Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival

Explore the with documentary movies "Siege" + "Kaiso for July 27" - available on-demand on ttff+.
🎬““Siege” recounts the terror and courage of TTT employees as they re-live their days held captive under the gun barrels of 70 heavily armed Muslim insurgents.
🎬“"Kaiso for July 27th" looks at the aftermath of the surprise attempted coup on the Caribbean island of Trinidad & Tobago by a small Islamic group in 1990.

Mark the upcoming anniversary of the 1990 Coup Attempt and catch both documentaries on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+, via plus.ttfilmfestival.com
watch online
anywhere
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ttff/+....love caribbean film
+

A group of Haitians locked in the hold of a fishing vessel that is being smuggled through the Bahamas into the United States. On these vessels communicable diseases such as dysentery are deadly and if individuals get sick they are thrown overboard.
🍿Catch the action in 'Passage' on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+ (via plus.ttfilmfestival.com) 🙌
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film

Philo, an expat detective, turns to his previous partner, Monique, for help in solving a current kidnapping case. But where this leads them is to the past and to an old rift between them regarding the disappearance of her brother, which Philo seeks to mend.
🍿Catch 'Knockabout' on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+ (via plus.ttfilmfestival.com) 🙌
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film
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Let's look at another husband+wife duo, Hugh and Suzanne Robertson
Hugh Robertson came to Trinidad to film an adaptation of Derek Walcott’s play, Dream on Monkey Mountain, for NBC, and embarked on an engagement with his wife’s homeland, which saw the birth of what is arguably the most important film to be produced in Trinidad: Bim (1974).
American of Jamaican heritage, Robertson, together with his wife, Suzanne and a group of local directors and investors set up Sharc Productions - an acronym for the names of his family: Suzanne, Hugh, Antonio (their son) Robertson Company. Sharc brought in professional film equipment and a custom-built production vehicle for location filming and created a sound stage at Tucker Valley in Chaguaramas, producing commercials and documentaries - but its real mission was to establish a local film industry.
Bim was set in Trinidad in the period before independence, and the politically charged film reflected the passion and conflicts of the 1940s and 50s. Written by Raoul Pantin, the film starred Ralph Maraj as Bim, in what is widely considered to be his finest performance on film. The film’s musical score was by Andre Tanker, who worked with a group of East Indian musicians. It was later released as an LP record.
Bim won a gold medal at the United States Virgin Islands Film Festival in St. Thomas in 1975, was shown at the Carifesta Film Festival in Jamaica (1976) and the Los Angeles Film festival (1976). The producers were encouraged to make another film, Avril, based upon an original story by Hans Boos with a script by Raoul Pantin, about a spell inflicted on a young couple, but the producers suffered major financial problems in having the film processed and edited. In 1987, almost ten years later, the film was finally completed and shown in San Francisco under the new title Obeah, a year before the director’s death. This film has never been seen in the Caribbean.
Robertson was also the editor for the Hollywood films Midnight Cowboy (1969), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award; Shaft (1971). He also directed Melinda (1972).
Read more about these and other Caribbean Film here - https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/pioneers-of-caribbean-film

A Trinidadian restaurant owner in Seattle battles mounting mental health struggles, racial tension and financial insolvency to try and keep her community-oriented restaurant alive during Covid’s rise.
🍿Catch 'Pam's Kitchen' on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+ (via plus.ttfilmfestival.com) 🙌
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film
+

Directed by Joshua Paul, 'Kinto' is a story of the struggle to find one's identity.
🍿Kinto lives on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, wiping the windscreens of passing cars at stoplight intersections to earn money. Ambushed and beaten by a group of other street boys, a desolate Kinto embraces his identity when he makes an unexpected act of kindness.
Catch 'Kinto' bundled with 'Float' and 'Shan' on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+ (via plus.ttfilmfestival.com) 🙌
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film

Have you signed up to volunteer at ttff/23 as yet?
✅Volunteers will receive a daily stipend, a ttff/23 t-shirt, as well as the opportunity to mingle with the who's who in the filmmaking industry!
✅Interested? Sign-up at ttfilmfestival.com/volunteer. Be sure to select the area that you prefer to be assigned to when filling out the sign-up form!
The 18th edition of trinidad+tobago film festival will take place from 21 September - 01 October 2023, and volunteers will be needed in the lead-up to the festival, as well as during the festival period to support the festival team in areas of planning, hosting, administration, hospitality, tech, event management and much more!
Join our vibrant team! Signup today!

