Thursday, March 29, 2012

Must-See Belafonte film to open CaribbeanTales 2012 Film Festival

The second in a 3-part series in which documentarist and screenwriter Wenty Bowen, explains why SING YOUR SONG is a must see for Caribbean and especially for Barbadian, audiences. Read Part 1 here. 

SING YOUR SONG will have its Barbados premiere as the Opening Night Gala at the CaribbeanTales 2012 Film Festival at Frank Collymore Hall on April 11th at 6pm.

Tickets are on sale from CaribbeanTales-events.com for $20 Bdos until March 31st ($35 at the door)

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EARLY DAYS

According to Wikipedia, Belafonte was born into a rough Harlem neighbourhood on March 1, 1927 to Melvine (née Love) – a housekeeper (of Jamaican descent) – and Harold George Bellanfanti, Sr., a Martiniquan who worked as a chef in the Royal Navy. His father abandoned the family fairly early. As Belafonte writes in his recent book My Song: A Memoir, it was a hard start.

“I was born into poverty, grew up in poverty, and for a long time poverty was all I thought I’d know.” His immigrant mother sent him to be raised in her native Jamaica in an effort to ensure his safety. There he lived with his grandmother from 1932 to 1940, and developed a cultural reservoir on which to build future artistic success.

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Questioned about how growing up in Jamaica influenced Belafonte'’s outlook on life and social justice, Rostock told an HBO interviewer, “Musically, it affected him. And also seeing the poverty, how hard the workers worked and how difficult life was for them. But what really got him committed to social justice was his mother, seeing how hard it was for her here working in America. She used to say to him, "Never go to sleep at night, never let a day go by without showing some concern and doing something to change the course of events." She fed that to him from the beginning.”

Belafonte himself says, “My mother was an immigrant woman seeking to participate in the American dream. She discovered that the ground rules for people of colour were not the same as the ground rules for people who came from Europe. I grew up appreciating her resilience and courage. She felt our mission in life was to stand up to oppression wherever we saw it, and never surrender until we have done what we can to change it. So to a great extent that was my first inoculation, the first thing that got to me.”

Upon the outbreak of World War II, he returned to Harlem and in 1944, at 17, he enlisted in the Navy, serving for almost two years as a munitions loader. While there he discovered the writing of W. E. B. Du Bois, who helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

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ACTING

Two years later, out of the navy, he was working as a janitor's assistant in NYC when a tenant gave him 2 tickets to a play at the American Negro Theatre in Harlem, which gave black actors roles and opportunities denied them elsewhere. He also met Sidney Poitier, from the Bahamas. The financially struggling pair regularly purchased a single seat to local plays, trading places in between acts, after informing the other about the progression of the play. He fell in love with the art form, and so. at the end of the 1940s, he joined the Dramatic Workshop of the New School of Social Research in New York under the tutelage of renowned German director Erwin Piscator, There he attended classes with fellow future stars like Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, Rod Steiger, Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier.

He found in the theatre “a place of social truth and profound influence,” and he resolved to use art not simply to inspire others, but also as an instrument of resistance and rebellion and a counter to racism..

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A MAN AND HIS MUSIC

As you know, Belafonte was not only an actor, he was also a singer who, because of his years in Jamaica, had learned the songs of the peasants and workers, enabling him to straddle cultures and musical styles, so that later, as the so called Calypso King, he made many Caribbean-themed songs famous. It is especially this aspect of the Belafonte story that West Indians will resonate to, and that will make “Sing Your Song” a must-see film for them. For many of the songs that made Belafonte rich and famous were written by another son of the Caribbean, Irving Burgie, who is linked to both Barbados and Jamaica.

The son of a Barbadian mother and American father, Irving Burgie is best known in the U.S. as the writer of such classic Calypso tunes as "Day-O" and "Jamaica Farewell". He was responsible for eight songs on Harry Belafonte's ground-breaking 1956 album "Calypso," which was the first LP in America to sell over one million copies. Burgie went on to write another twenty-eight songs recorded by Belafonte. Belafonte’s success, was attributed in great part to Burgie’s tremendously popular songs.

