Written and directed by Ian Harnarine, Doubles tells the story of a Trinidadian street vendor who must travel to Toronto and decide if he will help save his estranged father from dying. Produced this year, and filmed in both Trinidad and Canada, Doubles will have its Caribbean premier at this year’s trinidad+tobago film festival at the Opening Night on September 20, 2023 at Queen’s Hall.

Ian Harnarine was born in Toronto, Canada and is the son of immigrants from Trinidad & Tobago. He attended York University earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physics & Astronomy and a Master’s degree in Nuclear Physics from the University of Illinois and an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Film School. Harnarine is a member of the National Board of Review, The Television Academy and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Harnarine’s film ‘Doubles With Slight Pepper’ (Executive Produced by Spike Lee), won the Best Short Film Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canadian Academy Award.

Doubles with Slight Pepper tells the story of Dhani, a young doubles vendor who lives with his mother, Sumintra, in rural Trinidad. When Dhani’s father, Ragbir, who had migrated to Canada years before and eventually abandoned his family, returns, Dhani is resentful and wants nothing to do with him. But when Ragbir reveals he is suffering from a potentially fatal illness and needs Dhani to be a donor for a blood transfusion, both father and son are forced to confront their broken past.

When it was screened at ttff/12, Doubles with Slight Pepper, was a 16-minute feature. Just before its arrival in T&T, it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the world’s largest public film festival where it won the prize for Best Short Film, in 2011.

The short feature also won the prize for Best Live Action Short Film at the Genie Awards, Canada’s version of the Oscars.

‘Caroni’, another film by Harnarine, about a West Indian domestic worker in New York, premiered at TIFF and continues to screen at festivals worldwide.

Harnarine has made dozens of films for Sesame Street, one of which garnered an Emmy nomination. ‘Party Done’, Harnarine’s feature documentary about controversial crime reporter Ian Alleyne, played theatrically in the Caribbean.

Fast forward to ttff/23, the 18th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival, Harnarine presents Doubles as a feature film, which will be screened on Opening Night of the TTFF, at Queen’s Hall on September 20, 2023 from 6pm-11pm. Patrons will also be treated to live entertainment by Olatunji Yearwood. Tickets can be purchased in advance on Island e-Tickets.

This was the result of Harnarine’s success at Pitch This! competition at TIFF in 2012 for his pitch for the feature-length version of ‘Doubles’. That year he was also named one of Filmmaker magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film.

‘Doubles’, a feature film, is currently in post-production while Harnarine writes an adaptation of David Chariandy’s novel ‘Soucouyant’. Harnarine 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.

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We’re delighted to announce the esteemed panel of programmers selecting films for the 18th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival. The ttff/23 programming team is composed of film curators, producers, historians, writers and directors from Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and Cuba. They will select all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choose the films shortlisted for competition.

Ivonne Cotorruelo is a Cuban film curator and former producer based in New York, who has been empowering storytellers for over a decade. She is a features programmer at Cleveland International Film Festival CIFF, Miami International Film Festival MIFF, Outfest LA, trinidad+tobago film festival. She has served as juror for film festivals around the globe, and as reviewer for The Chicken and Egg fund, Warner Media New Voices Initiatives, Black and Latino Inclusion Fellowship in LA, and Disney. A Berlinale Talent Campus alumnus, she is always seeking out stories for underrepresented voices. and working on a plan of strategic diversity, equity and inclusion.

Danielle Dieffenthaller has over 20 years of experience in the television and film industry. She is the owner/producer/director of Dieffenthaller Style Films Ltd, which produced the popular programmes “Iere Vibe” and “The Reef”.  She was the main force behind the television production company Earth TV Ltd, and producer/director and co-writer of the acclaimed “Ecowatch” series and the long-running “Westwood Park” (100 episodes). Dieffenthaller’s resumé includes work with TTT, UK-production company Bandung Productions and the groundbreaking production house Banyan Productions, where she and one other crew member were the only local crew to capture the events of the 1990 attempted coup. She is a co-founder of FILMCO and the 2019 Arts and Letters Laureate of the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

Jim Kolmar is an independent programmer who curated films for South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) from 2009-2020, where he continues to consult on international and feature films. He is also currently programming for trinidad+tobago film festival, and was a founding committee member at Festival Internacional de Cine Tulum (FICTU). Jim was also a guest curator for Portland International Film Festival 2021. Jim is a contributing writer for Ambulante Film Festival in Mexico, and has served on juries, panels and committees for organisations including Austin Film Society, BAFICI, Berlinale, Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), CONNeXT, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFPanama, IN-EDIT Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Ventana Sur.

