The half-hour documentary "Forward Home" will have its world premiere on Wednesday, September 7 at 8 p.m. on the opening night of the sixth annual film showcase.
The film's executive producer is economist and creative industries specialist, Dr. Keith Nurse, chairman of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution and director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services at the University of the West Indies.
Produced and directed by award-winning Trinidad-based filmmaker Lisa Wickham, with cinematography by Sheldon Felix, "Forward Home" illuminates the findings of Dr. Nurse's ground-breaking research project, "Strategic Opportunities in Caribbean Migration", which studies four Caribbean countries and their counterpart communities in global cities: Jamaica and London; Guyana and Toronto; Suriname and the Netherlands; and the Dominican Republic and New York.
"We have begun to document the uncharted territory of what we call 'Diasporic Tourism,'", explained Dr. Nurse who added "what has been widely known anecdotally, we now have empirical data - solid facts and sound research - to back it up."
The groundbreaking two-year study shows that more than 60 percent of the tourists who arrive in Guyana and Suriname are "Diaspora travelers" or Caribbean nationals living abroad. In Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, these nationals account for between 15 to 20 percent of tourists who travel to the region.
"We have found that Diaspora Tourism is a significant component of Caribbean tourism, and it is not a monolithic construct. These are not just leisure tourists, but people who come for educational and medical reasons, for festivals and other cultural events. We have also found there is an intersection between Diasporic Tourism and the telecommunications, airline, shipping and media industries," he said, noting that the findings have been far more dynamic than expected.
Dr. Nurse, who was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Trinidad, recommends more strategic planning and marketing on the Diasporic sector to further propel diversification of the Caribbean economy. By so doing, "we can encourage and enlist more Diasporic entrepreneurs, both at home and in the global cities where Caribbean diasporas predominate."
Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), said: "Keith Nurse's film reflects the changing face of the Caribbean. Today's Caribbean person, family and community are dynamic, diverse and international - this is exactly what our contemporary film stories reflect."
The Toronto film screening is sponsored by Canada's International Development Research Centre which joined forces with the Shridath Ramphal Centre to commission the film. The findings of the study will also appear in the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.
The Toronto Showcase is co-produced with the Harbourfront Centre, and partners include The Consulate General for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in Toronto, First Fridays, Green Light Artist Management, the International Development Research Centre, Pennant Media Group, Planet 3 Entertainment, Taffe Entertainment, Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services at the University of the West Indies.
The CaribbeanTales Scholarship Fund is supported by Camilo Antonio, Carl Thorpe, Fil Fraser, Jay MacPherson, Jean Sheen, Rita Cox and Selwyn Rouse.
For information about the CaribbeanTales Film Showcase and Market Incubator, the schedule, and for tickets, visit www.caribbeantales-events.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, a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs, has hosted two film festivals in Barbados, another in New York, produced training workshops for filmmakers, and now has scores of films in its catalog.
For further information, visit www.caribbeantales-worldwide.com.
ENDS
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