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As one critic has observed, Belafonte “was one of the first performers to bring worldbeat rhythms to the U.S. charts in the postwar era, and his silky-smooth mixture of jazz, folk, pop, and art song, often with impossibly infectious West Indies-styled accompaniment, coupled with his charismatic good looks and easy, hip coolness and sharp racial and political sense meant he was never reduced to being a mere commodity, even though he spent his whole career on major labels. Innovative, intelligent, and unceasingly creative, Belafonte's unique ability to find pop success with artful and socially committed material means he is long overdue for a critical reappraisal, and 2011 may well provide that with the release of his autobiography, My Song, co-written with Michael Shnayerson, and an HBO documentary on his life, “Sing Your Song.” directed by Susan Rostock and produced by Michael Cohl."

Intelligent, confident and with a firm grasp of artful arrangement, Belafonte almost single handedly brought world music into the commercial pop arena with the Burgie-composed “Day-O” song, and in Burgie he had found the perfect songwriter, a man whose compositions had the lilt and flow of ocean sunlight itself. Several of Burgie’s songs (and Belafonte’s versions of them) have become stone cold classics, including “Banana Boat (Day-O),” the lovely “Jamaica Farewell” (both of which were centerpieces of 1956’s million-selling Calypso album that made Belafonte an international star) and “Kingston Market.”

In Part 3 of the series, Wenty Bowen describes how Belafonte  got involved with leading political figures, and became a beacon and catalyst for many of the key causes and issues of our time. 

EVENT DETAILS

 

Name: CaribbeanTales 2012 @ Island Inn - FIlm Festival, Symposium, Incubator

 

Date: April 10 - 15, 2012

 

Venue: Venues around Barbados: Island Inn, Aquatic Gap; Frank Collymore Hall, Bridgetown;

George Washington House; Olympus Cinemas, Sheraton Mall;

 

Tickets: CaribbeanTales-events.com

 

Media and Information : Frances-Anne Solomon, Director 266-7779; Nancii Yearwood,

CaribbeanTales@gmail.com.

 

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Wenty Bowen is a documentary filmmaker and screenwriter. A former Fulbright Scholar, he was a Senior Lecturer at UWI Mona, where he taught Sociology, Journalism and Television Production at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication. He was also Publications Editor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (now SALISAS) at UWI Mona. His feature articles have been published in newspapers in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean, and his television play about Jamaican National Hero Sam Sharpe as well as his cultural and news documentaries were broadcast by the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation.

About CaribbeanTales

The CaribbeanTales Film Festival @ Island Inn, Barbados is an important annual film event on the island, and a highlight of the regional cultural callendar ever since it was created in 2010; a multi-facetted forum that is focused not only on screening the best Caribbean films, but also on developing industry practitioners, creating networking opportunities, and on seeking solutions to challenges facing the sector as well as facilitating the marketing and distribution of indigenous film products.

 

CaribbeanTales 2012 @ Island Inn, Barbados is sponsored by: Andre Woodvine, Bajan Reporter, The Barbados Film and Video Association, the Barbados Tourism Association, Benjamin Drakes Photography, Blue Waters Productions, Bridgetown Film Academy, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Development Bank, Caribbean Media Corporation, Creative Junction, Frank Collymore Hall, Irebel Films, Island Inn, National Cultural Foundation, Olympus Cinemas, Seaweaver Productions, SFa Communications, St Nicholas Abbey Rum.

 

CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for regional and international distribution, including:  CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, that links producers and buyers of quality entertainment; the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group that produces annual events in Toronto, Barbados and New York;  the Caribbean Incubator Program for Audio Visual Entrepreneurs that delivers training for filmmakers, and CaribbeanTales.ca, a non profit based on Toronto, Canada, that promotes citizen participation through the medium of film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Caribbeantales 2012 Workshops will be a Filmmakers Smorgasbord

The Caribbeantales 2012 Film Festival which runs from April 10 to 15 will offer a series of workshops for filmmakers and film fans that can best be described as a smorgasbord for filmmakers.

The Workshops are part of the CARIBBEANTALES INCUBATOR SERIES: Activities aimed to help film/television professionals develop world-class content by honing their skills in the continuum from script development to distribution.

