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2nd Public Screening of Dark Tales from Paradise!

“Dark Tales from Paradise”..... the Return! Another opportunity is here to see the latest Thriller-three-in-one movie, "Dark Tales from Paradise!"  The movie will be showing on the 13th of December 2011, at The Little Carib Theatre on Robert's Street in Port of Spain.

In THE MIDNITE AFFAIR, by Ryan C. Khan, an American scholar finds out the hard way that the tales he read in books and taught in school are more than just fiction. His vacation in Trinidad and Tobago with his girlfriend becomes more than he can handle as a mysterious woman capitalises on his open-mindedness to avenge herself.

In SWEET TNT, by Andre Johnson, a naive young man suffering with a harsh case of 'jungle fever is paired with a young female tourist from the UK who seems to think that vacationing in Caribbean is an all-day party revolving around having a good time at any cost.

In RADICA, by Francis Escayg, an angry, frustrated husband with a nagging wife and an oppressive boss is squashed as easily as the eight-legged insect he is nick-named after, resulting in an almost claustrophobic but riveting unraveling of events, which surround mysterious incidences of teenage
suicides that are attributed to the supernatural.

For Tickets call: 625-FILM (3456) or visit http://www.trinidadandtobagofilm.com/

Be sure to book your tickets in advance! Tickets are only forty-five dollars - $45 (Limited seats available! Group Specials available!)

Event details

Event: Dark Tales from Paradise screening
Host: The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company (TTFC)
When: 13th December 2011
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: The Little Carib Theatre
Tickets: $45.00

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CONTENT!

Public Screening of Dark Tales from Paradise!

Don't miss this one!

Stories from Trinidad and Tobago will come alive through the first ever public screening of the new local movie thriller, “Dark Tales from Paradise”. The movie will be showing on the 14th of August 2011, at The Harvard Club on 106 Tragarete Road, Port of Spain.

Be sure to book your tickets for a local movie experience that will captivate you through the film lens of three up-and-coming Trinbagonian filmmakers: Francis Escayg, Andre Johnson and Ryan Khan.

Tickets are only thirty-five dollars - $35 (Limited seats available!)

To book your tickets please call 625-3456 or visit www.darktalesfromparadise.com. Don't be left out, be sure to see the new local movie thriller, "Dark Tales from Paradise" on Sunday 14th August at The Havard Club!

Event details

Event: Dark Tales from Paradise screening
Host: The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company (TTFC)
When: 14th August 2011
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: The Harvard Club, 106 Tragarete Road, Port of Spain
Tickets: $35.00

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CONTENT!

Acclaimed T&T Filmmaker Hosts Workshop in Belize

Workshop: From Script to Screen

Facilitator: Yao Ramesar, Film Lecturer, UWI, St Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago
Tuesday July 12th to Thursday July 14th
9 am – 12 pm / 1 p.m. - 4 p.m (18 hrs)
Government House / House of Culture
Belize City
Participant Level: OPEN TO ALL AGES
$50/day w/ lunch (Total: $150)
$35/day w/out lunch (Total: $105)
BAVIA & Global Parish Members & students with student cards – 20% discount
Scholarships available upon request and vetting (belizefilmfestival@yahoo.com)

An intensive overview of the entire film process from idea to screening a film at a major film festival in 3 phases: Pre-Production, Production and Post-Productions using the film SISTAGOD by Yao Ramesar as a case study. SISTAGOD is the first in a triology that foretells the coming of a black female messiah. The film is very surreal, with a haunting musical score and Orisha songs sung by female calypsonian Ella Andall. There are practically no visual effects and hardly any dialogue in this movie, but instead  a greater emphasis on imagery. Trinidadian Carnival plays an integral part in the film, with the use of traditional characters that are still popular today. To date, SISTAGOD remains the sole Trinidad and Tobago feature film to gain official selection at a major international festival world premiering in 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Yao Ramesar is one of the Caribbean’s most accomplished and prolific directors having created over 120 films on the people, history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago which have collectively screened in more than 100 countries. In 2006 he was honored as the Caribbean’s first Laureate in Arts and Letters at the inaugural Caribbean Awards for Excellence and in 2007 served as the first filmmaker in residence at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine where he has pioneered the teaching of cinema at the tertiary level in Trinidad and Tobago, fostering a generation of emerging filmmakers who have produced over 140 diverse films on Trinidad and Tobago. Ramesar remains a cornerstone of the emerging local and regional film culture, having taken Caribbean cinema to the world under the rubric of an original aesthetic deemed “Caribbeing”, notable for its almost exclusive reliance on sunlight to illuminate the people and landscapes of his films.

