[fb-like]

Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution, a feature-length documentary about the 1979 Grenada revolution and the murder of prime minister Maurice Bishop four years later, will have its Tobago premiere at the Kariwak Hotel on Sunday November 9, at 6.00pm.

Directed and produced by Bruce Paddington, the film has been screened in sixteen countries since its premiere at the 2013 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff). With successful screenings in England, Canada, North America, Latin America and a number of Caribbean countries, screenings have attracted large audiences, followed by lively Q&A sessions.

The film explores the achievements and shortcomings of the People’s Revolutionary Government (1979-1983) of Grenada as it attempted to forge a new revolutionary society. The film focuses on the year 1983, with gripping and previously unseen archival footage, as well as first-hand recollections of persons who witnessed the tragic events of October 19. It examines the circumstances surrounding the execution of Maurice Bishop and his close colleagues, whose bodies were never recovered. With its multiple perspectives and different narratives, the film raises questions that must be answered about this key event in the recent history of the Caribbean.

Playwright and director Kwame Kwei-Amah calls the film “a spectacular and honest piece of filmmaking” while filmmaker Anup Singh praised “its nuanced concern, compassion and restrained rage”. The film was produced with the assistance of the University of the West Indies, The Fundashon Bon Intenshon, Flow (Columbus Communications), and the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company. The Tobago screening is supported by the ttff and the Kariwak Hotel.

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) is headed to Maracas and Matura this weekend with T&T Film Nights, its free series of community film screenings, sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company.

On Saturday 23 November, in partnership with the Maracas Community Council, a series of short local films will be screened at the Maracas Bay Community Centre from 6.00pm. Dainia Wright’s Mystic Blue explores the relationship between Mystic, a member of the Bobo Shanti faith, and Blue, a strong-willed woman who does not share her boyfriend’s beliefs. Knockabout, meanwhile, a T&T-style neo-noir directed by Emilie Upzack, follows a pair of detectives investigating a kidnapping.

After Mas, directed by Karen Martinez and ttff/13 Jury Prize-winner for Best Local Short Film, is a story about a young man and woman who from different backgrounds who meet and fall for each other during J’ouvert. If I Could Fly, by Maryam Mohammed, the story of a girl who wishes she could take to the sky like a kite, is also in the line-up. Completing the package are One Good Deed by Juliette McCawley—about a young boy’s encounter with some douens—and No Soca, No Life, a rags-to-riches story about an aspiring soca performer, directed by Kevin Adams and starring Terri Lyons.

There will be a free shuttle service to and from the Maracas Bay Community Centre for residents of the area. The shuttle leaves the Blanchisseuse Community Centre at 5.00pm, the La Fillette Community Centre at 5.15pm, and the Las Cuevas Community Centre at 5.30 pm. If you’re interested in using the service, please contact the Maracas Bay Community Council at 384-8074.

The following day, Sunday 24 November, T&T Film Nights will be at Matura Secondary School, from 5.30pm. In addition to Mystic Blue, the lineup contains the hilarious A Home for These Old Bones, a zombie comedy by Julien Silloray, set in Guadeloupe; Alexandra Swait Guild and Sarah Feinbloom’s Earth, Water, Woman, the inspiring story of the Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project; Renee Pollonais’ comedy Sweet Fries; and Til D Well Run Dry, a film by the students of Matura Secondary School.

There will also be a presentation by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism on the National Registry of Artists and Cultural Workers. The Matura screening is held in association with the Nature Seekers Group, and will follow the group’s Christmas craft and family fair.

A number of the directors whose films are screening will be present for Q&A sessions on both days. Admission to T&T Film Nights is free. Audiences will receive free T-shirts, bags, cups, popcorn and other giveaways on a first-come, first-served basis.

Image: A still from A Home for These Old Bones

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) continues to expand its community film outreach programme with T&T Film Nights. From 16 November to 01 December, the ttff will present a series of five free community-based film screenings in Moruga, Mausica, Maracas Bay, Matura and Buccoo in Tobago. T&T Film Nights is an ongoing series of free community cinema sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, one of the ttff’s leading sponsors.

On Saturday 16 November at 6pm residents of Moruga will have the opportunity to see No Bois Man No Fraid, an uplifting and eye-opening documentary on stickfighting set in the Moruga community. A ttff/13 selection directed by Christopher Laird, the film is based on story of Keegan Taylor and Rondell Benjamin, two young martial arts experts from the Moruga Bois Institute. Taylor and Benjamin are also producers of the film and will join Laid in a question-and-answer session after the film, which screens at the Moruga Composite School.