This year’s incubator comprises 5 targetted Content Labs:

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Workshop One : “48 HR FILM CHALLENGE”

An opportunity for teams of filmmakers from across the region to stretch their creativity and test their skills by creating exciting, imaginative, thought-provoking and engaging films, in just 48 hours!

The challenge is open to all – from the first time film maker or student to the veteran of 30 years.

To prepare for the challenge, teams will participate in an intense 3-hour session on Wednesday, 11 April at Island Inn, Bridgetown. Led by Chris Cooke Johnson and Akley Irebel Olton, the workshop will cover: Screenwriting, Lighting and filming techniques, Managing workflow, Editing on a tight schedule, and music for your film

Filmmakers will then have 48 hours to script, shoot, edit and submit a film - starting from 8 p.m., Wednesday, 11 April until 8 p.m., Friday, 13 April.

The completed film(s) will be screened on Sunday, 15 April at the Festival's Closing Ceremony.

To register and for more information please contact CaribbeanTales@gmail.com.

Registration Fee: $125 Bds (62.50 US) - to be paid online by April 5th 2012, or in person to Akley Irebel Olton.

Produced by Chris Cooke Johnson/Creative Junction, Rodney Smith/Flyin Monkey Films, and Akley Irebel Olton.

Workshop Two : SCRIPT2SCREEN Screenwriting Clinic

This program is aimed at improving the skills of screen writers. Three selected short scripts will receive staged readings, performed by local actors. These will be critiqued by a panel of experts, and benefit from constructive audience feedback.The aim is to help writers develop an understanding of writing skills, and to offer new insights into the craft of screenwriting. Attendees will be exposed to a more in-depth look at the art of writing for films.

Script2Screen 2012: Screenwriting Clinic” will take place on Friday 13 April 2012 at the Island Inn Hotel from 7:00pm. Entrance fee is $10, students are free.

For more information please contact: bridgetownfilmacademy@gmail.com.

Produced by Douglas Newton (Bridgetown Film Festival) in collaboration with the National Cultural Foundation.

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Workshop Three : FILMMAKER - COMPOSER  COLLABORATION

This innovative 3 day workshop explores the process of scoring (composing) for film by matching filmmakers with composers. The goal is to familiarize participants with what it takes to effectively compose music for motion pictures, and for those who already have some experience, it will be a chance to improve the skills they already have.

Led by renowned Canadian composer, producer, and arranger of music for film and television, John Welsman, assisted by local composer Andre Woodvine.

The workshop co-ordinator is Annette Nias.

The Workshop will take place at the Island Inn, Bay Street, St. Michael:

Tuesday 10th April 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Thursday 12th April 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday 15th April 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Pre-registration is required. For further details, please contact Annette Nias, Cultural Officer (Film and Photography). Telephone: 417-6630. E-mail: filmandphotography@gmail.com

Produced in association with National Cultural Foundation.

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Workshop Four : FIRST CUT

A unique opportunity for first time feature directors in the final stages of post production to receive an audience screening, following by constructive and expert feedback to help them to tweak their films in preparation for the market place.

The films selected for this year's FIRST CUT series are the extraordinary LITTLE BOY BLUE by talented new director NICHOLAS ATTIN, and THE STORY OF ORG by St Lucian born filmmaker Davina Lee.

This event is open to the public. Entrance fee is $10.

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Workshop Five : DIRECTING MASTER CLASS

This workshop will be run by Susanne Rostock, award-winning director of “SING MY SONG”.

Long esteemed as “an aural and visual poet”, Susanne’s filmmaking is a stunning thirty-nine years of some of the most compelling documentaries of each decade. Her films have been shown in festivals, theatres and television world - wide and she has received multiple awards – most recently the NAACP Image Award for Best Documentary and the Gracie for Outstanding Director. Susanne received an MFA in filmmaking from New York University. Sing Your Song is further proof of her life long dedication to the belief in the power of art to change the world.

This Directing Master Class will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday 15 April at the Island Inn.

Open to the public. Registration is $25

Sunday, March 25, 2012

CREATIVITY MUST EXTEND TO FINANCING

Reprinted from the Barbados Advocate

3/23/2012

By Patricia Thangaraj

All stakeholders, from the respective Caribbean Governments to the private sector to film producers, must get involved if the region is going to build a self-sustaining infrastructure for the film industry.