This joint course between the Belize Int'l Film Festival and UWI is the first step towards bringing Film as a tertiary level career option to Belize. Further discussions with UB will hopefully make the offering of degree film courses in Belize a reality very soon!!

http://www.belizefilmfestival.com/

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts

"OIL & GAS, CORAL REEFS and GHOSTS? - T&T on SyFy Channel !!!"

“COUNT LOPINOT LIVES…”

On July 13^th at 9:00 p.m. SyFy Channel will be premiering its newest season of Ghost Hunters International (GHI) and Trinidad and Tobago will be the featured in the first and third episodes. 

Join the entire nation and millions of other viewers from around the world to offer a 1.3 million spike and celebrate T&T’s debut on the world’s most haunted locations list.

"Welcome to Lopinot" screenshot from GHI Teaser Trailer

The GHI crew visited T&T in February (after being invited by Fernando Rodas – T&T’s very own Ghost Hunter) to scan our local ‘ghost’ hotspots – Lopinot and Chacachacare where “there was definitely something” according to GHI specialist investigator Barry Fitzgerald.

Both sites have long been held in local lore as being haunted and when we tune in on the 13^th, the truth will finally be known both at home and across the world. This is indeed a unique opportunity for T&T as millions in North America and throughout the Globe tune in each week to see the GHI series.

The Trinidad & Tobago Film Company (TTFC) played an integral role in facilitating the GHI Team’s visit and was commended by them for being the “most hospitable” film commission ever. 

“Coming to T&T was easy.

Getting here was fine and the

equipment importation was smooth...

The TTFC really helped and

we haven’t been treated this well

anywhere else we’ve shot..."

  Star Clements, Production Manager Ghost Hunters

   International,  Pilgrims Films and Television.

Such service is but one of the functions of the TTFC. Like other Film Commissions (such as JamPro in Jamaica or the Barbados Film Commission), the TTFC is a specialist agency mandated to promote T&T as a film location and to allow for smooth visits by foreign crews. However, TTFC has also been given an expanded responsibility to implement programmes geared toward building a sustainable local industry as part of the economic transformation being undertaken by the Government.

Many nations have long since capitalized on the many offshoot benefits of being selected as a location for filming and T&T is on its way to doing just that. Through the work of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company Ltd. (TTFC), the Government has embarked on a series of developmental and promotional programmes geared specifically at creating a self-sustaining and revenue-generating industry as part of the thrust to diversify and transform the nation’s economy.

"Chacachacare Island" screenshot from GHI Teaser Trailer

Other Caribbean islands have been generating millions of dollars in foreign exchange and at the same time tapping into the priceless promotional opportunities such as was proven when Jamaica was blessed with a spike in Tourism just after the premiere of “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”.

The TTFC offers support with customs duty waivers, work permit applications, sourcing of on-the-ground crew and promotes T&T’s competitive 30% cash rebate (on on-location expenditure) which are services that are key to attracting foreign film crews. For 2011, the TTFC has facilitated over (5) foreign crews and is expecting another (3) before the end of the year so far. In the past, crews hve visited to capture Carnival, Caterpillars and Cuisine but, this has got to be a first!

By facilitating GHI, TTFC has secured invaluable exposure for T&T. Tune in on the 13^th July at 9:00 p.m. to support SyFY Channel and be part of a 1.3 million spike in viewership! For more information on the TTFC visit www.trinidadandtobagofilm.com or call 625 FILM (3456).

“I WANT TO MAKE A TROPICAL HORROR”

TTFC HOSTS OUTREACH

So said one of the (748) students which the TTFC either hosted in-house or visited at external events to share the opportunities available for them in the local film industry.

A major outreach opportunity presented itself when the TTFC partnered with iGov (Ministry of Public Administration) at the ICT Roadshow where hundreds of students were exposed to the developments in Information, Communications and Technology which are more accessible to them now than before and which they should take full advantage of.

