CARIBBEAN FILM COMPANY LANDS MAJOR DISTRIBUTION DEAL

CaribbeanTales and Third World Newsreel form powerful people-focused partnership
NEW YORK (June 26, 2011) - Following the first CaribbeanTales New York Film Showcase in New York, a Caribbean company has moved to announce a major deal with a veteran New York-based distributor to promote Caribbean culture to global audiences.
Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of the Barbados-based CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), explained that its new partnership with New York's Third World Newsreel (TWN) links the region's premier sales and distribution company for Caribbean films with a seasoned educational distributor in a deal which will allow both companies to distribute each other's Caribbean-themed content across their respective networks.
Third World Newsreel (TWN) is a long established alternative media arts organization that fosters the creation, dissemination and appreciation of independent film and video about people of color and issues of social justice.
CaribbeanTales films will immediately benefit from TWN's wide access to the North American educational markets in both the United States and Canada, while TWN films will be distributed internationally by CTWD, and benefit from the Barbadian company's access to the Caribbean market, including regional and international marketing initiatives and festivals.
Solomon described the partnership's mutual benefits: "Third World Newsreel's important catalog and huge contact base will be an invaluable addition to our own business, because we will have more focused reach into the educational market. The deal will also substantially increase the size of our catalog in the international marketplace."
Dorothy Thigpen, Executive Director of TWN, whose catalog includes "The Other Side of the Water," the journey of a Haitian rara band in Brooklyn, and "Sweet Sugar Rage," the story of a popular Jamaican women's troupe who use improvisation and theater as consciousness-raising tools, said the new partnership will also enhance her organization's catalog.
"The Caribbean is an important market for us and this deal melds seamlessly with our mission to effect social change while encouraging people to think critically about their lives and also the lives of others," said Thigpen. She added that both TWN and CTWD films not only entertain and educate, but "propel people into action."
About CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution
CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution is the first full-service film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean, and aims to become the go-to solution for producers and buyers of Caribbean-themed content. The company holds marketing events through the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group, and provides co-production services to producers. CTWD was founded by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, and its principals include creative industries expert Dr. Keith Nurse, economist and businessman Dr. Terrence Farrell, media personality and producer Lisa Wickham, and filmmaker and writer Mary Wells. CTWD is a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs.

For further information, visit www.caribbeantales-worldwide.com.

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CTWD TORONTO FILM SHOWCASE and
INTERNATIONAL MARKET ACCESS PROGRAM
Toronto, September 7-17, 2011 | Harbourfront Center and University of Toronto

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution is partnering with the Harbourfront Center to present the CaribbeanTales 2011 Film Showcase and Market Access Program.

The Market Access Program: For the 2nd consecutive year the CaribbeanTales International Market Access Program takes place during the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2010 CTWD hosted a delegation of 40 Caribbean-Diaspora filmmakers and industry stakeholders to participate in TIFF through a special Market Access Program that prepared participants for the festival. The schedule included a 3-day Incubator, a speed dating pitch session, and a Caribbean-themed Launch Party, all aimed at raising the profile of Caribbean filmmakers and product, and supporting the growth of a vibrant world-class Caribbean film and TV industry.

The Film Showcase engages families, youth, community and the industry in a multi- facetted program that includes workshops, screenings, networking sessions, and other activities that celebrate the exploding film and television industry in the Caribbean.This year’s focus is on the exciting world of CARIBBEAN ANIMATION.

The Toronto Int’l Film Festival is the world’s largest public film festival and is North America’s premiere film festival. Huge audiences attend from around the world. The famed Hollywood Film magazine, ‘Variety’, acknowledged that, “TIFF, is second only to Cannes in terms of high profile Press, Stars and Market activity.”

ACTIVITIES
10 packed days celebrating Caribbean film and television

LAUNCH PARTY
Wednesday 7th September 2011 | Lakeshore Terrace, Harbourfront
CTWD will host a high profile Launch Party that will serve as a tourism destination branding opportunity for islands, as well as a showcase for the developing film industry.

MARKET INCUBATOR
Sept 8th – 11th 2011.
An Intensive 3 day Incubator where selected producers will have an opportunity to hone their business plans and film/television pitches, through one-on-one support and group interventions led by international consultants. The Incubator will also include a Market Simulation exercise.

MEET THE BUYERS
Sept 12-16th 2011.
Throughout the week, CTWD will host a number of intimate events that will include many opportunities to network informally and have private one on one meetings with international buyers and funders attending the Toronto International Film Festival.

