CaribbeanTales returns with its second annual film festival, and puts the spotlight on Trinidad & Tobago

Toronto – June 23, 2007

The CaribbeanTales Film Festival is set to hit Toronto again this summer! Created by Frances-Anne Solomon, the festival showcases the best films to emerge from the Caribbean region and this year's focus is on the vibrant film and television productions of Trinidad & Tobago.The festival will run from July 13 to 15, 2007 at the NFB’s Mediatheque.

The 2nd Annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival is under the patronage of the Consulate General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, in association with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

This year’s lineup will highlight some of the biggest Trinidadian talents to hit North America, like Julien "Lil X" Lutz, whose cinematic style and vivid imagination, have made him the director of choice for a host of celebrities including P. Diddy, Usher, Sean Paul, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, and others.

The festival will honour legendary British-Trinidadian director Horace Ove, now CBE (Commander of the British Empire - recently awarded, for his contributions to filmmaking in the UK). His groundbreaking 1975 film Pressure was banned by its own funders, the British Film Institute, because it documented the growing frustrations of Britain's black communities at the time.

Our Spotlight will be turned on the phenomenon of local TV station Gayelle the Channel, and its prolific CEO, Christopher Laird. The fast-growing upstart station features 100% local content, and reaches over a million viewers internationally through conventional broadcasting, cable TV, and live Internet streaming.

The festival will also celebrate filmmakers from across the diaspora including film innovator Yao Ramesar, award-winning video artist Richard Fung, producer extraordinaire Claire Prieto, Frances-Anne Solomon, Jeanine Fung, Sharon Lewis, Michele Clarke, Roger McTair, Selwyn Jacobs, Shani Mootoo, Elspeth Duncan, Asha Lovelace, Camille Selvon Abrahams, Danielle Dieffenthaller, and many more.

The program is co-curated by Frances-Anne Solomon, filmmaker/producer and Artistic Director of CaribbeanTales, and Bruce Paddington, Programmer of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, one of the regions most important showcases for contemporary Caribbean cinema.

With a growing international awareness of the Caribbean's burgeoning media industry, the festival aims to entertain and educate through a series of industry panels, filmmakers' discussions, and up-close-and-personal one-on-one interviews with local and visiting filmmkers.

About CaribbeanTales:
CaribbeanTales, a non-profit organization, founded by award-winning filmmaker & producer Frances-Anne Solomon, is Canada's premier multimedia company, producing educational films, videos, radio programs, audio books, theatre plays, web sites and events that showcase the rich heritage of Caribbean storytelling, traditional and contemporary, at home and across the diaspora.

The CaribbeanTales 2nd Annual Film Festival is generously sponsored by: Eye Weekly, Titan Tours, the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, NFB Mediatheque, The Canadian Immigrant, FLOW 93.5 FM, CKLN 88.1 FM, CIUT 89.5 FM, CHRY 105.5 FM, @Wallace Studios, MyMediaBiz.com, Steam Whistle Brewing, Harlem Restaurant, Irie Food Joint, Island Foods, Planet Crystal Sports Bar and Restaurant, and S.M. Jaleel & Co. Ltd.

Ticket Information:

Tickets $5 per screening
Festival passes $30

For more information, please visit:
www.CaribbeanTales.ca

For media enquiries, please contact:
Pennant Media Group
Kevin Pennant
kp@pennantmediagroup.com
T 416.596.2978

(Photos: Legendary filmmaker Horace Ove, celebrated music video director Julien "Lil X" Lutz, and prolific Trinidad-based television station Gayelle The Channel)