This is coming from Filmmaker and CEO of Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), Frances Anne Solomon who spoke with The Barbados Advocate yesterday, in advance of the third CaribbeanTales FIlm Festival, that will take place at the Island Inn in April.

She said that people are naturally interested in hearing and seeing their own stories being told rather than imported content and the best way to cater to an eager audience is to have filmmakers from the region tell these stories as they know firsthand the issues that are relevant to their people.

Unfortunately, as the situation currently is, there is no proper avenue for filmmakers who make films to get paid or to have full time careers in this industry. This is why one of the critical components of building this infrastructure is financing so that these films can get made, said Solomon.

The film maker stated that other countries have managed to find ways of financing the audio visual industries that is suitable for them, and the Caribbean region needs to come together and do the same. In England, for example, there is a license fee where the government charges £50 per annum for every television owner. In the USA, it is funded by advertising as well as money made from the box office of persons who go to see Hollywood films; in South Africa, it is funded by government investment and advertising and in come countries in South America, money from every ticket purchased by persons who go to the cinema to see films goes back into the various aspects involved in film production such as a marketing fund, a distribution fund and production funding so that  filmmakers themselves can continue to make films, explained Solomon.

She made it clear that filmmakers are not asking for handouts, but for strategic support from different parties for the development of this industry. Possible suggestions include incentives whereby the private sector supports the financing of films and the Government gives companies who do this a tax deduction; a small tax being charged on every television sold and/or a small tax charged on every movie theatre ticket purchased.

The CEO said that it is not difficult to find a suitable method as there are many existing models to draw on, but it must start with the various stakeholders showing an interest in seeing the development of this industry because they recognise that it can contribute to the GDP, and once this happens, a vision and a strategy for the sector can then be developed.

EVENT DETAILS

Name: CaribbeanTales 2012 @ Island Inn - FIlm Festival, Symposium, Incubator

Date: April 10 - 15 2012

Venue: Venues around Barbados: Island Inn, Aquatic Gap; Frank Collymore Hall, Bridgetown; George Washington House; Olympus Cinemas, Sheraton Mall;

Tickets: CaribbeanTales-events.com

Media and Information : Frances-Anne Solomon, Director  266-7779; Nancii Yearwood, CaribbeanTales@gmail.com.

About CaribbeanTales

The CaribbeanTales Film Festival 2012 @ Island Inn  is  an important annual film event in Barbados, and a highlight of the regional cultural callendar ever since it was created in 2010; a multi-facetted forum that is focused not only on screening the best Caribbean films, but also on developing industry practitioners, creating networking opportunities, and on seeking solutions to challenges facing the sector as well as facilitating  the marketing and distribution of  indigenous film products.

CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for regional and international distribution, including:  CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, that links producers and buyers of quality entertainment; the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group that produces annual events in Toronto, Barbados and New York;  the Caribbean Incubator Program for Audio Visual Entrepreneurs that delivers training for filmmakers, and CaribbeanTales.c, a non profit based on Toronto, Canada, that promotes citizen participation through the medium of film.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Must-See Belafonte film to open CaribbeanTales 2012 Film Festival

The first in a 3-part series in which documentarist and screenwriter Wenty Bowen, explains why SING YOUR SONG is a must see for Caribbean and especially for Barbadian, audiences.

Tickets are on sale at CaribbeanTales-events.com for $20 Bdos until March 31st ($35 at the door)

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The highly regarded bio-documentary film, “Sing Your Song,” about singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, will have its Caribbean Premier on Tuesday April 11 when the Caribbeantales 2012 Film Festival opens at Frank Collymore Hall at 6 p.m.

“Sing Your Song,” opened the recent Sundance Film Festival in Utah, and according to hollywoodreporter.com, “got launched with the emotional charge of a political rally combined with the enthusiasm of a revival meeting.” Subsequently HBO picked up the U.S. TV rights.

