A number of films made a big impression at the ttff/11. And we’re happy to report that since then, some of those films have continued to impress elsewhere.

Better Mus’ Come, the debut film of Jamaica’s Storm Saulter, won the audience prize at the ttff/11 for best narrative feature. Since then it has gone on to cop the audience award for best feature at the Bahamas International Film Festival, and next month will make its North American debut, first in Canada at the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) Bell Lightbox, then in the US and New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center.

We’re also pleased to note that Sing Your Song, the documentary portrait of ttff/11 Lifetime Achievement Award winner Harry Belafonte, was shortlisted for the Academy Award for best documentary, narrowly missing out on a nomination itself.

Finally, the documentary Senna, directed by Asif Kapadia, has been nominated for three BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards, including best documentary and best British film.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the progress of these films, and all the other past ttff selections that meet with success.

UPDATE: Chico & Rita, the heart-stopping opening-night film of the ttff/11, has been nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature.

Photo: Better Mus’ Come

Free film screenings this weekend in Mayaro will round out the programme of events for the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) for 2011.

Presented in association with bpTT, the Big Mayaro Movie Weekend takes place this Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 December at the Mayaro Resource Centre.

The excitement begins on Saturday with a screening of the Brazilian film Besouro, a ttff/11 selection. Set in the early 1900s, Besouro is a spellbinding action-fantasy that tells the story of a great capoeirista (Brazilian martial artist) with mystical powers, who rises up to defend his people against the brutal local sugar plantation bosses.

Along with the film there will be a barbecue, bar and DJ music. Gates open at 6pm and the movie, which is for persons ages 14 years and older, starts at 7pm.

Then on Sunday there will be a family day, with a screening of Wind Jammers, also a ttff/11 selection. Wind Jammers is an uplifting, feelgood film that follows Justice, a teenage American girl, who moves to the Bahamas and must face down prejudice at the exclusive yacht club when she attempts to learn how to sail. The film will be preceded by some short Kenyan animations, Tinga Tinga Tales. The screenings are for all ages.

Also on Sunday there will be such activities as bouncy castles, food stalls, live parang, and swimming in the centre’s pool. Gates open at 1pm and the screenings begin at 2pm. Entry to both days’ events is free of charge.

Image: A still from Besouro

Free film screenings in three communities—Belmont, Mayaro and Tobago—will round out the trinidad+tobago film festival’s events for the year.

On 5 December at the Technical Vocational Centre for Persons with Disability in Tobago, there will be a screening of the film Body and Soul. An uplifting documentary from Mozambique about persons with physical disabilities who have overcome prejudice to lead full, successful lives, the film will be screened to an audience comprising the centre’s students, their parents and teachers.

Next, on 15 December, a screening will be held at the Belmont Community Centre. This is taking place in association with bpTT and the Retiree-Adolescent Partnership, a mentorship organisation which brings at-risk youths together with retirees.

Finally, there will be screenings over two days—17 and 18 December—at the Mayaro Resource Centre, also in association with bpTT. On the evening of the 17th there will be a community lime, with a film screening accompanied by a barbecue. Then on the 18th there will be a family day, which will include film screenings, games and other activities.

Thanks to all our fans for making 2011 such a successful one for us. We’ll be back in the new year with an exciting programme of events, leading up to the ttff/12.

Photo: A shot from Body and Soul (Matthieu Bron, 2011)

The awards ceremony of the trinidad+tobago film festival 2011 was held last evening at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook. Here is a list of all the winners.

Jury awards
Best narrative feature: Jean Gentil, Israel Cárdenas & Laura Guzmán
Best documentary feature: Hit Me with Music, Miquel Galofré
Best short film: 10 Ave Maria, Juan Francisco Pardo & Ryan Oduber

Special mention, best narrative feature: Boleto al paraíso, Gerardo Chijona
Special mention, best documentary feature: When the Drum is Beating, Whitney Dow
Special mention, best short film: Classical Steel, John Barry

Best local feature: ’70: Remembering a Revolution: Alex de Verteuil & Elizabeth Topp
Best local short: Sweet Fries, Renée Pollonais
Best actor in a local film: Gerry Bednob, The Rise and Fall of John Tesoro
Best actress in a local film: Dionese Sylvester, Sweet Fries

People’s choice awards
Best narrative feature: Better Mus’ Come, Storm Saulter
Best documentary feature: Hit Me with Music, Miquel Galofré
Best short: Chinee Girl, Natalie Wei

