was thrilled at the honor and said his project speaks to a larger story to tell.

“It feels incredible and not even for me, but for the film — because it’s important for films to raise awareness about things that are important for us and our community,” he said.

Although he was not one of the deciding judges for his award, he has an idea as to why his film stoodout among others and the type of message it brought to the light.

“I think all over the world there’s a sort of a migration crisis happening and a type of language we use for migrants and sources, and this is happening all over the Caribbean, Africa, Europe — and it’s a global topic,” said Mortimer.

This Caribbean Film Has Won The Amnesty International Human Rights Prize

Caribbean film that focuses on the issue of human trafficking – but from the point of view of reluctant trafficker, has won the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize.

Cargo by Bahamian film director Kareem Mortimer, won the top Prize at the recently concluded trinidad+tobago film festival, (ttff).

The Amnesty International Human Rights Prize is awarded to a Caribbean filmmaker whose film best highlights a human rights issue. The Award recognizes the importance of film as a vehicle for raising awareness about human rights issues and advancing inclusion and social justice.

Caribbean filmmakers to be recognised for human rights

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (ttff) will once again underline the importance of film as a vehicle for raising awareness about human rights issues and advancing inclusion and social justice, with the awarding of the Amnesty International Human Rights Film Prize.

Established in an effort to support the promotion of human rights in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize will be awarded to a Caribbean filmmaker whose film best highlights a human rights issue.

The winning film will be chosen by a three-person jury, which this year comprises Gregory Sloane-Seale, National Coordinator, Citizen Security Programme in the Ministry of National Security; Dr Gabrielle Hosein, Head of Department and lecturer, Institute for Gender and Development Studies, at The University of the West Indies, and Pamela Carmona, Regional Youth and Activism Coordinator at the, Amnesty International Americas Regional Office, in Mexico.

Caribbean filmmakers to be recognised for human rights

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival will once again underline the importance of film as a vehicle for raising awareness about human rights issues and advancing inclusion and social justice, with the awarding of the Amnesty International Human Rights Film Prize. Established in an effort to support the promotion of human rights in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize will be awarded to a Caribbean filmmaker whose film best highlights a human rights issue

Caribbean Filmmakers to be Recognised for Human Rights

The importance of film as a vehicle for raising awareness about human rights issues and advancing inclusion and social justice, will once again be highlighted at the trinidad+tobago film festival through the awarding of the Amnesty International Human Rights Film Prize.

Established in an effort to support the promotion of human rights in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize will be awarded to a Caribbean filmmaker whose film best highlights a human rights issue.

The winning film will be chosen by a three-person jury, which this year comprises Gregory Sloane-Seale, National Coordinator, Citizen Security Programme in the Ministry of National Security; Dr Gabrielle Hosein, Head of Department and lecturer, Institute for Gender and Development Studies, at The University of the West Indies, and Pamela Carmona, Regional Youth and Activism Coordinator at the, Amnesty International Americas Regional Office, in Mexico.

Film Festival offers Private Violence for screening and public debate

Continuing it series of Community Cinergy film screenings on issues of human rights, the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) will be focusing on domestic violence with a public screening of the film Private Violence, on Sunday 19 April, 4pm, at the Laventille Community Complex in Movant.

The series is sponsored by the US Embassy. The screening of Private Violence, which will be followed by a discussion, takes place in association with the organisations the Hearts and Minds of the Police Service and FireCircle.

The ttff will also be hosting a special, schools-only screening of the film Bully, followed by a workshop conducted by the Anti-Bullying Association of Trinidad and Tobago, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts, San Fernando, on 22 April.

According to the ttff’s founder and director, Bruce Paddington, “Film is a powerful medium for public education and advocacy. It has an ability to bear witness and tell stories that challenge individuals and encourage understanding, empathy and a demand for justice for all. We are thrilled to have the support of the US Embassy in this initiative.”

About Private Violence (Cynthia Hill/2014/USA/81′)

Developed as a public advocacy vehicle that engages audiences in debates, prevention and other public-action strategies, Private Violence raises a troubling fact: that sometimes the most dangerous place for a woman is in her home. This award-winning documentary takes us behind closed doors into the often invisible world of domestic violence. Through the eyes of two survivors and an advocate, we bear witness to the complicated and complex realities of intimate-partner violence. The film shatters general assumptions about why women stay in abusive relationships, and will form the basis of a public discussion to take place after the film.

The community discussion will be led by:

Officer Kevin Romany, Hearts and Minds, Inter-Agency Task Force, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
Diana Mahabir-Wyatt, The Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Sherna Alexander, The Organisation for Abused and Battered Individuals
Nicole Hendrickson and Steve Cupid Theodore, FireCircle
Luke Sinnette, The Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation
Cherylann Gajadhar, author of the book The Girl in The Cupboard and child abuse survivor
Working Women for Social Progress

Admission to the screening is free.

Human rights focus for Community Cinergy series

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) continues to use film as a vehicle for social discourse and transformation, through its annual community Cinergy film series. On April 12, 19 and 22, the ttff and the US Embassy—sponsors of the series—will present three free film screenings to promote human rights.

Working with community activists and the embassy, the ttff will promote public awareness for the protection of the rights of women, children and the LGBT community in Trinidad and Tobago. The screening of three US films with topical and local resonance, focusing on domestic violence, bullying and gay-rights issues will each be followed by a community discussion, workshop and panel discussion, respectively, in order to foster dialogue on the issues of personal freedom, security, community support, public policy and legislation.

“Advancing human rights is central to our foreign policy,” Stephen Weeks, Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy said, “and the fantastic programme put together by our friends at ttff demonstrates how film can start conversations that build stronger, more inclusive communities.”

The issues to be highlighted and films to be screened are:

LGBT rights: Pariah (Dee Rees/2011/86’/) on Sunday 12 April, 6:30pm, Woodbrook Youth Facility
In the coming-of-age film Pariah, Alike is a shy but talented Brooklyn teenager striving to survive adolescence with grace, humour and tenacity—sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward. The film follows her as she struggles with her conflicting identities, risks friendship and family, and faces heartbreak in a desperate search for sexual expression. There will be panel discussions before and after the film. This screening is being held in association with the Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO).

This film is rated for viewers aged 16 years and over.

Domestic violence: Private Violence (Cynthia Hill/2014/81’/PG13) on Sunday 19 April, 4:00pm, Laventille Community Complex
Sometimes the most dangerous place for a woman is in her home. Private Violence, an award-winning documentary, takes us behind closed doors into the often invisible world of domestic violence. Through the eyes of two survivors and an advocate, we bear witness to the complicated and complex realities of intimate-partner violence. The film shatters general assumptions about why women stay in abusive relationships, and will form the basis of a public discussion led by community activists after the film.

This film is rated PG13.

Bullying: Bully (Lee Hirsch/2011/98’/PG13) on Wednesday April 22, 9:00am, Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA)
As the problem of bullying in schools becomes more critical, this presentation of the documentary Bully, to be followed by a workshop, seeks to engage students and educators in preventing the problem and finding solutions. The film offers an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. This will be a special screening for students; schools wishing to attend are invited to email ttff’s Director of Community Development, Melvina Hazard, for information and bookings at melvina@ttfilmfestival.com. There will be a workshop conducted by the Anti-Bullying Association of Trinidad and Tobago after the film.

This film is rated PG13.

Admission to all three screenings is free.

Image: A still from Pariah