Dr Bruce Paddington
Bruce Paddington (PhD) is a filmmaker, academic and film festival curator. He was a senior lecturer in film at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and the co-founder of the Bachelor of Arts Film Programme. He is the founder of Banyan Productions, the New World Film Centre and the trinidad+tobago film festival and was the festival director from 2006–19. He is a programmer for trinidad+tobago film festival.

BC Pires was called to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago in 1984 and enrolled as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1989 but, since January 1988, has done nothing but write for a living. His satirical column, “Thank God It’s Friday”, published more or less every Friday of the last 32 years, has been published in the Express, the Guardian and Newsday. He has tried to write sensibly about film from an informed lay perspective since 1988. He sat on the first jury of the trinidad+tobago film festival and wrote the Judges’ Report. He has also written about West Indies cricket for publications all over the world, notably, the UK Guardian and Observer newspapers. He has lived in Port of Spain, London, Georgetown and, since 2008, Barbados. 

Patrice Robinson is a film programmer and writer based in London. She has volunteered at Leeds International Film Festival, Leytonstone Loves Film, Norwich International Film Festival and our very own trinidad+tobago film festival. She is currently a member of the cinema team at the Barbican Centre in London. Entering the film industry as a graduate of the Independent Cinema Office’s FEDs Scheme, Patrice is committed to programming films that speak to under served communities. Most recently, Patrice curated the season – Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close which explores Caribbean self-representation in film.  

FILMCO is pleased to announce the creation of a new programming strand for ttff/23: made in t+t (official selection/ eligible for people’s choice award only) a developmental programming strand for new and emerging filmmakers who reside in Trinidad and Tobago, and are making films in and/ or about Trinidad and Tobago. Submitted films can be short, medium length or feature, documentary or narrative, and must demonstrate the filmmaker’s commitment, passion for storytelling and potential for further development (through feedback, mentorship etc). 

Eligible filmmakers should have produced no more than two short films or one medium-length or feature film. First-time filmmakers are encouraged to submit. If accepted, filmmakers will be expected to attend in-person review sessions in June and July of 2023, and make further edits to their films (based on mentor feedback) in preparation for public screenings in September and October at ttff/23.

Please note that in order to facilitate the mentor feedback, filmmakers for this category must submit via Film Freeway by the regular deadline which is 31 March 2023.

FILMCO is delighted to announce the call for submissions for the 18th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival, ttff/23! The ttff seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of fiction and documentary films and experimental works 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 2021. For full submission guidelines and categories, please visit our portal on Film Freeway.

ttff/23 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 2023 festival will be a hybrid, with a combination of online and in-person events and screenings – all in keeping with the guidelines of the Trinidad & Tobago Government.

Our training and professional development programmes will continue to be a core offering of ttff in 2023, and will include, Masterclasses (intensive workshops led by international industry professionals), filmmaker panels, introductory industry workshops and presentations, and youth-focused mentorship and training.

#lookwenah

deadlines

• earlybird: 17.02.23
• regular: 31.03.23
• late: 28.04.23
• filmmaker notification: 02.06.23

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our frequently asked questions or drop us a line at hello@ttfilmfestival.com. You can read our full list of rules and terms here.

Submit your film to ttff/23 via FilmFreeway.

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ttff programmes films under a range of sections as follows:

The Caribbean section comprises feature-length films from the Caribbean, the diaspora, and films by international filmmakers made in and about the region.

made in t+t is a developmental programming strand for new and emerging filmmakers who reside in Trinidad and Tobago, and are making films in and/ or about Trinidad and Tobago.

The Panorama section consists of short and feature-length films from world cinema. The films in this section come from North America, Latin America, Europe, India and Africa.

short + medium-length films: This section comprises films under 30 minutes in length (shorts) and films between 30 and 59 minutes in length (medium-films) from the Caribbean and its diaspora.

The New Media section comprises avant garde and experimental film and video works from artists and filmmakers in the Caribbean and its diaspora.

