Film Festival Treasury

NOW nearing the end of its annual two-week run, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2017 has once again brought to light more than 100 fabulous works of the creativity and the artistry of Caribbean peoples on screen, demonstrating the great capacity for story-telling across this region.Trinidad Express Newspapers_ Editorial _ Film festival treasury

Among this year’s offerings were three features on the importance, the relevance and the meaning of this country’s national instrument, the steelpan, to communities where they exist.

To Be A Renegade, a documentary directed by film-maker James O’Connor and produced with significant sponsorship and involvement of bpTT, is a story about the birth, the beginnings and the endurance of the band, known for decades now as BP Renegades.

From its birth in the heartland of the depressed East Port of Spain district, the band grew into a compelling force for positivity, headquartered on upper Charlotte Street.

Great focus was placed in this story, on the work of the band in nurturing young talent, with the existence of a junior band, which has captured the Junior Panorama title on four successive occasions.

It is the band management’s philosophy in action, of playing its part in coming between the energy of the area’s youth, and the possibility of falling into the society’s social cracks.

The members and the leadership of this “young Renegades” outfit tell their own tales, in their own words, about acknowledging the challenges, and equally about helping to provide alternatives for their peers. They learn the elements of leadership, of organisation, of social structure and of focus and discipline.

Festival de Cine de Trinidad y Tobago

Film Festival season is here and there are exciting times ahead for film enthusiasts and industry practitioners.
The trinidad + tobago film festival (ttff) recently unveiled its itinerary for a weeklong film festival that will not only showcase and recognise the best films and the best talent in the industry,The festivities will run from September 19 to 26 and will involve activities such as training and outreach across the country to promote the production of local movies.

The line-up for this season is quite impressive with the spotlight on local and regional films, workshops and discussions. Filmgoers can look forward to just about 120 feature-length, short and experimental narrative and documentary films from the Caribbean and its diaspora and contemporary world cinema will be screened including five feature films and more than 30 short and experimental films from Trinidad and Tobago.

In recognition of National Patriotism Month which is observed in this country from August 31 to September 24, the ttff has partnered with the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts to showcase a day of screenings of local short and feature films. The screenings will be held on Republic Day, September 24, at MovieTowne Port of Spain, San Fernando and Tobago.

Feminist Cinema

Three days of screenings of films by or about women will screen at this year’s trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff). Stories from a female point of view, highlighting political, economic or cultural discourse about women’s lives and critiquing the power structures holding gender inequality in place will feature. The free screenings will be followed by facilitated discussions on some of the issues raised.

The Power of Women in Film

UN Women, TT Film Festival + UWI highlight the power of women in film.

The T&T Film Festival is partnering with UN Women and the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), UWI to present The Power of Women in Film on September 22 from 9 am at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

The day of panels and presentations will include speakers from across the region who explore depictions of women and girls and how film can be used to address issues of violence against women, objectification, gender inequality and female empowerment. Short films will be incorporated into the programme to help illustrate some of the issues being discussed. The Power of Women in Film initiative is free, and individuals and organisations interested in the issues are invited to attend.

A release said the Power of Women in Film will be followed by three days of feminist cinema, from September 22-24, also at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

The three days of screenings of films by or about women will present stories from a female point of view, highlighting political, economic or cultural discourse about women’s lives and critiquing the power structures holding gender inequality in place. The free screenings will be followed by facilitated discussions on some of the issues raised.

The Power of Women in Film

Highlights from “The Power Of Women In Film at 2017 trinidad+tobago film festival hosted by Jillia Cato. www.gtcaribbeannetwork.tv

UN Women, TT Film Festival + UWI Highlight the Power of Women in Film

The trinidad+tobago film festival is partnering with UN Women and the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), UWI  to present The Power of Women in Film, on Friday, September 22 from 9am, at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

The day of panels and presentations will include speakers from across the region who explore depictions of women and girls and how film can be used to address issues of violence against women, objectification, gender inequality and female empowerment. Short films will be incorporated into the programme to help illustrate some of the issues being discussed. The Power of Women in Film initiative is free, and individuals and organisations interested in the issues are invited to attend.

The Power of Women in Film will be followed by three days of feminist cinema, from September 22 – 24, also at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

Women in Film (ttff/17)

The Power of Women in Film

Friday 22 Sept 9.00am–4.00pm, Hyatt Regency Hotel

UN Women, the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, UWI and ttff present a day of panels and presentations on the Power of Women in Film. Speakers from across the region will explore depictions of women and girls and how filmmakers can, and do, address issues of gender inequality and female empowerment, through film.

Please register for all panels and presentations in advance. Registration begins from 8.00am Admission is FREE.


Feminist Cinema

Three days of screenings of films by or about women that present stories from a female point of view, highlighting political, economic or cultural discourse about women’s lives and critiquing the power structures holding gender inequality in place. The free screenings will be followed by facilitated discussions. All screenings with the exception of 3 Bellezas will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

3 Bellezas (3 Beauties)

Friday 22 Sept 10.30am, MovieTowne, POS – Objectification

Carlos Caridad-Montero / 2014 / Venezuela / 97 minutes / 16

Perla’s obsession with having a beauty queen in the family instigates rivalry between her two daughters – for her affection and for the crown, in this dark comedy with a satirical message about the value placed on women’s bodies, perpetuated by a beauty industry intent on serving its own ends.

Mustang

Friday 22 Sept, 7.00pm- Violence against Women + Girls

Deniz Gamze Ergüven / 2015 / France + Turkey / 94 minutes / 18+

When five sisters in a small village in Turkey stop to play innocently with some boys on their way home from school, their uncle is outraged. Suddenly home is transformed into a prison; school is banned and marriages start being arranged. It will take all their female ingenuity to overcome these constraints.

La Matamoros with Q+A

Saturday 23 Sept 5.00pm – Empowerment

Delfina Vidal / 2017 / Panama / 60 minutes / PG

A factory seamstress in the 1940s, she became a unionist and international activist, fighting for the rights of women, workers and her countrymen. The fearless Marta Matamoros couldn’t be bribed or intimidated, despite being imprisoned numerous times. Her former sisters-in-arms recount her inspiring life with love and admiration.

Chocó

Saturday 23 Sept 7.00pm – Violence against Women + Girls

Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza / 2012 / Colombia / 80 minutes / 18+

Chocó, who lives with her abusive husband and their children, is strapped for cash and desperate to buy a cake for her daughter’s birthday. The village shopkeeper is more than willing to provide it – but at what price? A hymn to female resilience and endurance in the face of societal violence.

Rain

Sunday 24 Sept 6.30pm – Female Empowerment

Maria Govan / 2008 / The Bahamas / 93 minutes / 14+

Fourteen-year-old Rain had always dreamed of uniting with her estranged mother, but her dreams don’t match her reality. Her mother, a prostitute and drug addict, forces Rain to search deep within herself for the strength to find her own place in the world.

Ixcanul

Sunday 24 Sept 8.30pm – Violence against Women + Girls

Jayro Bustamante / 2015 / Guatemala + France / 93 minutes / 16+

María, a 17-year-old Mayan girl, dreams of going to the big city. An indigenous woman, trapped by an imminent arranged marriage, she has no opportunity to change her destiny. Then, in a life- threatening twist, she is forced to go to the city, at great cost.