The TTFC presented on the use of audio-visual components to modern education and learning techniques and gave the students a sneak peek into the 2011 Secondary Schools Short Film Festival - which will be featured in next month’s issue of ‘The Screener’.

The TTFC welcomes the participation of film practitioners in its outreach sessions and would like to thank Francis Escayg, Tracy Assing and Candice Lela-Rolingson for facilitating this period.

ROUGH CUTS - JUNE

“NEW YORK 

FILM FESTIVAL 

SEEKS 

CARIBBEAN 

TALENT”

CariBBeing Director - Shelley Worrell

-T&T Guardian, May 10th 2011 The TTFC and NY-based CaribBeing Film Festival are in talks to define synergies which will promise to provide much needed distribution opportunities in the NY Diaspora and by extension the North American market.

Festival Director Shelley Worrell believes that “So many people are doing different things, and are so self absorbed. That’s why partnerships are so important, where key people can be brought to the table to formulate a strategy to internationalise the industry, from a business and artistic perspective.”

To read the full article click HERE.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ON BOARD

As an active member of the T&T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI), the TTFC welcomes the election of our sister company T&T Entertainment Co. Ltd. to the Coalition’s Board of Directors. This demonstrates the Coalition’s recognition of the importance of ‘creative’ industries as a major component in the services sector which itself contributes to over 50% of the nation’s GDP.

President - Mr. Rabindra Jaggernauth (third from left), with the 2011-12 TTCSI Board -
Dr. Thackwray Driver (VP not present), Mrs. Dianne Joseph,
Mr. Mahindra Satram-Maharaj, Mrs. Dionne McNicol-Stephenson,
Mr. Hollis Charles, Mr. Joseph Berment Mc Dowald.

WE BEAT & ttff

The Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival will be supporting the screening of “Africa Unite” and “The Suspect” - a dramatic short made in T&T - at this year’s WeBeat celebrations in St. James. Tuesday 7th June - 7 to 9 p.m. at the St. James Amphitheatre. For more information, click HERE

TT FILM TO SCREEN IN GUADELOUPE

T&T and GUADELOUPE PARTNER

Dr. Bruce Paddington of ttff signs MOU with FEMI Director

Starting in 2012, films from the trinidad +tobago film festival (ttff) will screen at FEMI, Le Festival International du cinèma de Guadeloupe.

The ttff, presented by Flow, is an annual celebration of the best films from Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Diaspora. FEMI is the largest and most prestigious film festival and film and television market in the French Antilles.

 At the most recent edition of FEMI, held from February 4 to 28, 2011, an agreement was signed between ttff and FEMI. This five-year agreement allows for the screening of a feature film and two short films from ttff at FEMI and vice versa, as well as the reciprocal visits of a Festival official and a filmmaker from each Festival. (read the full release HERE)

CANNES LAYS OUT THE RED CARPET FOR ROSE

T&T PRIDE

At the NAPA Premiere of 

“Calypso Rose - The Lioness of the Jungle”.

From left - Fabrice Pierre, Director of the film "Fleur de Canne"; 

Carla Foderingham, CEO of T&T Film Company, 

Calypso Rose, and Madame Fely Kasi Bambuck, President Culture Guadeloupe.

Usually, when one speaks of ‘T&T pride’, reference is made to the ‘Red, White and Black’ but, on May 17th it was all about RED as our very own Calypso Queen of the World - Calypso Rose - strode majestically on the glamorous red carpet at the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival. Calypso Rose was there as part of a small but determined T&T contingency representing the local film industry and by extension, the entire nation.

“To see my life on the screen brings tears to my eyes... this is my life...” 

- Calypso Rose

Through the creative genius and enduring efforts of Jean Michel Gibert of Maturity Music and the support of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, Calypso Rose has been immortalized in a virtual co-production (between Trinidadian and French producers) entitled “Calypso Rose - The Lioness of the Jungle”. 

The production is another in a series of dynamic and engaging documentaries produced by Trinidad & Tobago filmmakers which seek to record and share our culture, imagery and perspectives.

