The trinidad+tobago film festival programming team is growing!
We’re looking for an established, international programmer with experience in programming for medium-sized film festivals to join our ttff/22 programming committee! The selected applicant will be passionate about expanding the international cinema landscape to include the stories of under-represented and marginalised groups from the Global South, in particular, the Caribbean. The role will include bringing new titles for consideration to the attention of the programming committee and reviewing and selecting films submitted via Film Freeway.
To apply, please write a page (no more than 450 words) about a scene from a favourite movie explaining, in particular, why you think the scene works; also send your CV or professional bio (be sure to include a list of the festivals for which you currently programme). Email us at hello@ttfilmfestival.com by Monday 21 March with “Application for Programming Position” in the subject line.
ttff/22, 21-27 September 2022. ttff/22 will include new shorts, and features, narrative films, documentaries and experimental films, which explore the Caribbean experience.
infosession: introducing locarno film festival’s ‘open doors’ programme
We’re delighted to be facilitating an InfoSession with the renowned Locarno Film Festival on their upcoming ‘Open Doors’ programme, a development initiative that shines a light on emerging filmmaking countries and contributes to their sustainable growth. For the next cycle of the ‘Open Doors’ programme, the focus will be on Latin America and the Caribbean. With 22 countries ready to be part of the section, Locarno’s Sophie Bourdon notes: “20 years after the launch of Open Doors and its first focus on Cuba, we are excited to explore today’s vibrant cinematographic scene of such a diverse region.”
Please note, this is a closed Zoom session, so pre-registration is required.
The 2022-2024 cycle will focus on the LAC region, championing film projects, talents and producers from Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), the Caribbean Islands (Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) and South America (Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela).
365 days
Alongside Open Doors coproduction Hub, producers Lab and screenings taking place during the Locarno Film Festival in August, the initiative offers a year-long online program, with its Hotline and Consultancy services, as well as its knowledge-sharing and networking web platform ToolBox.
One global community
Thanks to its two successive cycles in Asia, Open Doors has developed a strongly collaborative and like-minded community of more than 1’000 talents that is now curious to connect with their peers from the LAC region. “Despite different local specificities, filmmakers from all over the world have much more in common than what they think. With the support of digital tools such as the ToolBox, they can now easily connect with each other, share experiences, and explore collaboration opportunities beyond their borders. With our community going global, we think Open Doors can bring hope to professionals for a better future despite the very challenging times they are all going through”.
One Vision
The new Open Doors focus allows Locarno Pro to join forces and to fully embrace Latin America and the Caribbean. By exchanging views, discoveries and programs that will enhance international visibility and strengthen collaborations at the heart of the Locarno Film Festival, doors will be also open to more structured film industries such as Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Chile.
A unique initiative
Organized from the outset jointly with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Open Doors sidebar section is designed to assist and spotlight directors and their films from independent cinemas in the Global South and East. Open Doors also contributes to the diversity of the international filmmaking scene, offering space and visibility to diversified perspectives and debates. Open Doors is organized by Locarno Pro as part of the Locarno Film Festival and enjoys support from and collaborations with numerous European and international organizations.
about Locarno Film Festival
Throughout its 73-year history, the Locarno Film Festival has occupied a unique position in the landscape of the major film festivals. Every August, for eleven days the Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, becomes the world capital of auteur cinema. Thousands of film fans and industry professionals meet here every summer to share their thirst for new discoveries and a passion for cinema in all its diversity. In Locarno they find a quality program, rich, eclectic, surprising, and where emerging talent rubs shoulders with prestigious guests.
in competition: youth jury films
Under the mentorship of film critic and ttff/21 festival programmer, BC Pires, the Youth Jury allows young people to take part in reasoned, if passionate, debate about film. Many jury members have gone on to study film at university and several now work in the industry. The Youth Jury has proved to be a gateway and developmental path for young future film industry professionals. The Youth Jury views and considers for award recognition, films which focus on young protagonists dealing with coming-of-age issues, challenges and triumphs.