Student films are narrative and documentary films with a Caribbean focus made by student filmmakers (whether secondary or tertiary) in the Caribbean and its Diaspora.

The trinidad+tobago film festival is delighted to announce the ttff/22 award-winning films! Don’t forget, you can watch the many of these films tonight at MovieTowne (POS) at 8.00pm in screens nine and ten!

• Best Student Film: Take Care, directed by Shun Tachizono
  • Honorable Mentions: Hide!, directed by Shaochen Wang AND Cracked, directed by Lin Que Ayoung.
• Best Film as Decided by a Youth Jury: Lo que se hereda (It runs in the family), directed by Victoria Linares Villegas.
  • Honorable Mention: Talia’s Journey, directed by Christophe Rolin
• Winner of ‘Love in the 21st Century’ smartphone competition, Love natural, directed by Kristof West

• Best Documentary Short Film: Strictly 2 Wheel, directed by Ania Freer
• Best Narrative Short Film: Twa Fèy (Three leaves), directed by “Eleonore Coyette + Sephora Monteau
  • Honorable Mention: Ici s’achève le Monde Connu (Here ends the world we’ve known), directed by Anne-Sophie Nanki
• Best Documentary Feature Film: Paroles de Nègres (The words of negroes), directed by Sylvaine Dampierre
  • Honorable Mention: Mafifa, directed by Daniela Muñoz Barroso
• Best Narrative Feature Film: Cette Maison (This House), directed by Miryam Charles
  • Honorable Mention: Una Pelicula Sobre Parejas (A Film About Couples), directed by Natalia Cabral + Oriol Estrada
• Best Trinidad + Tobago Film: King David, directed by Walt Lovelace

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Films in juried competitions are rigorously discussed and dissected before being selected by the programming team, and must be unanimously agreed by the five programmers. They are then watched, scored and debated by the relevant jury, with the winning films ultimately being those which receive the highest aggregate scores. We extend heartfelt thanks to all our esteemed jury members!

#seeyuhself #ttfilmfestival #ttff22

Thanks to the folks at MOVA Productions, we’re delighted to be able to put on another screening of Damian Marcano’s award-winning film, ‘Chee$e’. Here are the deets:

• where: NALIS Amphitheatre
• when: 23 September, 7.00pm
• tickets: free of charge (but we need you to sign up here!)

#seeyuhself #ttff22 #seeitlive

ttff talks are in depth and insightful conversations with creative masters on their creative journeys, inspiration, challenges and personal philosophies. ttff talks are presented with the support of The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

Logistics

date: Friday 23 September, 2022
time: ​​4.30pm–5.45pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
rsvp: Sign up here!
tickets: free
moderator: Maria Nunes

about Christopher Laird

Christopher Laird is Managing Director, co-owner and co-founder of Banyan Ltd. He has produced more than three hundred documentaries, dramas and other video productions during his forty-year professional career. His genius has been recognized and rewarded with many national, regional and international awards. He is responsible for establishing the Caribbean Film and Video Archive which is (arguably) the largest collection of Caribbean culture on video. In 2003, he founded, with Errol Fabien, the Region’s first all-Caribbean free-to-air television station, Gayelle. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of the West Indies.

Christopher has worked closely with Caribbean Tales for more than ten years, receiving the CaribbeanTales Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. His film NO BOIS MAN NO FRAID opened CTFF 2013. Currently, CTWD distributes all Banyan’s catalogued content.

about Dr Bruce Paddington

Bruce Paddington (PhD) is a filmmaker, lecturer, academic and film festival curator. He was a senior lecturer in film at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, and the co-founder of the Bachelor of Arts Film Programme. He is the founder of Banyan Productions, the New World Film Centre and the trinidad+tobago film festival and was the festival director from 2006–19. He is a consultant and programmer for ttff/22.

The Dominican Republic is currently at the forefront of the Caribbean’s film industry. The country’s cinematographic culture has been strengthened by the growing support of the state, which offers compelling incentives for both local and international film professionals. Their production services and world-class facilities have led to them rightfully becoming a hub for the industry. Moreover, the filmmaking community, with their focus on indigenous storytelling is an exemplar for the rest of the Caribbean. 