Then on Wednesday 20 November, in a closed screening, cadets of the MILAT Military Academy in Mausica will learn about the healing, transformative power of music through another ttff/13 selection, Songs of Redemption. The story of a music rehabilitation programme in a Jamaican prison, the film was co-winner of the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the ttff/13, as well as the People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary. Co-director of the film Miquel Galofré will attend the screening. Pothound, the popular short film by Christopher and Leizelle Guinness, will also be screened.

The following Saturday, on 23 November, the Maracas Bay Community Centre will be transformed into a temporary cinema as six short films are screened, from 6pm. Dainia Wright’s Mystic Blue explores the relationship between Mystic, a member of the Bobo Shanti faith, and Blue, a strong-willed woman who does not share her boyfriend’s beliefs. Knockabout, meanwhile, is a T&T-style neo-noir directed by Emilie Upzack. After Mas, directed by Karen Martinez and ttff/13 Jury Prize-winner for Best Local Short Film, is a story about a young man and woman from different backgrounds who meet and fall for each other during J’ouvert. If I Could Fly, by Maryam Mohammed, the story of a little girl who wishes she could take to the sky like a kite, will also join the line-up. Completing the package are One Good Deed by Juliette McCawley—about a young boy’s encounter with some douens—and No Soca, No Life, a rags-to-riches story about an aspiring soca performer, directed by Kevin Adams and starring Terri Lyons. This screening is presented in association with the Maracas Bay Community Council.

On Sunday 24 November the ttff teams up with the Nature Seekers group to present another series of short films, at the Matura Secondary School. In addition to Mystic Blue, there’s the hilarious A Home for These Old Bones, a zombie comedy set in Guadeloupe. The package will also include Earth, Water, Woman, the inspiring story of the Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project; Renee Pollonais’ comedy Sweet Fries; and Til D Well Run Dry, a film by the students of Matura Secondary School. There will also be a presentation by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism on the National Registry of Artists and Cultural Workers. The screenings start at 5:30pm, following Nature Seekers’ Christmas craft and family fair.

T&T Film Nights will conclude in Tobago, at the Buccoo Community Centre on 01 December. This event takes place from 6pm in association with the Healing With Horses Foundation, following their annual Christmas Fair. The film being screened are Chrissy!, directed by Marcia Weekes, the inspiring story of a poor 10-year-old girl overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, and Captain T&T, by Christopher and Leizelle Guinness.

Admission to T&T Film Nights is free. Audiences will also receive free T-shirts, bags, cups, popcorn and other giveaways on a first-come, first-served basis.

Image: A shot from Christopher Laird’s No Bois Man No Fraid

Following a successful 2013 film festival, the ttff will resume its community film outreach programme, from October 18 to 26. Sponsored by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC), the Community Cinema Series will give audiences in San Fernando, Couva, La Brea and Tobago the opportunity to experience the mobile cinema experience in their communities, free of charge.

The ttff Community Cinema Series will feature ten films, exploring a diversity of themes and styles. The majority of these films are shorts, while two award-winning features—Pressure by Horace Ové and Rain by Maria Govan—will also be screened.

The Community Cinema Series rolls out on October 18 at the San Fernando Hill Recreation Grounds with Rain, a critically acclaimed family drama from the Bahamas about a promising young sprinter who seeks family roots after a devastating loss. Rain will be preceded by The Fallen People of The Black Land, an animated short film directed by T&T filmmaker Joanne Haynes.

On Saturday 19 October, the Community Cinema Series proceeds to the NGC Couva Joylanders Pan Theatre, where the classic T&T feature The Panman, directed by Kamalo Deen, will be screened. The saga of a young man from an affluent family turning down a scholarship to play pan, The Panman will be preceded by Jab In The Dark, winner of the ttff/13 People’s Choice Award for Best Short Film. The film’s director, Robert Macfarlane, will be present to introduce and discuss his film.

Then on Wednesday 23 October, primary school students and members of the Growing Leaders Foundation Programme will be treated to a series of short films at MovieTowne, Tobago.

The Community Cinema Series concludes on Saturday 26 October at the La Brea Community Centre. Held in association with the La Brea Village Council, this event will feature a screening of Pressure, by acclaimed T&T director Horace Ové. The film traces the journey of a British-born younger son of an immigrant family from Trinidad who finds himself adrift between two cultures. Producer of the film and Programme Director of the ttff, Annabelle Alcazar, will be present for a Q&A session.

