SEETA PERSAD Friday, September 15 2006

The first Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF), runs next week from Wednesday 20 to Tuesday September 26 at the MovieTowne entertainment complex, Invader’s Bay, Port-of-Spain.

The films contains stories surrounding the various plots including: A single mother’s battle to get out of a relationship with an abusive lover. A young man’s comic attempt to woo the girl of his dreams. The coming of a black female messiah during a time known as the Apocalypso. The farmer who every Carnival transforms himself into a menacing blue devil. And the Saga of a woman who begins life in poverty and ends up owning her own grand hotel.

The TTFF brings together over 40 feature films, documentaries and short films made by film-makers from the Caribbean and the Caribbean diaspora, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, Guadeloupe, Suriname, Canada, the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Jamaican film Glory to Gloriana is about the ups and downs in the life of Montego Bay businesswoman and Hotel Gloriana owner, Eugennie ‘Gloriana’ Minto. This being one of the many films on show at the Kairi Trinidad and Tobago International Film Festival.

Glory To Gloriana, is billed as an authentic story depicting in stunning detail the experiences of a Jamaican girl, born and reared in poverty. She encounters numerous pitfalls and disappointments, but presses on, despite the obstacles and hurdles, to fulfil her dreams.

The film features some of Jamaica’s leading actors and actresses, including: Oliver Samuels, Leonie Forbes, Munair Zacca, Carol Campbell, Rodney Campbell, Douglas Prout, Makeda Solomon, Marguerite Newland, Bobby Smith, Ce’cile, and Winston Bell.

Many of these films are made by young, first-time film-makers looking to tell particular Caribbean stories, histories and realities. And while the films all differ in technical standard, they are all very ambitious and have strong story lines, natural acting and powerful social messages.

Some of the highlights of the festival include the much-lauded Grenadian film Blinded, winner of the Best International Film Debut Award from the New York Independent Film Festival.

The Kairi Film Festival was held in 2002, and now the TTFF seeks to deepen the appreciation for Caribbean cinema, as well as expose local audiences to films they usually do not get an opportunity to see.

The major sponsor of the TTFF is the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, which recognises the importance of such festivals to raise public awareness of, and provide a showcase for local and Caribbean films.

Screenings at the TTFF will take place every day at 11 am and 1 pm for students and young people in particular and 3.30 pm, 6 pm and 8.30 pm for general audiences.

Admission for each screening is $15, while students in uniform pay $5.