PARTICIPATE IN TIFF
CTWD participants will benefit from special discounted rates for TIFF passes. TIFF representatives will be on hand to help filmmakers negotiate the festival.

FAMILY SHOWCASE
September 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th
A program of workshops, screenings, and presentations that engage family, youth and community in an appreciation of Caribbean audiovisual work.
This year’s focus is on the exploding possibilities of Caribbean Animation featuring Anime Caribe, the premier animation studio in the Caribbean, led by lead animator Camille Selvon Abrahams.

EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS
September 15th and 16th
High school students get a chance to be entertained and educated through screenings and talk back sessions of outstanding Caribbean films.

THE TEAM
Our core team is comprised of CTWD CEO and accomplished international filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, creative industries expert and Director of the Shridath Ramphal Center at UWI Dr Keith Nurse, and international media personality, producer and marketing specialist Lisa Wickham.

They are supported by international Guest Specialists, who this year will include professionals from Canada, the US, Europe and South Africa.

TO APPLY:
To Participate in the CTWD Toronto Market Access Program please submit your project-in-development proposal to Caribbeantales@gmail.com. The projects can be of any genre. Your package should include the following:

Name  of project; writer/director/producer/production company; length of  film, format, country of production, logline, synopsis,  filmmaker bio, target audience, financing plan, and (if available)  trailer.
Deadline for submissions June 30th 2011.

COSTS:
Participants are responsible for their costs. A number of scholarships may become available closer to the time

BECOME A SPONSOR!

We will work with you to tailor-make a package that will maximise your exposure at the event.

MIGHTY SPARROW ALIGHTS ON SATURDAY'S FILM SHOWCASE

NEW YORK (June 9, 2011) - The "Calypso King of the World" will add to the star power assembled for the CaribbeanTales New York Film Showcase this weekend.

Legendary calypso musician, The Mighty Sparrow, will feature in a 30-minute question and answer session with distinguished Caribbean-American scholar and author Dr. Elizabeth Nunez who is also Trinidadian.

Sparrow will appear this Saturday, June 11 at the Spike Lee Screening Room at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus. He will follow the afternoon screening of "Calypso Dreams," arguably the best film ever made about calypso and in which the Caribbean crooner stars.

"We are especially honored that such an iconic musician has agreed to be a part of our showcase along with an equally distinguished literary giant," said Frances-Anne Solomon, founder and CEO of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), producers of this weekend's showcase.

The afternoon session of the day-long Saturday showcase will be presented by CTWD in partnership with New-York based educational distributor Third World Newsreel. The joint afternoon program, which starts at 2:30 p.m., includes CTWD's "Calypso Dreams" and TWN's "The Other Side of The Water," which follows a group of young immigrants who take an ancient music from the hills of Haiti and reinvent it on the streets of Brooklyn.

Other highlights of the day include a Filmmakers' Brunch at noon featuring a keynote address by Mark Walton, The Africa Channel's executive vice president of sponsorship and corporate development.

An evening "Rum and Fishcakes" gala reception precedes the screening of the riveting documentary "Fire in Babylon", the inspiring story of how a West Indies cricket side, one of the most gifted teams in sporting history, triumphed over its colonial masters.

Other short films from up and coming Caribbean-American filmmakers, including "Dominion" (Barbados) and "Jerk Chicken" (Jamaica), will be screened.

CTWD, a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs, has hosted two film festivals in Barbados, another in Canada, produced training workshops for filmmakers, and now has more than 60 films in its catalog.

The New York Showcase is FREE to the public, however, patrons must RSVP to secure their spots.

The CaribbeanTales New York Film Showcase which brings the Caribbean Tourism Organization's Caribbean Week in New York to a close, is supported by The Africa Channel, Barbados Tourism Authority, Bay Gardens Resorts (Saint Lucia), Brammer's Subway of Brooklyn, Bullzii Marketing, Caribbean Cookbook by Rita G. Springer, Caribbean Lifestyle TV, Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Consulate General of Barbados in New York, Caribbean International Network (CIN TV), Cockspur Rum, Creatively Speaking, cynergy spa, Distribution Specialist Michelle Materre, Falco Ink, Funsation4 Media, Great Huts Resort (Jamaica), Ocean Style Magazine, Spanish Court Hotel (Jamaica), Third World Newsreel, Tribeca Film, and ZYNC TV.

For further information, visit www.caribbeantales-events.com, www.youtube.com/ctwdfilms or www.caribbeanweekny.com.

About CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution is the first full-service film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean, and aims to become the go-to solution for producers and buyers of Caribbean-themed content. The company holds marketing events through the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group, and provides co-production services to producers. CTWD was founded by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, and its principals include creative industries expert Dr. Keith Nurse, economist and businessman Dr. Terrence Farrell, media personality and producer Lisa Wickham, and filmmaker and writer Mary Wells. CTWD is a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs.

ENDS

TELEVISION EXECUTIVE TO KEYNOTE CARIBBEAN FILM SHOWCASE

For Immediate Release 

NEW YORK (June 5, 2011) - Veteran Caribbean-American television executive Mark Walton of The Africa Channel will keynote the luncheon session of the first CaribbeanTales New York Film Showcase.

The Film showcase is set for the Spike Lee Screening Room at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus in New York at the weekend.

The inaugural one-day event, which brings the Caribbean Tourism Organization's Caribbean Week in New York to a close on Saturday, June 11, will feature a stirring keynote address by Walton on "Why A Strong African Diaspora Makes Sense."

"The UN has designated 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent and this should be a time for all people who claim Africa as their ancestral homeland to take time to understand and appreciate the impact we have made on the global society," asserted Walton. He contends the time has come "to celebrate our diversity as people of African descent."

The Filmmakers' Brunch begins at noon and includes panel discussions, networking and the screening of top Caribbean-produced films.

Walton, who is The Africa Channel's executive vice president of sponsorship and corporate development, postulates the Caribbean region has huge potential to tell its own story to the world since the diversity of cultures in the region is not yet known on the world stage.

"But when the voices of the Caribbean are heard, they will make a statement. The world hasn't yet heard or seen the real stories of the Caribbean. The emergence of a film industry can transport the imagery beyond sun, sea and surf to people, culture and heritage," declared Walton.

Walton, a Yale graduate who traces his roots not only to Africa but also to Barbados, has more than 20 years of experience in advertising sales, television, film distribution, marketing and general management. He spent more than 10 years with CBS in New York, holding various management positions in sales, marketing and finance.

By the time he left CBS, he was responsible for marketing network television news, daytime, late night and children's programs to a roster of major advertisers and their ad agencies with billings in excess of $75 million.

Frances-Anne Solomon, founder and CEO of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), announced her organization was honored to welcome Walton to the showcase.

The day's activities, which run from noon to 10 p.m., also include a gala "Rum and Fishcakes" reception and the screening of the riveting documentary "Fire in Babylon", the inspiring story of how a West Indies cricket side, one of the most gifted teams in sporting history, triumphed over its colonial masters.

Earlier in the day, guests will watch "Calypso Dreams," arguably the best film ever made about calypso as it explores the roots of kaiso in Trinidad & Tobago.

A few short films from up and coming Caribbean-American filmmakers' will also be screened. They include "Dominion" (Barbados), "Jerk Chicken" (Jamaica), and "The Other Side of the Water" (Haiti).

CTWD, a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs, has hosted two film festivals in Barbados, another in Canada, produced training workshops for filmmakers, and now has more than 60 films in its catalog.

The New York event is FREE to the public, however, patrons must RSVP to secure their spots.

The organizers report the response for the inaugural event has been robust and urged patrons to avoid missing out by responding sooner rather than later.

The Showcase is supported by the The Africa Channel, Barbados Tourism Authority, Bay Gardens Resorts (Saint Lucia), Brammer's Subway of Brooklyn, Bullzii Marketing, Caribbean Cookbook by Rita G. Springer, Caribbean Lifestyle TV, Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Consulate General of Barbados in New York, Caribbean International Network (CIN TV), Cockspur Rum, Creatively Speaking, Distribution Specialist Michelle Materre, Falco Ink, Funsation4 Media, Great Huts Resort (Jamaica), Ocean Style Magazine, Spanish Court Hotel (Jamaica), Third World Newsreel, Tribeca Film, and ZYNC TV.

For further information, visit www.caribbeantales-worldwide.com, www.youtube.com/ctwdfilms or www.caribbeanweekny.com.

About CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution is the first full-service film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean, and aims to become the go-to solution for producers and buyers of Caribbean-themed content. The company holds marketing events through the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group, and provides co-production services to producers. CTWD was founded by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, and its principals include creative industries expert Dr. Keith Nurse, economist and businessman Dr. Terrence Farrell, media personality and producer Lisa Wickham, and filmmaker and writer Mary Wells. CTWD is a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs.
 
For more Info contact: Bevan Springer + 1 201 861-2056. bevan@marketplaceexcellence.com