Experience the hopes and fears of a young woman pursuing her dream away from home.
🍿Directed by Maya Cozier, 'Shan' follows Trinidadian Limbo dancer, Shan Fernandez, as she pursues her dream of performing in front of international audiences as a member of the Universal Circus. As she moves onto the international stage, she copes with feelings of isolation and separation.
Catch 'Shan' bundled with 'Float' and "Kinto' on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+ (via plus.ttfilmfestival.com) 🙌
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film
+
Maya Cozier

Where is home when home doesn't want you?
🍿Directed by Kareem Mortimer & Jonathan P. Morris, 'Float' is a story about finding your authentic self.
Catch 'Float' bundled with 'Shan' and "Kinto' on our pay-per-view streaming platform, ttff+ (via plus.ttfilmfestival.com) 🙌
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film
+

Meet another ttff/23 programmer, Patrice Robinson
Patrice Robinson is a film programmer and writer based in London. She has volunteered at Leeds International Film Festival, Leytonstone Loves Film, Norwich International Film Festival and our very own trinidad+tobago film festival. She is currently a member of the cinema team at the Barbican Centre in London. Entering the film industry as a graduate of the Independent Cinema Office’s FEDs Scheme, Patrice is committed to programming films that speak to under-served communities. Most recently, Patrice curated the season – Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close which explores Caribbean self-representation in film.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
You can read more about Patrice and our other ttff/23 programmers here https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/announcing-the-programmers-for-ttff-23 I 21 sept - 01 oct

Meet another ttff/23 programmer, Jim Kolmar
Jim is an independent programmer who curated films for the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) from 2009-2020, where he continues to consult on international and feature films. He was a founding committee member at Festival Internacional de Cine Tulum (FICTU) and a guest curator for Portland International Film Festival 2021.
Jim is a contributing writer for Ambulante Film Festival in Mexico and has served on juries, panels and committees for organizations including Austin Film Society, BAFICI, Berlinale, Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), CONNeXT, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFPanama, IN-EDIT Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Ventana Sur.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
We've got one more ttff/23 programmer to introduce you to, so keep an eye on this space for that! I 21 sept - 01 oct



Jim Kolmar

Happy Indian Arrival Day, sweet T&T!

Dive into Indo-Trinidadian culture this Arrival day, for LESS!
Watch Dal Puri Diaspora and The Madonna Murti at 10% OFF this Arrival day holiday!
✔️Head over to ttff+ (plus.ttfilmfestival.com)
✔️Use code ARRIVAL23 to enjoy 10% OFF
🟡Offers runs until midnight, May 30 (arrival day holiday)
🍿Dal Puri Diaspora - directed by Richard Fung, this film is a record of dal puri’s remarkable passage across space and time, linking colonialism, migration and the globalization of tastes.
🍿The Madonna Murti - directed by Oyetayo Ojoade, this film features candid interviews with poojaris and pilgrims, pundits and priests, academics and artists, all who try to tell the tale of a statue who offers health, hope, help and happiness to those who approach her most in need of it.
So, dish out some curry and let's get to watching!
watch online
anywhere
anytime
ttff/+....love caribbean film

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Meet another ttff/23 programmer, Ivonne Cotorruelo!
Ivonne Cotorruelo is a Cuban Film Curator and Producer based in New York, who has been empowering storytellers for over a decade. She is a Features Programmer at Cleveland International Film Festival CIFF, Outfest, Atlanta Film Festival ATLFF, Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival TTFF, as well as a Shorts Programmer for Aspen ShortFest. She has served as Juror for the Miami Film Festival, New Filmmakers LA, and Havana Film Festival NY. A Berlinale Talent Campus alumnus, she is always seeking out stories for underrepresented voices and working on a plan of strategic diversity, equity and inclusion.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
You can read more about BC and our other ttff/23 programmers here
https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/announcing-the-programmers-for-ttff-23 I 21 sept - 01 oct

Londoners! It's just 2 days till 'Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close' starts! Check out this article from The Guardian that discusses one of the films that will be screened, One Hand Don't Clap.
"Kaul hopes that the rerelease of One Hand Don’t Clap will bring Kitchener and Rose renewed recognition. “I want people to have a sense of, ‘Oh my goodness, why haven’t I heard this music before? I better go out and listen to it more.’” Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close runs from 17-31 May at the Barbican, London, and kicks off with a special preview of the new restoration of Kavery Kaul’s One Hand Don’t Clap, followed by a ScreenTalk (via Zoom) with the director - The Guardian
Read more here:

Shake your Sugar Bum Bum! The return of the classic film capturing calypso’s riotous brilliance It is seen as the joyous, rum-soaked music of the carnival, but it is so much more than that – as One Hand Don’t Clap shows. We talk to the film’s star, the astonishing Calypso Rose, still thrilling crowds

- We're excited to introduce you to another one of our ttff/23 programmers, BC Pires!
BC Pires was called to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago in 1984 and enrolled as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1989 but, since January 1988, has done nothing but write for a living.
His satirical column, “Thank God It’s Friday”, published more or less every Friday of the last 32 years, began at the Express and, after a few years at the Guardian, has appeared in Newsday since 2017. He has tried to write sensibly about film from an informed lay perspective since 1988. He sat on the first jury of the trinidad+tobago film festival and wrote the Judges’ Report. He has also written about West Indies cricket for publications all over the world, notably, the UK Guardian and Observer newspapers. He has lived in Port of Spain, London, Georgetown and, since 2008, Barbados.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
You can read more about BC and our other ttff/23 programmers here
https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/announcing-the-programmers-for-ttff-23
I 21 sept - 01 oct



BC Pires

We're happy to introduce you to another member of this year's programming team, Danielle Dieffenthaller!
Danielle has over 20 years experience in the television and film industry. She is committed to telling the Caribbean story through quality dramatic and documentary film and television productions. Danielle is the owner/producer/director of Dieffenthaller Style Films Ltd, which produced the popular programmes “Iere Vibe” and “The Reef”. She was the main force behind the television production company Earth TV Ltd, and producer/director and co-writer of the acclaimed “Ecowatch” series and the long-running “Westwood Park” (100 episodes).
Danielle's resumé includes work with TTT, UK-production company Bandung Productions and the groundbreaking production house Banyan Productions, where she and one other crew member were the only local crew to capture the events of the 1990 attempted coup. Among her credits are dramatic, educational, environmental, political and business projects for local, regional and international audiences. She is also a co-founder of FILMCO and the 2019 Arts and Letters Laureate of the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
You can read more about Danielle and our other ttff/23 programmers here
https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/announcing-the-programmers-for-ttff-23
I 21 sept - 01 oct



Danielle Dieffenthaller

Today, we look at another pioneer of Caribbean Film, Sir Horace Ové.
Born in Trinidad, Ové is internationally known as one of the leading black independent filmmakers to emerge in Britain since the post-war period. His feature film, Pressure, is cited in the Guinness Book of Records as the first black feature film to be made in the UK. The screenplay was written by Ové and novelist Samuel Selvon. It was funded by the British Film Institute Production Board, but banned for three years because of its politically charged subject.
Ové’s other early films include Baldwin’s Ni**er (1969) and Reggae, the first in-depth film on reggae music, narrated by the Jamaican writer and journalist, Andrew Salkey. He also made King Carnival (1973), Skateboard Kings (1978), A Hole In Babylon (1979), Who Shall We Tell? (1985), Dabbawallahs (1985) and Playing Away (1986) and directed various episodes of the groundbreaking television series Empire Road (1978-79), making his mark on the series by taking it out of the studio and onto real street locations. For the ITV network, he directed The Latchkey Children (1978-79), the first multiracial children’s drama. In 1991, he directed The Orchid House for Britian’s Channel 4 - a 4-part period drama that tells the story of the decline of an old colonial family from the point of view of their black nanny. The cast included Horace's daughter, Indra Ové.
In 1995, Ové directed Native Son for PBS and BBC2, as well as The Equaliser for the BBC series Hidden Empire, which went on to win several Asian Academy Awards.
Ové has won several awards over the years for his work. He was named Best Director for Independent Film & Television by the British Film Institute in 1986. He is the only non-Jamaican to be given a Doctor Bird award, for his contribution to Caribbean filmmaking. He was awarded the Humming Bird Medal by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in recognition of his international achievements in television and film and was recognized as a T&T National Icon in 2013.
In June 2007, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to the film and television industry in the UK. In 2017, at the 12th Screen Nation Film and Television Awards, Ové was honoured with the Edric Connor Trailblazer award. He was also awarded the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) Special Jury Prize 2018, with the citation stating: "In a year where Windrush has been plastered across newspaper headlines, it seems fitting that the jury have chosen to honour one of the generation’s proudest voices." He was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to media.
Read more about this and other here - https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/pioneers-of-caribbean-film

