Director: Dylan Verrechia
2010, Mexico
Spanish, with English subtitles
Narrative feature / 62 minutes / 18+

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Aidee Gonzalez (playing herself) is struggling to make something of her life after ridding herself of a marriage to an uncaring man. Aidee supports herself and her children as an exotic dancer at a shabby nightclub, where she meets Rosalba, with whom she falls in love. Aidee and Rosalba decide to start a family of their own, and begin looking for a sperm donor who is handsome—but not so handsome that he will steal Rosalba away.

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Dylan Verrechia is a Caribbean-raised, Danish-French-American cinematographer, director and screenwriter. As a cinematographer he has worked with Spike Lee and Todd Solondz, among others. He made the multiple-award-winning Tierra Madre with a cast of non-actors, a crew of one (himself), and a budget of US$2,000.

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Sun 25 Sept 2.00pm + Thur 29 Sept 2.00pm, The Little Carib Theatre

Director: Steve Rahaman
2011, Trinidad+Tobago / USA
English
Narrative feature / 112 minutes / 14+

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To Be King is the story of Tyrone King, the down-and-out son of a professional boxer. After he loses his family, Tyrone crosses paths with the man who trained his father, and led him to his death in the underground fighting world. Tyrone finds faith in himself to stand up, fall in love and, against all odds, become a champion.

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Steve Rahaman was born in Trinidad, spent his early childhood in Brooklyn, and now resides in Queens, NY. In 2005 he made the decision to spend his tax return money on a video camera and has been making films since. His filmography includes the mafia series Blood Line and the award-winning Christmas Day, as well as several of short films.

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Wed 21 Sept 4.30pm + Tue 04 Oct 2.00pm, MovieTowne
Wed 28 Sept 7.00pm, Mayaro Resource Centre

Director: Michel Drenthe
2009, Curaçao, the Netherlands
Dutch and Papiamentu, with English subtitles
Documentary short / 47 minutes

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The Ricciotti Ensemble is a Dutch symphony orchestra comprised of 40 young musicians. This film recounts a remarkable tour they made of Curaçao, along with renowned local jazz singer Izaline Calister, playing 18 concerts in 18 locations over four consecutive days.

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Michel Drenthe was born in the Netherlands to parents from Curaçao and Suriname. A graduate of the Dutch Academy for Film and Television, he is a past location and production manager for feature films. In 2002 he moved to Curaçao and in 2004 started the production company Caribbean Filmcom. United By Music is his first documentary.

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Sat 24 Sept 3.00pm, APA/UTT, Queen’s Park Savannah South

Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
2006, India, USA
Telugu, with English subtitles
Narrative feature / 111 minutes / PG 13

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Vanaja, the 15-year-old daughter of an impoverished South Indian fisherman, is sent to work for the local landlady in hopes of learning the Kuchipudi dance. She excels at the art, and all is well until the landlady’s adult son returns home from the US. His eye falls on Vanaja, who insults him publicly. Matters escalate, and Vanaja is pitched into a maelstrom of class, family and animus from which there is only one escape.

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Rajnesh Domalpalli was born in Chennai, south India. He studied electrical engineering in India and the US, and worked as a software engineer in California before deciding to take up film. Vanaja, his first feature, was also his thesis film at Columbia University, from which he graduated with an MFA in 2006. He lives in Hyderabad, India.

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Wed 28 Sept 7.00pm + Sun 02 Oct 2.00pm, MovieTowne
Sat 01 Oct 4.30pm,  Centre for Language Learning, UWI
Tue 04 Oct 7.00pm, San Fernando Hill

 

Director: Pim de la Parra
1976, Suriname / The Netherlands
Dutch, Hindustani, Sranan Tongo, with English subtitles
Narrative feature / 111 minutes / PG 13

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Roy is a young black Surinamese studying in Amsterdam. When he learns that his mother is dying, he borrows money from his Dutch girlfriend to return home. There he scandalises everyone when he begins a relationship with Rubia, a Hindu. Will Roy stay with Rubia and remain in his newly independent homeland, or will he follow his family’s wishes and return to Holland? A classic Caribbean film, Suriname’s first feature-length drama, recently and lovingly restored.

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Pim de la Parra was born in Suriname in 1940. After studies at the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam, he began making films in Holland in the 1960s. Wan Pipel, his first film in Suriname, was also the country’s first feature film. In 2008 he received a Golden Calf award from the Dutch Film Festival, in honour of his career in filmmaking.