“Community Cinema is an integral part of our vision and objectives at the ttff,” said Melvina Hazard, Director of Community Development, ttff. “By taking films and filmmakers directly to communities, we promote the production and appreciation of local and Caribbean films, as well as educate, entertain and inspire audiences, while using film as a platform for social transformation.”

NGC has been a Supporting Sponsor of the ttff since 2009. In 2011, the company began sponsoring community screenings throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Speaking about the 2013 Community Cinema Series, Wynda Chandler, Head of Community Relations at NGC, noted, “When we considered the power of film to reinforce the identity of a people by giving visual expression to ideas, NGC took the leap to contribute to mining a new area of national and international talent.

“With the introduction in 2011 of community screenings, NGC was happy to get the involvement of residents of satellite districts who, owing to their distance from MovieTowne—the hub of the Festival—may have found difficulty in attending screenings. NGC is also happy to involve its employee volunteers who serve as hosts in the various communities.”

Admission to the ttff Community Cinema Series is free. All screenings but the Tobago screening will start at 7pm and refreshments will be on sale. North Eleven, the ttff’s Official Screen Partner, will facilitate the technical aspects of the series.

Image: A shot from Pressure (1976)

[fb-like]

We are pleased to announce that, for the fourth year running, independent journalist and critic BC Pires will be recommending ttff/13 picks to the readers of the T&T Guardian, our official media partner.

Pires has been writing about film “from an informed lay perspective” (his words) since 1988. He served on the first ttff jury in 2009 and wrote the jury’s report.

In an event at the ttff/11, he counted down his top Caribbean films. Last year he was a member of the Festival’s programming committee.

Pires’s ttff/13 Festival recommendations—13 in all—will run in the features section of the Guardian, one a day, from 18 September to 01 October. Each pick will be accompanied by a short review of the film.

Here’s what Pires had to say about pulling together his ttff/13 selections:

“I have teenaged children and am exquisitely well aware of how quickly the best things in the world can get even better but, even so, I’ve been impressed with how much better the ttff gets every year—and, every year, it’s a geometric, not an arithmetic, leap forward.

“The most difficult thing I’ve had to do this year is to decide which films to leave out, given that I can only make 13 picks in a daily selection. And I’ve seen half a dozen that could win, not just the ttff prizes, but those of film festivals around the world. The ttff is now better than Trinidad Carnival.”

[fb-like]

There are several screening venues for the ttff/13, which runs from 17 September–01 October. Only at three venues, however, is there a cost attached to seeing films: MovieTowne Port of Spain and Tobago, and Little Carib Theatre, Woodbrook. Ticketing for each venue is as follows.

MovieTowne

Price of tickets: $30 each. Students in uniform or with student ID pay $5.

How to purchase: Beginning 16 September at MovieTowne Port of Spain you may purchase tickets for any screening from 18 September up until and including 01 October, at the box office only.

Box office: 627-8277

Little Carib Theatre

Price of tickets: $30 each. Tickets for the closing night film, Tula: the Revolt, cost $50.

How to purchase: You may purchase tickets beginning 18 September for any screening from that date up until and including the last day of the Festival (01 October), at the box office only.

Box office: 624-4644. Hours: 2.30–8pm, Mondays to Fridays; 12noon–8pm, Saturdays and Sundays

Please note: To avoid disappointment, we recommend you purchase tickets in advance, especially for films screening at prime times.

The documentary Carmen and Geoffrey (2005, 80′), a portrait of dancers Carmen de Lavallade and her husband Geoffrey Holder, will screen on July 24 at the offices of the ttff at 199 Belmont Circular Road in Port-of-Spain.

The screening takes place in association with the New Waves! One-night Stand Dance Film Festival.

Filmed over three years in New York, Texas, Paris and Holder’s native Trinidad and Tobago, Carmen and Geoffrey is an affectionate portrait of two (literally) towering icons of dance, who met and wed in 1954. Ever since, they have been celebrated dancers, actors, choreographers and much, much more, together and individually. The film combines archive footage with candid interviews with de Lavallade and Holder, as well as friends and acquaintances, to provide a emarkable glimpse into the lives of an extraordinary couple.

Directed by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob, Carmen and Geoffrey won the Jury Prize for Best Film at the ttff/09.