Londoners! ! Time's running out to get tickets for 'Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close' !
'Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close' is a new screening series with a focus on Caribbean Cinema that's coming to the Barbican in the UK! The series will screen a collection of films, curated from the ttff/22 programme, from across the Caribbean that aims to give UK audiences insight into the evolving identity of contemporary Caribbean cinema. The series explore Caribbean self-representation in film, individual and shared cultural identities while also touching on universal themes that pertain to the human condition.
🎟️For screening schedules and to purchase tickets, head over to https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2023/series/snapshots-caribbean-cinema-up-close
If you're in the UK between May 17 - 31, be sure to check out 'Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close' at the Barbican!

We're super excited to start introducing you to the members of the ttff/23 programming team. Today, we start off with Dr. Bruce Paddington.
Bruce Paddington (PhD) is a filmmaker, lecturer, academic and film festival curator. He was a senior lecturer in film at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and the co-founder of the Bachelor of Arts Film Programme. He is the founder of Banyan Productions, the New World Film Centre and the trinidad+tobago film festival. He was also the festival's director from 2006–2019 and a consultant and former programmer for ttff/20.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
We'll be introducing you more fully to each member of our ttff/23 esteemed panel of programmers in the coming weeks, but if you're excited to meet them all now, have a read here: https://ttfilmfestival.com/news/ttff-news-and-features/announcing-the-programmers-for-ttff-23
I 21 sept - 01 oct

- We're excited to introduce you to our programming team for the 18th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival, ttff/23!
Once again, the ttff/23 programming team consists of a diverse group of professionals - film curators, producers, historians, writers and directors - from Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and Cuba. By continuing to include persons outside of the Caribbean on our programming team, we are significantly widening the net both in terms of the films we can curate, and in bringing greater international visibility for ttff and Caribbean films. This year's team members include Bruce Paddington, Danielle Dieffenthaller, BC Pires, Ivonne Cotorruelo, Jim Kolmar and Patrice Robinson.
The programming team undertakes the mammoth task of reviewing all submitted films that meet the festival’s stated criteria. They may also curate a small selection of films which they believe will enhance the film programme. Collectively, they are responsible for selecting all the films for the 2023 film programme, as well as choosing the films shortlisted for competition.
We'll be introducing you more fully to each member of our ttff/23 esteemed panel of programmers in the coming weeks! Stay tuned!
I 21 sept - 01 oct

Be part of the excitement! VOLUNTEER with us at ttff/23!
The trinidad+tobago film festival is excited to be back in-person once again for this year's edition, and we've started to recruit volunteers for our live screenings, events and more!
✅Volunteers will receive a daily stipend, a ttff/23 t-shirt, as well as the opportunity to mingle with the who's who in the filmmaking industry!
✅Interested? Then sign-up today at https://ttfilmfestival.com/volunteer.
✅Be sure to select the area that you prefer to be assigned to when filling out the sign-up form!
Persons of all ages, who love movies and share a commitment to supporting the growth of a vibrant film culture are welcome to apply. The 18th edition of trinidad+tobago film festival will take place from 21 September - 01 October, 2023, and volunteers will be needed in the lead-up to the festival, as well as during the festival period, to support the festival team in areas of planning, hosting, administration, hospitality, tech, event management and much more!
Signup today! We can’t wait to welcome you to our team!

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THANK YOU to all the filmmakers who submitted films to ttff/23 - the eighteenth edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival! Our submissions portal is now closed and your films are already being reviewed by our submissions panel.
✅Acceptance notifications will be sent to filmmakers in June 2023.
✅If you have any queries regarding your submission, please email [email protected], and put ttff/23 SUBMISSION QUERY: and the title of the film in the subject line.
The trinidad+tobago film festival continues to celebrate films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through our annual festival in September, as well as via our online streaming platform, ttff+ (plusttfilmfestival.com)
ttff/23 will include new shorts, features, narrative films, documentaries and experimental films, which explore the Caribbean experience.
/23 I 21 Sept - 01 Oct