THE DIRECTOR

“Sing Your Song,” which runs for 1 hour and 44 minutes, was directed by Susanne Rostock. This is her debut directing effort, but she has written two films, previously was Assistant Director of another film, and has edited thirteen other documentaries. She will be present at the CaribbeanTales premiere, and will also lead a Directing Masterclass during the Festival, on Sunday 15th April at 10am, at the Island Inn.

Rostock explains that a few years ago, when Producer Michael Cohl went into partnership with Mr. Belafonte to create this film, “I was brought in as a result of my past work with Michael Cohl. Needless to say I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to help tell this remarkable story. I felt the role Harry Belafonte played in the many struggles for human rights throughout 20th/21st century history could have a profound, inspiring effect on the viewer – especially the young.”

Her resulting film has been distilled from more than 700 hours of interviews, eyewitness accounts, movie clips, excerpts from FBI files, and news, stills, and rare archival film footage, some of which has never been seen before. In addition to Belafonte, those interviewed in “Sing Your Song” constitute a Who’ Who of political and entertainment celebrities, including: Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee, Whoopi Goldberg, Quincy Jones, Coretta Scott King, Rep. John Lewis, Miriam Makeba, Nelson Mandela, Sidney Poitier, Tom Smothers, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Andrew Young, as well as his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, David Belafonte, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte (one of the film’s producers), and former wife Julie Belafonte.

With all this source material to work with, Susanne Rostock says she “envisioned Mr. Belafonte as being the teller of his own tale. Through his ponderings, insights and anecdotes supported by a cast of amazing characters, Mr. Belafonte’s life is revealed as if we were privy to his own personal journals. "In addition to filmed interviews that had been conducted over time, I made audio recordings of the very personal conversations Harry and I would have sitting in my cutting room [as she edited the film], These informal talks became the thread for the storytelling.”

The end result? A thorough, inspiring, and moving biographical documentary that surveys Belafonte’s life, times and success as singer, actor, activist and humanitarian. A documentary that West Indians in general and Barbadians and Jamaicans in particular will enjoy contemplating.

Why?

Two special reasons: His ancestry and his music.

In Part 2 and 3 of the series, Wenty Bowen explains how Belafonte's early life, and formative experences laid the ground for his extraordinary musical and political impact on the world stage. 

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Wenty Bowen is a documentary filmmaker and screenwriter. A former Fulbright Scholar, he was a Senior Lecturer at UWI Mona, where he taught Sociology, Journalism and Television Production at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication. He was also Publications Editor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (now SALISAS) at UWI Mona. His feature articles have been published in newspapers in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean, and his television play about Jamaican National Hero Sam Sharpe as well as his cultural and news documentaries were broadcast by the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation.

 

Monday, March 19, 2012

CARIBBEANTALES UNVEILS EXCITING PROGRAM OF SCREENINGS AND WORKSHOPS IN BARBADOS

Barbadians and visitors to the island will once again experience the creativity of Caribbean films and filmmaking through screenings and a range of training opportunities when the CaribbeanTales Film Festival 2012 @ Island Inn comes off from April 10 to 15. This will be the third edition of the Barbados leg of the Festival which is also held annually in Toronto and New York and is a highlight of the regional cultural calendar.

CEO of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, Frances Anne Solomon speaking at the Festival’s media launch in Bridgetown last week, revealed a full program to be rolled out at venues around the island including Island Inn Hotel, Frank Collymore Hall, George Washington House and Olympus Cinemas.

The festival kicks off with an Opening Gala on April 11 headlined by the Caribbean Premiere of “Sing Your Song: the Harry Belafonte Story”, an “inspiring and deeply beautiful”  documentary about the famous actor/singer of Caribbean heritage, Harry Belafonte. The film, which had its world premiere as the Opening Film at the Sundance Film Festival last year, will be screened alongside two new Barbadian short films - “A Day in a Bajan Life”, produced by Penelope Hynam and “Panama Fever” by Alison Saunders.

The CaribbeanTales Film Festival has become the most important annual film event in Barbados drawing industry stakeholders and the general public to a mulitfacetted forum focussed not just on screening the best Caribbean films, but also on developing industry skills, linking international and regional practitioners, creating networking opportunities,  seeking solutions to challenges facing the sector, as well as facilitating  the marketing and distribution of  indigenous film products.