The promise of distribution opportunities offered by the Cannes Film Festival film encouraged T&T to partner with the Guadeloupe Film Commission and as a result, TTFC was able to work with Cannes Festival Organizers to host an interactive distributor presentation and a full screening of the film for would-be buyers at the Cannes Film Festival Marketplace. With the support of the T&T Entertainment Company and the Tourism Development Company, Calypso Rose was able to travel to France to take part in a live concert on the beach front which was attended by over 250 persons.

This is a prime example of the power of film to create synergies between government agencies, local and foreign, for cultural expression, national branding and economic transformation - as the soundtrack to the film will soon also be available for purchase.

It is through strategic initiatives like these that the TTFC has been able to broaden the access routes for local productions to enter international markets through co-production deals and the development of a strong ‘T&T Film’ brand in the international arena. As an emerging player, Trinidad & Tobago has much to offer and has already been identified as one of the top (10) location for filming in the Caribbean due to our competitive Cash Rebate Incentive and the diversity of our people and locations. In 2010, over TTD 13M-n net revenue was injected into the T&T economy with more than (500) persons being employed to work on over (20) foreign productions. This is apart from a much larger component of local productions.

With “Calypso Rose - The Lioness of the Jungle” making headlines internationally and positioning T&T on the ‘big screen’ the same way Calypso Rose herself has been doing on the ‘big stage’ for years, the local film industry will no doubt continue to assist with our nation’s economic and cultural development.

For more information on “Calypso Rose - The Lioness of the Jungle” visit http://www.calypsorosediva.com

The Caribbean Film Commissions Group took the opportunity to meet to discuss the Caribbean One-Short, One-Movie project with Tita Productions. More to come in the June issue of ‘The Screener’.

T&T Film Industry shows “an incredible, wide range...”

2011 PASD PROGRAMME DELIVERS

TTFC CEO, Carla Foderingham briefs the 2011 PASD 

Production Jury - on her right, Stephanie St. James and 

Janine Mendes-Franco; on her left Brian St. Juste and 

Norman de Palm

Co-Head Juror, Norman de Palm of Curacao in an interview with the press remarked that he hadn’t “seen this type of organization of the film industry” elsewhere in the Caribbean and that the “scope [of the T&T Film Industry] is an incredible, wide range."

de Palm was referring to the (140) odd applications (including over (50) for scripts and (80) for productions) for this year’s Production Assistance & Script Development Programme call. This overwhelming response demonstrates there is increasing interest in filmmaking as a sustainable and rewarding career.

Co-judge Stephanie James remarked that “[one] may have the money but not the capacity” and this is why the PASD represents both a financial and capacity building opportunity for filmmakers as they also receive constructive guidance from a team of ‘monitors’ who offer objective critiques and suggestions for making the production stronger - thereby challenging the filmmakers to strive for international competitiveness.

The 2011 Production Jury was visited by noted local writer Earl Lovelace.

The annual programme was launched in 2005 out of strategic planning of the stakeholders who knew the only way to meet the national objective of helping to diversify the economy through the development of a local film industry was to provide film practitioners with the means to lay the foundation for the industry.

In 2011 the TTFC maintains its commitment to assist the professional development of local talent and has even earmarked projects which will receive funding at the next call due to budgetary constraints this year.

THE PASD - “A THRUST TO...GOOD FILMS”

Inset to right: 2011 

Script Jury locked in deliberations - 

from the left: Prof. Funso Aiyejina, 

Marina Salandy and Raoul Pantin

So says noted writer Raoul Pantin of the PASD Programme. As a ‘Script’ Juror, Pantin supported head judge Marina Salandy in her call for T&T to “talk about ourselves [and] our own history...” as this would produce unique and strong scripts and productions as the script applicants demonstrated a “high degree of creativity” according to Prof. Aiyejina who also noted that many adopted a “novel way of approaching topics...”

This year, ‘newcomers’ were considered alongside ‘veterans’ and T&T can look forward to a a wide array of documentaries, animations, television series and dramatic productions. The 2012 call is expected to be opened in December 2011. For more information on the Programme and to see the complete list of PASD scripts and productions please visit www.trinidadandtobagofilm.com/PASD.asp

In this PASD part-funded Production,
Tracy Assing redefines our history and
seeks to demystify and educate.