Students share their stories

Chairman of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company (TTFC), Christopher Laird, encouraged more than 300 participants in the 2011 Secondary Schools Short Film Festival (SSSFF), to utilise the medium of film and the tools and training they would receive as part of the SSSFF programme to capture and share “our stories” not only locally but throughout the world.

Laird was speaking at the orientation session held at MovieTowne on July 5. He reminded the students that technology had come a long way and allowed for anyone to create a visual production that would express their perspective on the world. As a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, he said he was proud to see a number of students pursue a career in filmmaking after participating in the SSSFF.

The festival, now in its seventh year, was originally founded in 2005 by MovieTowne, and has since grown to include 40 schools, many of which are second and third time participants. Schools from Moruga, Roxborough, Port-of-Spain and St Joseph have all registered to try to take the SSSFF challenge trophy from last year’s winners, Rio Claro East Secondary, whose film, Wake Up, was screened at the orientation.

The TTFC has partnered with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism and the Tobago House of Assembly to create an innovative learning process whereby some of T&T’s best and upcoming filmmakers are assigned to train students in the rudiments of filmmaking, and then mentor them as each group produces their five minute short. This year’s festival allowed for a special script-writing session, with all trainers and award-winning script-writer and artist Tony Hall—himself a filmmaker. This will form the basis for the first two days of training as scripts themselves are the foundations of a great production.

more info

• To become a festival partner or for more information on this and other programmes offered by the TTFC write info@trinidadandtobagofilm.com or call 625 FILM (3456).