During her presentation, Solomon who is a film maker and CEO of the only distribution company dedicated to Caribbean films,  likened the festival to a tent with many different stalls which are the various activities taking  place during the festival.  In this regard, she expressed appreciation for the contributions of the Barbados Steering Committee which this year includes many distinguished and accomplished industry veterans.

Penelope Hynam, Programmer for the festival introduced the lineup of films to be screened, and credited CaribbeanTales with having a lasting impact on the development of the local and regional industry. Listen to Penelope Hynam’s speech here.

Another steering group member, Annette Nias, Film and Photography Officer for the National Cultural Foundation, reaffirmed the NCF’s commitment to the Festival through a major innovative collaboration between local filmmakers and composers, to be led by  renowned Canadian composer John Welsman, assisted by local composer Andre Woodvine.

The NCF is also supporting another ground-breaking skills development initiative - the SCRIPT2SCREEN Screenwriting Clinic - that aims to help writers hone their screenwriting skills through the presentation and analysis of staged readings of their work. This program is co-ordinated by Douglas Newton (Bridgetown Film Academy), who urged writers to send their scripts in, as the deadline for submissions is March 21.

One of the more exciting opportunities for filmmakers during the festival is the "48 hr Film Challenge".  Chris Cooke-Johnson, director/owner of Creative Junction and the project’s producer, outlined its aims. The Challenge is also being co-produced  by Toronto-based filmmaker Rodney Smith (Flying Monkey Films) and filmmaker Akley Olton’s Irebel Films.

In an emotional closing address, steering group member Patrick Cozier, who is also the Secretary General of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, noted that ten years ago he had declared the cultural industries as “ the best economic Greenfield open to the region” and that he stood even firmer behind that statement today. Cozier pledged the support of regional broadcasters for the festival and urged the private sector to step up to the plate to provide financial support to ensure the sustainability of the burgeoning new  sector.

Finally, Solomon reaffirmed CaribbeanTales partnership with the popular Island Inn Hotel,  the headquarters for the 6-day event.  The award-winning Trinidadian filmmaker emphasized the region’s premier film festival group is definitely on the move.  Full details of the event  are available online now at caribbeantales-events.com.

CaribbeanTales 2012 @ Island Inn, Barbados is sponsored by Andre Woodvine, The Barbados Film and Video Association, Benjamin Drakes Photography, Blue Waters Productions, Bridgetown Film Academy, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Media Corporation, Creative Junction, Frank Collymore Hall, Irebel Films, Island Inn, National Cultural Foundation, Seaweaver Productions, and SFa Communications. .

For more information - Frances-Anne Solomon, Festival Director;  Nancii Yearwood, Festival Co-ordinator: 266 7779 or CaribbeanTales@gmail.com

Videos (to view click link):

Penelope Hynam, Festival Programmer discusses the CT2012 screenings line-up and talks about the impact of CaribbeanTales

Patrick Cozier, Secretary General of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, speaks to the importance of the cultural industries and reaffirms his support for the festival.

Chris Cooke Johnson outlines the new "48Hr Film Challenge"


ABOUT CARIBBEANTALES

CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for regional and international distribution, and  includes CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, that links producers and buyers of quality entertainment; the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group that produces annual events in Toronto, Barbados and New York;  the Caribbean Market Incubator Program (CMIP) that delivers training for filmmakers, and CaribbeanTales.ca, a non profit based in Toronto, Canada, that promotes citizen participation through the medium of film.

Friday, March 9, 2012

MEDIA ALERT - LAUNCH OF CARIBBEANTALES 2012, BARBADOS

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WHO:
The CaribbeanTales 2012, Barbados Steering Group - Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO; Penelope Hynam, Programmer; Alison Saunders, Symposium Producer; Patrick Cozier, Secretary General of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union; David Green, President of the Barbados Film and Video Association.
 
WHAT:
Media Launch of CaribbeanTales' 2012 Barbados Festival
 
WHEN:
Monday, March 12, 2012 at 10am.
 
WHERE:
Island Inn Hotel, Aquatic Gap, St Michael, Barbados.
 
WHY:

The creative industries of film and television will once again receive a boost when CaribbeanTales Worldwide brings together formidable local, regional and international partners to showcase, market, celebrate and debate Caribbean film and television.

