Celebrating 10 Years of Caribbean Film, 2015 T+T Film Festival Sets Caribbean Classics Sidebar
By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act From Indiewire
The 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), which celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, has unveiled its first selections for this year’s edition of the Festival (September 15–29) – an early look at a lineup that comprises of 10 classic Caribbean films, representing 9 different countries, that will screen in a special sidebar in honor of the festival’s 10th anniversary.
“Many people are unaware that there has been a Caribbean film industry for quite some time, or that almost every country in the region has produced feature films,” said Bruce Paddington, ttff Founder and Festival Director. “We are therefore very proud to present ten of the very best classic films from the Caribbean that will help one to appreciate and enjoy the rich diversity of the region.”
In addition to screening in honor of the Festival’s 10th anniversary, these classics will also screen in recognition of the launch of the Caribbean Film Database – an initiative co-financed by the ACP Cultures+ Program, funded by the European Union and implemented by the ACP Group of States – which is an online resource containing information on over 600 independent feature length films made in and about the Caribbean.
The full lineup of 10 Caribbean film classics, a few you’d recognize (we’ve covered on this blog), follows below:
“Memories of Underdevelopment” (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Cuba, 1968)
“The Harder They Come” (Perry Henzell, Jamaica, 1972)
![Harder They Come, The (1973) Pers: Jimmy Cliff Dir: Perry Henzell Ref: HAR010AF Photo Credit: [ International Films/New World / The Kobal Collection ] Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement](http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/still-from-the-harder-they-come-300x236.jpg)
“One People” (Pim de la Parra, Suriname, 1976)
“Man By the Shore” (Raoul Peck, Haiti, 1983)
“Sugar Cane Alley” (Euzhan Palcy, Martinique, 1983)
“One Way Ticket” (Agliberto Menéndez, Dominican Republic, 1988)
“What Happened to Santiago” (Jacobo Morales, Puerto Rico, 1989)
“Ava and Gabriel: A Love Story” (Felix de Rooy, Curaçao, 1990)
Still from AVA AND GABRIEL
“Strawberry and Chocolate” (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, Cuba, 1993)
The rest of the 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival lineup will be announced over the coming months.
For more information about the festival, whose goal is also to assist in the growth of Caribbean cinema via a comprehensive annual program, visit ttfilmfestival.com.
The ttff is presented by Flow and given leading sponsorship by bpTT, and supporting sponsorship by the Embassy of the United States of America.
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
Still from THE HARDER THEY COME
Still from AVA AND GABRIEL
Still from SUGAR CANE ALLEY
For more on this story go to: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/celebrating-10-years-of-caribbean-film-t-t-film-festival-sets-caribbean-classics-sidebar-20150706