We are honoured to introduce the jury members who will be judging the competition films at ttff/21. Each jury is given a list of criteria on which they must score each film. Marks for each film are collated, and the film with the highest overall score in any given category wins the jury prize for that category.
narrative jury
Vashti Anderson Vashti Anderson is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. Her background includes an MFA in Film from New York University, independent film and television crewing experience in New York City, and an award-winning filmmaking and writing career. Her recent narrative feature film, “Moko Jumbie”, had its world premiere at LA Film Festival and ended its festival run at Edinburgh International Film Festival, also screening at Bentonville, Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam, Caribbean Film Series at BAMcinematek, ttff and others. It won the Chris Columbus/Richard Vague Film Production Award, the Canon Filmmaker Award from Film Independent, Best Screenplay at the Bahamas IFF Filmmaker Residency Program and Best Screenplay at Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival. It is currently being distributed by Indiepix, playing on Amazon Prime and other platforms.
Diana Cadavid Diana Cadavid is a Colombian/Canadian curator of film and new media, with wide experience in international film festivals. She’s currently the artistic director of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) and the Festival Internacional de Cine de Cali (FICCALI) and Ibero–American programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Cadavid has also worked as associate director of program and industry for the Miami Film Festival (MFF) and director of programming for the International Film Festival of Panama (IFF Panamá). Diana produced and edited the short films “Breathe the Night”, “Bleiben”, “Still Life with Echo” and “Define Solidarity”, directed by Álvaro Girón. She was the production manager for the feature film, “Mañana a esta hora” (“This Time Tomorrow”) by Lina Rodriguez.
Kareem Mortimer Kareem Mortimer is a Bahamian director of narrative films, documentaries, music videos, commercials and experimental films. He believes in creating unique, powerful and beautiful images that resonate with audiences long after being seen. His films have been distributed in 40 countries with airings on PBS, Aspire, Showtime, NBC, Logo and Canal 22. His feature films include “Cargo” and “Children of God”; television shows include “Hip-Hop Nation: Notes from the Underground”, “The Electronic Lounge”, “This Is Paradise” and “Extraordinary Cuisine”. Over the course of his career, Kareem has won over 35 awards for his work, including two Icon Awards and an African Movie Academy Award. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab. He served as curator of the film programme at The Island House Cinema for five years and creative director of The Island House Film Festival for three years.
documentary jury
Jonathan Ali Jonathan Ali is a film curator and programmer. Based in London, he is director of programming for Third Horizon Film Festival in Miami, Florida. He is a programme consultant for Sheffield DocFest and London’s Open City Documentary Festival; a programmer for the experimental Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival in Scotland; and a programmer for the international features section of Tribeca Film Festival. He is a member of Criterion’s Curatorial Advisory Board and the UK’s Independent Cinema Office’s Screening Days Advisory Group. Previously, he had programming roles at London’s East End Film Festival, trinidad+tobago film festival and TIFF. He is co-founder of The Twelve30 Collective, which screens Caribbean cinema in the UK, and is a 2021 Flaherty Seminar Fellow.
Selwyn Jacob Selwyn Jacob joined the National Film Board’s BC & Yukon Studio in 1997 and went on to produce over 50 NFB films. His many credits include “Crazywater”, directed by Inuvialuit filmmaker Dennis Allen; “Hue: A Matter of Colour”, directed by Vic Sarin and “Mighty Jerome”, written and directed by Charles Officer. Jacob’s most recent feature documentary credits include Mina Shum’s “Ninth Floor” about the infamous Sir George Williams Riot of 1969, which was selected for TIFF’s 2015 annual top ten list of Best Canadian Films, and Baljit Sangra’s “Because We Are Girls”, exploring the impact of sexual abuse on a conservative Indo-Canadian family living in small-town British Columbia. Selwyn retired from the NFB in June, 2019. Selwyn has since returned to the private sector as an independent producer/director.
