As its final event for the year, the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) is hosting a free screening of the documentary Songs of Redemption, on Tuesday 10 December, at its offices at 199 Belmont Circular Road in Belmont.

The screening takes place in association with Amnesty International, in observance of Human Rights Day.

Amnesty International is “a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in over 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights”, and is “independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion.”

Human Rights Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950. It seeks to bring attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations.

Directed by Miquel Galofré and Amanda Sans, Songs of Redemption goes inside the General Penitentiary in Kingston, Jamaica, to document a remarkable programme that seeks to rehabilitate prisoners by allowing them to write, record and perform reggae music.

The film features extraordinarily candid and moving interviews with the inmates in the programme, some serving sentences for crimes as serious as murder. It climaxes with a powerful live concert within the prison.

A hit at ttff/13, Songs of Redemption won the audience prize for best documentary feature, and was co-winner of the jury prize for best documentary.

Preceding Songs of Redemption will be a short fiction film, Passage, winner of a special jury mention at ttff/13. Written and directed by Kareem Mortimer of the Bahamas, Passage tells the story of a group of Haitians, locked in the hold of a fishing vessel, who are being smuggled through Bahamian waters in the hopes of reaching the United States.

While the films have not been produced by Amnesty International, the global human rights organisation is supporting the event as it believes that a critical step towards the realisation of human rights is the promotion of a culture of rights—and debates on themes such as those highlighted in the films will certainly contribute to this aim. Materials highlighting recent work by Amnesty International in the Caribbean region will be available at the event.

The screenings begin at 7.30pm, and doors open at 6.30pm. Space is limited, so please arrive early to ensure seating. Refreshments will be available.

Image: a shot from Songs of Redemption

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) continues to expand its community film outreach programme with T&T Film Nights. From 16 November to 01 December, the ttff will present a series of five free community-based film screenings in Moruga, Mausica, Maracas Bay, Matura and Buccoo in Tobago. T&T Film Nights is an ongoing series of free community cinema sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, one of the ttff’s leading sponsors.

On Saturday 16 November at 6pm residents of Moruga will have the opportunity to see No Bois Man No Fraid, an uplifting and eye-opening documentary on stickfighting set in the Moruga community. A ttff/13 selection directed by Christopher Laird, the film is based on story of Keegan Taylor and Rondell Benjamin, two young martial arts experts from the Moruga Bois Institute. Taylor and Benjamin are also producers of the film and will join Laid in a question-and-answer session after the film, which screens at the Moruga Composite School.

Then on Wednesday 20 November, in a closed screening, cadets of the MILAT Military Academy in Mausica will learn about the healing, transformative power of music through another ttff/13 selection, Songs of Redemption. The story of a music rehabilitation programme in a Jamaican prison, the film was co-winner of the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the ttff/13, as well as the People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary. Co-director of the film Miquel Galofré will attend the screening. Pothound, the popular short film by Christopher and Leizelle Guinness, will also be screened.

The following Saturday, on 23 November, the Maracas Bay Community Centre will be transformed into a temporary cinema as six short films are screened, from 6pm. Dainia Wright’s Mystic Blue explores the relationship between Mystic, a member of the Bobo Shanti faith, and Blue, a strong-willed woman who does not share her boyfriend’s beliefs. Knockabout, meanwhile, is a T&T-style neo-noir directed by Emilie Upzack. After Mas, directed by Karen Martinez and ttff/13 Jury Prize-winner for Best Local Short Film, is a story about a young man and woman from different backgrounds who meet and fall for each other during J’ouvert. If I Could Fly, by Maryam Mohammed, the story of a little girl who wishes she could take to the sky like a kite, will also join the line-up. Completing the package are One Good Deed by Juliette McCawley—about a young boy’s encounter with some douens—and No Soca, No Life, a rags-to-riches story about an aspiring soca performer, directed by Kevin Adams and starring Terri Lyons. This screening is presented in association with the Maracas Bay Community Council.

On Sunday 24 November the ttff teams up with the Nature Seekers group to present another series of short films, at the Matura Secondary School. In addition to Mystic Blue, there’s the hilarious A Home for These Old Bones, a zombie comedy set in Guadeloupe. The package will also include Earth, Water, Woman, the inspiring story of the Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project; Renee Pollonais’ comedy Sweet Fries; and Til D Well Run Dry, a film by the students of Matura Secondary School. There will also be a presentation by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism on the National Registry of Artists and Cultural Workers. The screenings start at 5:30pm, following Nature Seekers’ Christmas craft and family fair.

T&T Film Nights will conclude in Tobago, at the Buccoo Community Centre on 01 December. This event takes place from 6pm in association with the Healing With Horses Foundation, following their annual Christmas Fair. The film being screened are Chrissy!, directed by Marcia Weekes, the inspiring story of a poor 10-year-old girl overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, and Captain T&T, by Christopher and Leizelle Guinness.

Admission to T&T Film Nights is free. Audiences will also receive free T-shirts, bags, cups, popcorn and other giveaways on a first-come, first-served basis.

Image: A shot from Christopher Laird’s No Bois Man No Fraid

A multiple-award-winning documentary about Jamaica’s vibrant and fascinating dancehall scene is set to enthrall audiences as part of the annual We Beat festival, on Saturday 2 June from 7pm at the St James Amphitheatre.

The screening of Hit Me With Music is part of the trinidad + tobago film festival (ttff) and bpTT Community Cinergy series of film screenings, and is presented in association with the St James Community Improvement Committee. Admission is free of charge and open to all persons 16 years and over.

Released in 2011 and directed by Miquel Galofré, Hit Me With Music is a brilliant exploration of the various facets of dancehall culture, including feuds between rival musicians, skin bleaching, and the “daggering” phenomenon. Dancehall pioneers Yellowman and the late Bogle make appearances in the film, as well as more recent stars Elephant Man, Mavado and Vybz Kartel.

The film—which has been playing to enthusiastic audiences in North America and Europe—won both the jury and audience awards for best documentary at the ttff/11. Following the screening there will be a Q&A session with the director.

Before the film there will be a lime, from 6pm. Food and drinks will be on sale.