The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (ttff) held its formal opening night gala at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on September 19.

After the cocktail reception, guests were ushered into the Aldwyn Roberts, Lord Kitchener Auditorium, for the world premier of the film, Green Days by the River, based on the book written by Michael Anthony in 1952. Anthony who made a cameo appearance in the film interacted with guests at the event.

The entire cast along with director Michael Mooleedhar and producer Christian James also strutted on the red carpet.

Green Days won the best TT feature and people’s choice for best feature film narrative at the ttff awards on Tuesday. The film opened to the public on Tuesday.

From the moment it was announced in early August that Green Days by the River would open the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, the excitement quickly grew to a fever pitch as many literary enthusiasts anxiously awaited to see the classic characters come alive on the big screen.

The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) was filled to capacity on Tuesday as the TT Film Festival kicked off.

The cast of Green Days by the River were not the only ones who stepped on the red carpet; author Michael Anthony also got star treatment. Although he had not seen the film ahead of time, he indicated that he was honoured and even a bit surprised by all the buzz around the book.

The 2017 edition of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival gets underway this week, running from Tuesday 19 to Tuesday 26 September across venues in both Trinidad and Tobago. Four T&T features and over 34 local shorts will premiere at ttff/17.

Green Days by the River, a film adaptation of Michael Anthony’s classic 1967 novel of the same name, will open this year’s festival, with a red carpet gala and screening to be held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on Tuesday 19 September.

The first local film by a T&T director and producer to open the festival, director Michael Mooleedhar’s beautifully shot film is set in the idyllic countryside of 1950s Mayaro and re-tells the story of 15 year old Shell. Newly arrived in the village, he quickly gets caught between his longing to be a man, and his child-like innocence in the face of adult cunning. With adolescent hormones raging, amidst the beauty of the local girls and the Mayaro landscape, the quiet storm that’s brewing may prove more than Shell can handle, and life as he once knew it may never be the same again.

 

With one action-packed week of films, panel discussions, special presentations, Q&As with filmmakers, limes and after-parties beginning today, here’s ten things you probably shouldn’t miss during this year’s Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival

Opening Night red carpet gala and film—Green Days by the River

September 19, NAPA, Port-of-Spain, 6 pm, by invitation or ticket only.

Michael Mooleedhar’s film follows Michael Anthony’s classic novel of adolescence, immersing the viewer in the sights and sounds of rural Trinidad 50 years ago. Many locals will have read it in their youth, and the film does a good job of reviving nostalgic memories of both the book and a way of life long since past.

In his latest project coming on the heels of a filmmaking career that has already brought him local and some regional and international recognition, director Michael Mooleedhar has adapted for film the novel Green Days by the River, published in 1967 by Trinidadian writer, Michael Anthony. The film is produced by Christian James with screen play by Dawn Cumberbatch, shot entirely on location in Trinidad using local actors and crew, and edited by Mooleedhar and James. Green Days by the River is Mooledhar’s first full length feature and has been selected by the trinidad + tobago film festival 2017 to be screened at its opening night gala on Tuesday, at the NAPA auditorium, Port of Spain.

Mooleedhar has been more well known for his directing or editing of shorter productions, among these the controversial documentary Queens of Curepe made in 2008, his final year student project as a BA Film Studies student at The University of the West Indies St Augustine (The UWI). He went on with Patricia Mohammed to make two award-winning films Coolie Pink (2009) and Green City on a Hill (2015) both of which won the Most Popular short film awards at the trinidad + tobago film festival in the years they premiered and have gone on to international screenings in India, New York, Toronto and London among other venues.

FIVE LOCAL feature length films: Green Days by the River, Moko Jumbie, The Lies We Tell, Quick Pick and Back to Freeport will be screened during the 12th Annual trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) from September 19 to 26, 2017.
This was revealed at the launch held at the Hyatt Regency yesterday.

Nearly 120 feature-length, short and experimental narrative and documentary films from the Caribbean, its diaspora and contemporary world cinema will be screened including the five TT feature films, and over 34 short and experimental films, also made in TT.

Magella Moreau, Director of Public Relations, ttff said at the launch, “We continue to be excited by the quality of films made by local film-makers, many of you who are involved in the industry where you have to have passion to do this because it is not easy. The eternal search for funds etc it is very challenging, that you have to be either crazy or passionate to do it.” She then acknowledge and paid tribute to some of the film-makers who were present at the event.

Green Days by the River, a Film adaptation of Michael Anthony’s classic 1967 novel of the same name, will open this year’s festival, at the red carpet gala and screening to be held at NAPA, on September 19, 2017. Bringing to life childhood memories of the book, and a Trinidad of yesteryear, director Michael Mooleedhar’s film is set in the idyllic countryside of 1950’s Mayaro and re-tells the story of 15 year old Shell. Newly arrived, he quickly gets caught between his longing to be a man, and his child-like innocence in the face of adult cunning. With adolescent hormones raging, amidst the breath-taking beauty of Mayaro, the quiet storm that’s brewing may prove more than he can handle and he’ll certainly never be the same again.

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.

Green Days by the River, a film adapta­tion of Michael Antho­ny’s classic 1967 novel of the same name, will open this year’s T&T Film Festival (ttff/17), with a red carpet gala and screening to be held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), on September 19.

The first local film by a TT director and producer to open the festival, director Michael Mooleedhar’s film is set in the idyllic country­side of 1950s Mayaro and re-tells the story of 15 year old Shell. Newly arrived in the village, he quickly gets caught between his longing to be a man, and his child-like innocence in the face of adult cunning.

With adolescent hor­mones raging, amidst the beauty of the local girls and the Mayaro landscape, the quiet storm that’s brewing may prove more than Shell can handle and life as he once knew it may never be the same again.

Generations of Caribbean readers know Shell’s and Rosalie’s story well. Shell and Rosalie, the main characters in Michael Anthony’s 1967 novel Green Days by the River, will now share their story with upcoming generations, through film.
The beloved story will open this year’s Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (ttff). It is one of four TT features and over 34 local shorts that will premiere at the festival this year. A red carpet gala and screening of the adaptation, which carries the same name, will be held on September 19 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA).

It is also the first local film by a TT director and producer to open the annual film festival.