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Fri 23 Sept 12.00pm*, Institute for Critical Thinking, UWI
Sat 24 Sept 2.00pm*, MovieTowne

Director/writer: Whitney Dow
2011, Haiti
French and Haitian Creole, with English subtitles
Documentary feature / 88 minutes

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For six decades Haiti’s most famous band, Septentrional, has thrilled tens of thousands with their lively, infectious songs. This documentary chronicles the history of the band and blends archival footage with anecdotes from former and current band members. Despite natural disasters, dictatorships and revolutions “Septen” has persevered and continues to inspire and uplift Haiti. Its story is a testimony of triumph and hope amid harsh realities.

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Whitney Dow is an award-winning filmmaker whose directing credits include Two Towns of Jasper, I Sit Where I Want: The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, and Unfinished Country. His work has received numerous honours, including the Peabody, Columbia DuPont, Gotham and Beacon awards.

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Tue 27 Sept 7.00pm + Sat 01 Oct 4.30pm,  MovieTowne 

Directors: Kareem Mortimer, Richard von Maur
2010, The Bahamas / USA
English
Narrative feature / 88 minutes

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Justice is a black teenage girl living in Chicago. When her father accepts a job in the Bahamas, they move there against her will. The family is given membership at the exclusive yacht club, but not everyone is happy with the new American imports. Despite attempts to intimidate her, Justice begins to learn how to sail. She joins the annual children’s regatta, determined to win—and to prove true the motto “One Bahamas”.

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Kareem Mortimer is a Bahamian writer, director, and producer. Children of God (2009), his first feature film, won both the jury and audience awards for best film at ttff/10. Wind Jammers is his second feature.

Rick von Maur is a producer and director originally from the US, now living with his family in the Bahamas. Wind Jammers is his first film.

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Sat 01 Oct 12.00pm, MovieTowne

Director: Christopher Din Chong
2011, Trinidad+Tobago
English
Narrative feature / 87′ / 16+

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Six friends head to a quiet fishing village to make an investigative documentary. What starts out as a routine film shoot in a supposed paradise quickly turns to hell, however, as the friends find themselves preyed upon by a demented family of sadists. Blending classic Hollywood genre conventions with Caribbean folklore, 3 Line promises a cinematic experience that will leave you shocked in your seat.

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A graduate of the UWI Film Programme, St Augustine, Christopher Din Chong has directed several short dramatic and documentary films. 3 Line is his first feature.

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Tue 27 Sept 7.00pm*, The Little Carib Theatre
Mon 03 Oct 4.30pm, MovieTowne

Director: Diana Wynter
2009, Trinidad+Tobago
English
Narrative feature / 98 minutes

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Seventeen-year-old Mandy is a talented high school footballer intent on making her life a success. Her dreams are thwarted, however, when she is forced to leave Trinidad to go and live with her estranged father in Tobago. Mandy must find a way to excel in this new life, even as her personal struggles are intertwined with those of her new family.

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Dianah Wynter was born in New York to Jamaican parents. She holds a first degree from Princeton University and two Masters degrees in directing, from Yale and the American Film Institute. Wynter was nominated for an Emmy award for directing ABC’s Daddy’s Girl, which starred Lauryn Hill. She has also directed episodes of the television series Soul Food and Moesha.

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Wed 28 Sept 2.00pm*, MovieTowne

Fri 30 Sept 7.00pm, Community Centre, Castara, Tobago

Director: Fina Torres
2010, Venezuela / Cuba / France
Spanish, with English subtitles
Narrative feature / 105 minutes / 16 +

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Eva dreams of leaving the Havana factory in which she toils, opening her own dress shop and getting married to her loving but unambitious boyfriend. One day she meets a sophisticated Venezuelan-Cuban photographer and agrees to be his guide to the city. She falls in love and imagines a whole new life with him. But things are not as they seem, and Eva is caught between two men and two worlds. Whom will she choose?

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Venezuelan director Fina Torres studied design, photography and journalism in her native country before moving to Paris to study cinematography. Her directing credits include her award-winning debut feature Oriana (1985), the comedy Celestial Clockwork (1993) and the romantic comedy Woman on Top (2001), starring Penelope Cruz.

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This screening is supported by the Venezuelan Embassy.

Thur 22 Sept 4.30pm* + Thur 29 Sept 7:00pm, MovieTowne, Port of Spain