Please join us for a presentation of the highlights of this year’s edition.  Your favourable response to this invitation would be greatly appreciated.
 
Please RSVP to Nancii Yearwood, Festival Co-ordinator at CaribbeanTales@gmail.com
 
For further information, visit www.caribbeantales-events.com.

ABOUT CARIBBEANTALES

The CaribbeanTales Film Festival @ Island Inn, Barbados is a highlight of the regional film calendar since it was first staged three years ago.   A multi facetted forum taking place on the beautiful south coast of the island, it has become the most important annual film event in Barbados, focused not only on screening the best Caribbean films, but also on developing industry practitioners, creating networking opportunities, seeking solutions to challenges facing the sector as well as facilitating  the marketing and distribution of  indigenous film products.

CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for regional and international distribution, and  includes CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, that links producers and buyers of quality entertainment; the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group that produces annual events in Toronto, Barbados and New York;  the Caribbean Incubator Program for Audio Visual Entrepreneurs that delivers training for filmmakers, and CaribbeanTales.ca, a non profit based on Toronto, Canada, that promotes citizen participation through the medium of film.

 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Join the 48HR FILM CHALLENGE!

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CaribbeanTales is partnering with Flyin Monkey Films to present this Caribbean-wide Film Challenge.

CALL FOR TEAM REGISTRATION

Description
An opportunity for teams of filmmakers from across the region to stretch their creativity and test their skills by creating exciting, imaginative, thought-provoking and engaging films, in just 48 hours!  The challenge is open to all – from the first time film maker or student to the veteran of 30 years!

To prepare for the challenge, teams will be able to participate in a workshop, led by Rodney Smith of Flyin Monkey Films.  The intense 3-hour session is scheduled for Wednesday, 11 April at Island Inn, Bridgetown, Barbados and will cover:
Screenwriting
Lighting and filming techniques
Editing on a tight schedule 
Music for your film

Filmmakers will have 48 hours to script, shoot, edit and submit a film - starting from 9.m., Wednesday, 11 April until 9 p.m., Friday, 13 April. The prize-winning film(s) will be screened on Sunday, 15 April.

Guidelines for the Film Challenge

1. Resources, cast, crew and equipment and locations can be sourced and reserved before the challenge begins, but all writing and other elements of production must be accomplished during the hours of the competition.

2. Teams must sign in by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 April at Frank Collymore Hall, Bridgetown, Barbados,  at which time they will collect their registration packets, which will include the randomly selected genre, 1 line of dialogue and 1 prop.

3. Teams must hand in their completed films on DVD at the Island Inn Hotel, by 6pm on Friday 13th April.

Details

Length of Films:    Minimum of four (4) minutes, maximum ten (10) minutes in length.
Teams:                  Maximum of 10 persons (including actors and crew)
Registration Fee:   $125 Bds (62.50 USD - to be paid online by April 5th 2012) 

To register and for more information please contact Nancii Yearwood at CaribbeanTales@gmail.com

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About CaribbeanTales 2012 @ Island Inn, Barbados

Founded in 2010, the CaribbeanTales Film Festival @ Island Inn is a multi facetted event that takes place in beautiful Barbados, that includes a Film Festival, a regional Industry Symposium, and a Content incubator, all aimed at nurturing the development of a vibrant world class Caribbean film and television industry.

CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets and exhibits Caribbean-themed films for regional and international distribution, including:  CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, that links producers and buyers of quality entertainment; the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group that produces annual events in Toronto, Barbados and New York;  the Caribbean Incubator Program for Audio Visual Entrepreneurs that delivers training for filmmakers, and CaribbeanTales.ca, a non profit based on Toronto, Canada, that promotes citizen participation through the medium of film.

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About Flyin Monkey Films

Flyin’ Monkey Films LLC is a film and video production company based in Toronto, Canada, and Brooklyn, NY, headed by award-winning Director and cinematographer Rodney Smith. Since 2009 Flyin’ Monkey Films has been focused on the production of narrative stories in different formats, from music videos, shorts films, feature length films and webseries. It's most recent production is the higly acclaimed web series DOMINION.