Karen McMullen Karen McMullen is a features programmer at Tribeca Film Festival and DOC NYC Film Festival, director of programming at the TIDE Film Festival, and screens for Sundance Film Festival. She’s a juror at the Pan African and Bentonville Film Festivals, Black Public Media and the Cinema Eye Honors. She moderates live and virtual filmmaker Q+As and panels for the African Film Festival, Pure Nonfiction, Netflix, NYWIFT, Women Make Movies and HBO screenings. She’s a frequent guest speaker on television, radio and at filmmaking organisations. A Brown University graduate, McMullen is a post-production professor at Long Island University. She has picture and sound editing credits on features, documentaries, and short films.
new media jury
Dr. Daniela Fifi Dr. Daniela Fifi is an art educator and curator who has worked in museums and galleries in the Caribbean and US. She is the former chief curator at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas and former curatorial specialist at The National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a doctoral graduate in Art and Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute, New York and a Master of Arts in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Manchester, UK. Her doctoral research focuses on Caribbean art and intercultural programming in museums. Daniela has been awarded several fellowships and awards during her career including the New York State Assembly, Caribbean Life Impact Award; the Museum Education Research Fellowship at the Whitney Museum of American Art; and the Samuel H. Kress Interpretive Fellowship. She is currently the managing editor of Small Axe Visualities: A Caribbean Platform for Criticism, a project of the Small Axe Journal and also serves on the peer-review board for Viewfinder and The Art Education Journal, journals of the National Art Education Association (USA).
Zak Ové Zak Ové is a British/Caribbean artist with a multidisciplinary practice across sculpture, film and photography. His work is informed, in part, by the history and lore carried through the African diaspora to the Caribbean, Britain and beyond, with particular focus on traditions of masking and masquerade as tools of self emancipation. Ové’s solo presentation “The Invisible Man and The Masque of Blackness” – 40 sculptures exhibited alongside works by Rodin – was on view in the B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden at LACMA, Los Angeles, CA from (2019). Ové has presented solo sculpture installations in the Great Hall at the British Museum, London, UK; San Francisco Civic Centre, San Francisco, CA; Forecourt of Somerset House, London; The Ford Foundation, NY; The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; and The Slavery Museum, Liverpool among others. Ové’s work features in a number of museum collections, as well as in private foundations, including the British Museum, London; Newark Museum, New Jersey; Pérez Art Museum Miami, Florida and many others. He curated the seminal and widely-acclaimed exhibition, “Get up, Stand up now: Generations of Black Creative Pioneers” at Somerset House, London in 2019.
Oneika Russell Oneika Russell is a Jamaican artist whose current art practice focuses on investigating the trope of the othered native within the paradigm of “paradise” and tourism industries. Her current work borrows imagery, techniques, and formats from the culture of craft and souvenir-making in the Caribbean, such as wall hangings, postcards and gift items. The objects and videos made explore how Afro-based figurative imagery is used as a tool in presenting culture and people as consumable products. The imagery created also investigates the role of trade, migration and unofficial economies as direct influencers of how representation occurs. Russell’s major presentations include “At the Crossroads: Critical Film and Video from the Caribbean” at Perez Museum of Art Miami in 2016 and the 2018 Dakar Biennial.
student films jury
Carver Bacchus Carver Bacchus has worked as a communications consultant since 2008 and has created documentaries, animations, corporate videos and communications programmes for a wide range of clients, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme, The German Embassy, Port of Spain, The University of the West Indies and the Institute of Marine Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago. He is the founder and managing director of Sustain T&T, a not-for-profit focused on environmental and economic sustainability education. He is also the founder and festival director of Green Screen, the Environmental Film Festival, the only environmental and sustainability-themed film festival in the English-speaking Caribbean. Carver holds a BSc in Communications and has other specialist training including a Diploma in Motion Picture Directing, a Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communication for Behavioral Impact in Health and Social Development (COMBI) and the Scrum Master I designation.
Asha Lovelace Asha Lovelace made her directing debut with the short film, “George and the Bicycle Pump”,then produced and directed the feature film, “Joebell and America”, based on a short story by her father, renowned writer Earl Lovelace. A former lecturer at the University of the West Indies, part of Lovelace’s focus has been on developing a more distinct Caribbean vision and aesthetic in film. Founder/festival director of Africa Film Trinidad and Tobago (AFTT), Asha is also the regional secretary for the Caribbean diaspora of the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI).
