Created by a 25-year-old central Trinidad native, a new reality TV series is carded to hit the local screen by July this year. According to creator, Maria Lewis, the 12-episode reality series, which is entitled Kulture Keepers, will test 13 contestants on how well they know local culture. "I believe T&T has so much talent and cultural material which deserves to be showcased on television and film," said Lewis, adding, "this is why I've returned to Trinidad and decided to delve into our local film industry. I want to make a significant contribution to this industry and Kulture Keepers is my first step in getting there."
She indicated that her new television series would bring youths between the ages of 16 and 25 in touch with the history and cultural embodiment of the island. Each episode of Kulture Keepers will be shot outdoors, at various places around the country. Contestants and viewers alike will be exposed to cultural history about the Amerindian influence, the East Indian and African influences, the impact of Chinese settlers in T&T, Tobago Heritage, and even sociocultural ills experienced in T&T. "Each week, one person with the least amount of knowledge on local culture, will be eliminated," said Lewis, assuring that the show will be an exciting one for the entire family. She said elimination would be based on the person's failure to successfully compete against others in various tests and tasks.
Lewis is the mastermind behind local production company MKL Productions Limited. Her passion to highlight what she felt was a need to better expose the island's youth to various facets of local culture was bred during her years of studying and living abroad. "I studied Film and Drama at Kent University in England," she explained. Upon completion of her course at Kent, she went on to attain her masters degree in Feature Film Screen Writing at the Royal Hollaway, which is a member institution of the University of London. When Lewis returned to T&T in 2009, she worked with a local media house in the production department before branching off on her own in January this year as the director of her own company, MKL Productions Limited.
"This is our first project," she affirmed, adding that other key people behind the scenes were, Leslie-Ann Hercules, Keron Yan and David George. "I got together with a group of young people I knew from Gayelle before I went abroad to study and we decided that there was a need for such a film series in Trinidad," said Lewis. She said her aim was to do a film series that was fun, properly executed and educational.
According to Lewis, Kulture Keepers will be all of this and much more, as it will offer youths and adults alike an opportunity to test themselves on their knowledge of all things local. The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Tobago complete with accommodation.