Given their robust development over the last decade, are there lessons that we, as Caribbean neighbours, industries and storytellers, can learn? How do we improve the calibre of cinematographic output in the Caribbean? How do we sustainably grow an industry with international reach and appeal whilst supporting indigenous storytelling? This panel discussion will spotlight the Dominican Republic’s film industry – we will hear perspectives from industry professionals from the Dominican Republic as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

Logistics

date: Thursday 22 September, 2022
time: 4.30pm–5.45pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: free of charge
moderator: Mariel Brown

Presented with the support of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic

On 05 September, the trinidad+tobago film festival officially launched its 17th edition festival, ttff/22, and return to in-person screenings, to specially invited guests and members of the media.

Among the attendees were the festival’s signature sponsor, the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC). Describing the work of ttff as “extremely valuable and of national importance,” Myles Lewis, NGC’s head of corporate social responsibility, reminded the audience that,

“Since inception, the ttff has given local and regional filmmakers the support they need to create, to tell our stories, and to convert creative energy into dollars and cents – for stakeholders of the industry and for the country as a whole. The ttff’s work has also been instrumental in the preservation of our culture – a patrimony as valuable to our nation as our natural resources.”

Sponsored by NGC, this year’s retrospective recognises and celebrates the pioneering work of Banyan Productions and its founders which has been germane to the development of our local film and television industry. 

Lewis expressed pride over the ttff’s work and after 14 years of partnership, said this is why NGC remains committed to help the ttff develop and monetise the country’s creative industry.

Representatives of ttff/22’s leading sponsors Republic Bank Limited (RBL) and Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited also attended the press conference. RBL’s Baldath Ramkissoon general manager, Group Risk stated, “For over three years, Republic Bank has been partnering with FILMCO and it’s been a rewarding experience thus far.” He went on to say,

“By investing in the development of the local film industry, there is limitless potential for revenue generation, as well as an avenue for economic diversification; both of which are definitely needed in today’s economic climate.”

The  trailer for the opening night film, ‘Chee$e’ was well received and the festival trailer generated excitement among the audience. Programmer Danielle Dieffenthaller  explained that as in previous years, the ttff/22 will also include many panel discussions and workshops aimed at boosting film quality and enhancing storytelling techniques. Describing the local industry as “abundantly creative,”  she further praised it for having technologically savvy people with major ideas, and who were great storytellers.

Kelli-Marie Patel, Shell’s corporate social advisor explained that her company had a rich legacy in the energy sector and to preserve it, Shell continues to invest in the arts, inspiring younger generations and contributing to economic diversification. Patel shared that Shell recognises the  capacity of the local  arts and film industry to unify communities and promote sustainable development and has sponsored the ttff for the past four years.  A leading sponsor, Shell is looking forward to the return of in-person events,  and anticipates seeing people and feeling their energy at the Shell Cinema Under the Stars screenings (which will be free to the public)  to be held at the NALIS Amphitheatre 24 and 25 September.

Programming partner, the National Library and Information System (NALIS) was represented by Debbie Goodman, manager, corporate communications who also expressed delight at being associated with this year’s festival as it allowed the organisation to serve its role to mandate to ensure “everything produced about Trinidad and Tobago, or by Trinbagonians, regardless of where they may be domiciled is preserved for posterity so that generations to come will know the paths our country has travelled.”

NALIS’ services facilitate “the cultural, educational, social and economic development of  the people of Trinidad and Tobago” so the local film industry serves in this regard, adding to nations’ literary and cultural landscape… The material reflects us and causes us to reflect, think and ponder.”

With such exciting partners onboard, ttff has been able to make it through the pandemic and is growing from strength to strength. The event was broadcast by ttff/22 media partner, TTT Limited.

Under the mentorship of film critic and ttff/22 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.

For film synopses, screening details and director bios, please click the links (indicated as blue underlines) below.

BEST FILM AS DECIDED BY A YOUTH JURY

• Cracked, directed by Lin Que Ayoung
• Lo que se hereda (It runs in the family), directed by Victoria Linares Villegas
• Los niños de esta casa (The kids from this house), directed by Eduardo Ceballos
• My maxi, directed by Andrei Pierre
• Oya, directed by Hira Hosein + Ais Rutherford
• Scarborough, directed by Rich Williamson + Shasha Nakhai
• Talia’s journey, directed by Christophe Rolin
• Twa fèy (Three leaves), directed by Eléonore Coyette + Sephora Monteau