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’.