FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto – June 28, 2007
A host of Trinidadian celebrities and filmmakers will be in Toronto this summer to participate in the 2nd Annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival. The celebration of Caribbean film and television will feature legendary filmmaker Horace Ove, music video guru ‘Lil X” and Gayelle the Channel’s Chris Laird – just to name a few. This year’s focus is on the vibrant film, television and video productions of Trinidad and Tobago and runs from July 13 to 15, 2007 at the NFB Mediatheque and Workman Theatre.
CaribbeanTales will honour the illustrious career of legendary British-Trinidadian film director Horace Ove at the festival’s opening night presentation, with a screening of Ove’s thought-provoking feature documentary Dream to Change the World, about activist and writer John La Rose. In addition, on Sunday July 15th, there will be a special screening of his classic 1975 feature Pressure, which was banned by its own funders, the British Film Institute, because it voiced the growing frustrations of Britain’s disenfranchised Black communities at the time. Now, 30 years later, ”Britain’s first Black feature film” continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, and has a particular relevance here in Toronto, where youth violence is an ongoing concern. The screening will be followed by an intimate Q&A with the multi award-winning filmmaker, who recently received a CBE, (Commander of the British Empire – one of Britain’s highest honours), for his contribution to film in the UK.
The Festival’s Spotlight will be turned on the “phenomenon” of Trinidad’s dynamic local TV station Gayelle The Channel, and its founder & CEO Christopher Laird, who was named by leading Toronto video artist and critic Richard Fung, as “one of the most important filmmakers working in the Anglophone Caribbean.” The fast-growing young station features 100% local content, and reaches a broad audience of over a million viewers internationally through conventional broadcasting, cable TV, and live Internet streaming. On Saturday 14th July the Festival will feature a screening of Laird’s brand new film A Day in the Life of De Gayelle, followed by an up close and personal Q&A session with the Channel’s prolific founder.
Critically acclaimed for his cinematic style and vivid imagination, Julien “Lil X” Lutz will be featured in a showcase of short films and music videos, on Sunday 15th July. Lutz has directed over 100 music videos and commercials, and worked with a host of A-list celebrities.
The festival also welcomes film artist Robert Yao Ramesar, whose 2006 feature Sista God opened at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, and will screen again at the CaribbeanTales Film Festival on July 14th.
Other filmmakers featured in the program include celebrated video artist Richard Fung, respected producer Claire Prieto, Janine Fung, Georgia Popplewell, Sharon Lewis, Michele Clarke, Roger McTair, Selwyn Jacobs, Shani Mootoo, Elspeth Duncan, Camille Selvon Abrahams, Danielle Dieffenthaller, and many more.
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), and the Multicultural History Society of Ontario.
The program of films will be co-curated by Bruce Paddington, Programmer of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, one of the region’s most important showcases for new Caribbean cinema, and Frances-Anne Solomon, Artistic Director of CaribbeanTales.
The festival will also host the Launch of “TALK IT OUT” a new CaribbeanTales initiative that will use Frances-Anne Solomon’s award-winning feature film A Winter Tale to promote discussion and anti-violence strategies among youth across Canada.
CaribbeanTales, a non-profit organization founded by filmmaker 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, digital and analogue, 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, CaribWorldNews.com, @Wallace Studios, MyMediaBiz.com, Steam Whistle Brewing, Harlem Restaurant, Irie Food Joint, Island Foods, Planet Crystal Sports Bar and Restaurant, S.M. Jaleel & Co. Ltd., and Tropical Treets.
Available for interviews:
Frances-Anne Solomon, Artistic Director
Ticket Information:
Tickets $5 per screening
Festival passes $30
For more information, please visit:
www.CaribbeanTales.ca
For media inquires, please contact:
Pennant Media Group
Kevin Pennant
kp@pennantmediagroup.com
T 416.596.2978
