Caribbean cinema set to shine at East African fest

Some of the best films from the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival (TTFF) will entertain audiences this month at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), east Africa’s largest showcase of film, music and the arts. Two representatives of the TTFF are attending ZIFF. They are Jonathan Ali, editorial director, and Melvina Hazard, community relations director. They have taken with them two dramatic films and two documentaries, chosen by the festival’s film programming committee, and which all screened at the TTFF 2010. The dramatic choices are the Bahamian film, Children of God, winner of both the jury and audience prizes for best film at the TTFF 2010, and the T&T film Quiet Desperation, which won both the acting prizes. The documentaries are Caribbean Skin, African Identity, from T&T, and Why Do Jamaicans Run so Fast?, out of Jamaica.

A number of animated films from the Animae Caribe Caribbean Animation Film Festival will also show at ZIFF. “We are happy to be a part of this initiative again,” said Ali. “And we especially look forward to presenting our films, confident their stories will speak to the audiences at ZIFF and reflect the diversity that characterises us as Caribbean people.” The TTFF, founded in 2006 and presented by Flow, is an annual celebration of the best films from T&T and the Caribbean, the Caribbean Diaspora, and from Latin American countries in the Caribbean Basin. The TTFF also seeks to facilitate the growth of the Caribbean film industry by hosting workshops, panel discussions, seminars and networking opportunities.

This is the second straight year that films from the TTFF will be screened at ZIFF, which runs from June 18 to 26, as part of an exchange programme initiated and supported by the Commonwealth Foundation. Films from ZIFF will screen at this year’s TTFF, which takes place from September 21 to October 4. The main objective of the exchange is to maximise the ability of both partners to promote Caribbean and African cinema to audiences throughout the Commonwealth, introducing them to new, socially relevant films. The exchange also aims to create opportunities for networking and building lasting bridges between the two film festivals. In order to achieve these goals, organisers from the TTFF and ZIFF will travel to their counterpart festival to learn about new ways of working and take away creative ideas. They will also take part in panel discussions and networking events.

For more information, visit www.ttfilmfestival.com