Annette Nias Annette Niasis film commissioner with the National Cultural Foundation in Barbados. For the past five decades she has played roles which include performer, director, producer and stage manager at many concerts, plays, musicals, festivals, fashion shows, film and television productions, etc., in Barbados and abroad. Nias functioned in several arts development and technical/production capacities with the National Cultural Foundation from its inception in 1983 until 2015, when she was appointed Film Commissioner with the Cultural Industries Development Authority.
ttff/21 punches above its weight in second year online
For immediate release
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD, 3 September 2021 – On Wednesday 1 September 2021, trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) held a virtual press conference for its 16th edition, which officially starts on September 22, 2021. The festival, which has played an essential role in providing a platform for Caribbean filmmakers to screen their projects, joined with established corporate partners to announce the highly anticipated online activities – film screenings, workshops, and masterclasses hosted by industry veterans.
At the press conference, Lisa Burkett, Manager of Corporate Communications – National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC), highlighted the thirteen-year sponsorship of ttff by the energy company as one that is appreciated and necessary to support the film industry. “Our films tell our stories; they support livelihoods and add value to our economy; they package our culture into a commodity we can share. We are extremely proud of the groundbreaking work the ttff has done since its inception to promote and preserve our local culture, and to give our storytellers and creative visionaries a platform to be seen and heard,” Burkett said. Other notable sponsors and partners on board with ttff/21, include Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited, Republic Bank Limited (RBL), the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) FilmTT and the US Embassy in Port of Spain.
With a packed schedule of 120 films and 22 industry events to be held online, ttff/21 plans to exceed expectations for the annual event, even during these challenging Covid-19 times. Creative online solutions have been designed for audiences to be safe and comfortable while watching films that might not be seen anywhere else.
The Opening Night of the festival will consist of premieres of ‘Candela’ by accomplished filmmaker and video artist, Andrés Farías, from the Dominican Republic, and ‘Mano Santa’by multi-winning awardee Stephanie Camacho Casillas from Puerto Rico. Audiences can also expect a retrospective of 6 films in tribute to vanguard Trinidad and Tobago director and photographer, Horace Ové, with screenings of some of his most recognised and groundbreaking work, such as King Carnival and Pressure. ‘Limin Live’ – one-on-one talk sessions with industry personalities from across the region, will also be a one-of-a-kind activity for film enthusiasts. Additionally, two prize categories – Jury Prizes and Special Awards, will be included in this year’s competition.
Better Mus’ Come kicks off ttff’s curfew cinema!
ttff’s Curfew Cinema screenings kick off this Friday (09 July) with Jamaican filmmaker, Storm Saulter’s feature film debut, Better Mus’ Come! To beat the lockdown blues, Friday nights in July are just the ticket! Starting 09 July, we’ll show a different ttff favourite every Friday from 4PM to 5AM (EST). Tickets cost TT$35 (US$5) and are payable via credit card or online bank transfer. Movies will be streamed on thett film festival website and are available WORLDWIDE!
Click the green button below to purchase your tickets. Or, email info@filmco.org to arrange a bank transfer. Don’t forget, ONE TICKET = ONE MOVIE!
“Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes… There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe.”
Director Steven Spielberg describes his long time collaborator, composer John Williams
Music is one of those intangible things that can transform how audiences interpret and experience a film. In this way, film score composers are like conductors, directing the way that audiences feel and extracting emotion. Join us for our next ttff talk, when we’ll be sitting down for an intimate and wide-ranging discussion on creativity, inspiration, and finding the right note, with composerDominique Le Gendre.
When: 1pm AST, 21 April 2021 Where: Facebook Live @ttfilmfestival
Dominique Le Gendre composed and produced music for all 38 Shakespeare plays for the audio collection, The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare. Her musical trajectory spans performance, musical direction, teaching, curation, producing music events and compositions for theatre, dance, art installations, film, television and radio drama for BBC Radio. She is a former Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House, her chamber music and operas have been commissioned and performed by numerous ensembles including the Royal Opera House Soloists, Philharmonia Orchestra, Manning Camerata, Tête-a-tête Opera, Ibis Ensemble, Metamorphosis Dance and Natalia Dopwell. Her musical-theatre work, Jab Molassie with libretto by Bassist Caitlyn Kamminga was produced by Calabash Foundation for the Arts, premiering at the Little Carib Theatre. Dominique trained as a classical guitarist in Paris with Ramon de Herrera while composing music for experimental films and assisting Haitian filmmaker Elsie Haas on her documentary La Ronde des Vaudou. She is the artistic director of the UK arts charity StrongBack Productions.
ttff talks is geared towards inspiring and motivating film and television practitioners in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, by creating a forum for in-depth and wide-ranging one-on-one conversations about the art and creativity, business, joys and challenges of working in the film and television industry.