Social awareness award
Positive & Pregnant, Stacy Lela

Focus: Filmmakers’ Immersion pitch session winner
Maria Govan

Graduate Film Development Award
Francesca Hawkins

Lifetime Achievement Award
Harry Belafonte

Image: A still from Jean Gentil

Director/writer: Nicole Brooks
2010, Trinidad+Tobago
English
Dramatic short / 34 minutes

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A celebration of the spirit of enslaved Africans, who were able to preserve some of their culture and ritual practices in the new lands where they were taken to by force. Journeying through spirit to a period of ancestor reverence and ritual, a little boy experiences history on the shores of the ocean, through song, dance and rhythm. The film pays homage to the Orishas, and celebrates one of the rich cultural legacies of the Caribbean.

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Nicole Brooks has over 10 years’ experience in Canadian film, television and in the performing arts, as a filmmaker, actress, playwright, teacher and art activist. Among her credits are the critically acclaimed documentary A Linc in Time, the documentary series Echo and The Sistas Concert. Her next film is a portrait of American actress and singer, Salome Bey.

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Wed 21 Sept 12.00pm + Thur 29 Sept 2.00pm, MovieTowne, Port of Spain

Director: Karen Martinez
2011, Trinidad + Tobago / UK
English
Documentary short / 7 minutes

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At this moment in the UK, at least 2,600 trafficked women are being exploited in prostitution. Marginal Voices is a theatre project in London that allows formerly trafficked women to speak in their own words. This film looks at a number of these women as they rebuild their lives, and find their voice through drama.

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After graduating from film school in London, Karen Martinez returned to her native Trinidad and Tobago, where she worked as a producer and director for the Banyan television series Gayelle. Later on in London she made a number of films for Channel 4, including Kaiso for July 27, a lyrical documentary about the 1990 attempted coup. She is currently making a film about Viv Albertine, ex-member of the seminal all-women punk band, the Slits.

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

Directors: Various
2011, T&T
English
Dramatic shorts / 75minutes (total package)

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A programme of the winning films from this year’s Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools’ Short Films Festival.

These films are presented in association with the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company and supported by bpTT.

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Sun 25 Sept 12:00pm + Sat 01 Oct 12:00pm, The Little Carib Theatre

Director: Marcia Weekes
2009, Barbados
English
Narrative feature / 104 minutes / 16+

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A riveting drama that looks into a family ravaged by an undercurrent of drugs, violence and abuse. Life for 15-year-old Mikisha has been tough since she became pregnant for her boyfriend. Her mother, Darlene, is a single mom with financial problems and her boyfriend’s life continues on a downward spiral into drugs. But then she meets her wealthy father and her sister. Are they the answer to her dreams or her worst nightmare?

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Marcia Weekes is a Jamaican filmmaker who lives in Barbados. She is Artistic Director of Praise Academy of Dance, a company that has toured the Caribbean and abroad with its successful musical productions. Weekes has won several awards for Hush 2, the second in a three-part series of movies.

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Mon 26 Sept 2.00pm*, MovieTowne

Director: Oscar Ruiz Navia
2009, Colombia
Spanish, with English subtitles
Narrative feature / 88 minutes / 18+

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Daniel is a young man looking to flee the country. He makes his way to the coast, where he encounters an Afro-Colombian community. While waiting for a boat, he is drawn into the languid rhythm of life and the village intrigues. He also comes into conflict with a fellow outsider, who is in this remote area intent on building a tourist resort. An atmospheric and poetic film, told with an almost documentary-like realism.

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Oscar Ruiz Navia was born in Calí, Colombia, and studied at the National Film and TV School of Colombia. He created his own production company, Contravía Films, in 2006. Crab Trap, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, is his first feature film.

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Mon 26 Sept 7.00pm + Wed 28 Sept 4.30pm, The Little Carib Theatre

Director: Stevan Riley
2011, UK
English
Documentary feature / 87 minutes

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From the late 1970s right through the 1980s, the West Indies cricket team did not lose a single Test series—and thus became one of the greatest teams in sporting history. This is the electrifying story of how they did it, in their own words. During a politically and socially turbulent era, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and the players they led combined skill, discipline and a fearless spirit to dominate the game on their own terms. In the process they struck a blow at the forces of prejudice worldwide, and lifted the pride of a region.

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A graduate of Oxford University, Stevan Riley worked in advertising before becoming a documentary filmmaker. His first film, Rave Against the Machine (2002), tells the story of a group of musicians during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, while his second, Blue Blood (2006), follows the fortunes of five Oxford students who join the university’s boxing club.

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