The screening will begin at 7pm and is free of charge. There will be a preceding short, Tickle Me Rich, a ttff/12 selection directed by Sonja Dumas.

Image: A still from Carmen and Geoffrey

After successful outdoor events in Chaguaramas, St Augustine, Port-of-Spain and San Fernando, the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) brings its second annual Community Cinergy series to a close this Saturday and Sunday with two days of family-oriented activities and films in Tobago, at the Buccoo Integrated Complex.

Community Cinergy combines film screenings and live entertainment in open-air settings, and is sponsored by bpTT. This weekend’s film screenings take place in association with the Healing with Horses Foundation and the Growing Leaders Foundation, and the event is free, for all ages and open to the public.

Things kick off at 5pm on both days with live entertainment by the children of the Yahweh Foundation and a parade by the Healing with Horses Foundation.

Then from 6.30pm on Saturday a package of short children’s films will be screened. The lineup is:

The Itch of the Golden Nit
Director: Aardman Animation/UK/2012/34 mins
One Good Deed
Director: Juliette McCawley/TT/2012/12 mins
Mr Crab
Director: Faisal Lutchmedial/Canada/2012/5 mins
Pothound
Director: Christopher Guinness/TT/2012/11mins
Tinga Tinga Tales
Director: Tiger Aspect Productions/2011/24 mins
Healing with Horses: Love & Magic
Director: Elspeth Duncan/TT/2012/37 mins

Then on Sunday from 6.30pm the drama Habanastation, directed by Ian Padrón of Cuba, will be screened, in Spanish with English subtitles. The film tells the story of Mayito, the son of a wealthy jazz musician, who imagines all Cubans live as he does, eating chicken every day and playing video games on their Sony PlayStations. When he finds himself lost in a poor neighbourhood one day, however, he realises this is far from the truth, and must come to terms with the class differences that exist in modern-day Cuba.

Habanastation will be preceded by the short film Dis ah We Own?, Roxborough Secondary School’s prize-winning entry in the 2012 Secondary Schools Short Film Festival, and Elspeth Duncan’s Healing with Horses: Love & Magic.

Before and after the films on both days the Tobago Night Market, an initiative of the THA Division of Community Development and Culture, will take place. There will be refreshments as well as crafts and other products on sale, and giveaways from bpTT. Seating is provided in the stands.

Image: a shot from Habanastation

Fans of old-school reggae are in for a treat when the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) hosts a free screening of the music documentary The Story of Lover’s Rock at the St James Amphitheatre on Sunday 16 June from 7pm.

The film is being shown as part of T&T Film Nights, which is sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, and as part of the annual We Beat music and arts festival, which takes place from June 7-16. This is the third year running the ttff is hosting a film screening at We Beat.

Directed by Menelik Shabazz, a Black-British filmmaker originally from Barbados, The Story of Lover’s Rock is a joyous celebration of a unique genre of music. Often dubbed “romantic reggae”, lover’s rock is a sound that developed in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 80s. Against a backdrop of riots and racial tension, it allowed young Caribbean people to experience intimacy and healing at parties and clubs.

Lover’s rock paved the way for artists like Maxi Priest and UB40, and influenced Jamaican reggae musicians such as Gregory Isaacs and Freddie McGregor.

Seamlessly blending interviews and dramatic recreations with concert footage, The Story of Lover’s Rock won the jury prize for best documentary feature at the ttff in 2012, and was also a selection of the European Film Festival last year. According to the synopsis of the film from the ttff, it will make you want to “turn down the lights, turn up the volume, hold on to your partner and start grooving.”

The screening, which takes place in association with the St James Community Improvement Committee, is free of charge, for all ages and open to the public. Doors open at 6pm and there will be refreshments on sale.

Image: a shot from The Story of Lover’s Rock

Due to the rain over the past few days, our outdoor bpTT Community Cinergy screenings on 27 and 28 April had to be postponed. Those screenings will now take place this weekend instead, at the originally advertised venues and times. Admission is free.

Saturday 4 May, 6pm
University of the West Indies, St Augustine
Buck: The Man Spirit, T&T/35mins
Director: Steven Taylor
Captains of the Sand, Brazil/96mins
Director: Cecilia Amado

Sunday 5 May, 6pm
Adam Smith Square, Port-of-Spain
Playing Away UK, TT/100mins
Director: Horace Ové

Food and drink will be on sale at UWI, but not at Adam Smith Square.

Image: A still from Captains of the Sand