We Limin’ Live
We’re delighted to announce a new ttff initiative, Limin’ Live – an informal, 20-minute, one-on-one chat, with creative and film industry folks, about the art, business, joys and challenges of working in film and television. Limin’ Live will take place every Monday at 5pm AST on Instagram live @ttfilmfestival, and subsequently made available on igtv. We hope the chats will be inspiring, entertaining, and interesting to a varied audience of creative practitioners in the Caribbean.
We’ll be limin’ live with filmmaker, Ian Harnarine on Monday 01 March at 5pm AST.
Ian Harnarine’s films include work for TED and Sesame Street, one of which earned an Emmy nomination. Harnarine’s film Doubles With Slight Pepper, executive produced by Spike Lee, won the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canadian Academy Award. Caroni, the story of a West-Indian domestic worker in New York premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and continues to be screened at festivals around the world. Harnarine is currently adapting David Chariandy’s landmark novel, Soucouyant and a feature adaptation of Doubles With Slight Pepper.
Ian was selected by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film, profiled in the New York Times and named one of Playback Magazine’s Ten to Watch. Ian has a MFA from New York University’s Graduate Film School, and is a member of the National Board of Review, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and the Television Academy.
Tune in to IG Live at 5pm AST on Monday 01 March for limin’ live with Ian Harnarine!
UPDATE: The ttff/21 call for submissions is now closed and we will not be accepting any new submissions for 2021.
The trinidad+tobago film festival is pleased to announce the call for submissions for ttff/21, our 16th edition! Submissions can be made through our festival portal on Film Freeway.
Deadlines: Early bird: 05 March, 2021 Regular: 16 April, 2021 Late: 21 May, 2021 Extended late deadline: 31 May 2021
The ttff seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of fiction and documentary feature and short films made in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and its diaspora. The Festival therefore accepts submissions from Caribbean filmmakers in the region and in the diaspora; and international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora. Submissions must have been completed after 01 January 2019. For full submission guidelines and categories, please visit our portal on Film Freeway.
ttff/21 will include new shorts, and features, narrative films, documentaries and experimental films, which explore the Caribbean experience. Filmmakers – whether student, emerging or established – with films that fit our criteria are welcome to apply! Our 2021 festival will be a hybrid, with a combination of online and in-person events and screenings – as required by Trinidad & Tobago Government regulations.
Our training and professional development programmes will continue to be a core offering of ttff in 2021, and will include, Masterclasses (intensive 3-day workshops led by international industry professionals), filmmaker panels, introductory industry workshops and presentations, and youth-focused mentorship and training.
If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our frequently asked questions or drop us a line at hello@ttfilmfestival.com.
We’re delighted be be screening two of this year’s award-winning filmsat our first backyard cinema!
Join us Friday 13 November at 22 Jerningham Ave, Belmont, for in-person screenings of “Unbroken” and “I don’t call it Ghetto”. Tickets cost $35 each and must be purchased in advance for one of two showtimes: 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
Films will be screened in compliance with health and safety guidelines for masks, size of the gathering, and social distancing.
Unbroken: Jamaican amputee Laron Williamson takes up rowing with the aim of competing in the Paralympic Games. When he learns that the nature of his amputation means that he doesn’t qualify his choices are to give up rowing or compete against able-bodied rowers. “Unbroken” is the inspiring story of how Williamson defies the odds to qualify for the Jamaican Olympic Rowing Team.
I don’t call it ghetto: Single, divorced, mother-of-three, police officer Onika James-Turner has had a life filled with challenges, obstacles and heartache. In “I Don’t Call it Ghetto”, we see how her difficult past has only made her stronger, impelling her to reach for a different life, one in which she could help her community.
