NEW YORK (June 9, 2011) – The “Calypso King of the World” will add to the star power assembled for the CaribbeanTales New York Film Showcase this weekend.
Legendary calypso musician, The Mighty Sparrow, will feature in a 30-minute question and answer session with distinguished Caribbean-American scholar and author Dr. Elizabeth Nunez who is also Trinidadian.
Sparrow will appear this Saturday, June 11 at the Spike Lee Screening Room at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus. He will follow the afternoon screening of “Calypso Dreams,” arguably the best film ever made about calypso and in which the Caribbean crooner stars.
“We are especially honored that such an iconic musician has agreed to be a part of our showcase along with an equally distinguished literary giant,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, founder and CEO of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), producers of this weekend’s showcase.
The afternoon session of the day-long Saturday showcase will be presented by CTWD in partnership with New-York based educational distributor Third World Newsreel. The joint afternoon program, which starts at 2:30 p.m., includes CTWD’s “Calypso Dreams” and TWN’s “The Other Side of The Water,” which follows a group of young immigrants who take an ancient music from the hills of Haiti and reinvent it on the streets of Brooklyn.
Other highlights of the day include a Filmmakers’ Brunch at noon featuring a keynote address by Mark Walton, The Africa Channel’s executive vice president of sponsorship and corporate development.
An evening “Rum and Fishcakes” gala reception precedes the screening of the riveting documentary “Fire in Babylon”, the inspiring story of how a West Indies cricket side, one of the most gifted teams in sporting history, triumphed over its colonial masters.
Other short films from up and coming Caribbean-American filmmakers, including “Dominion” (Barbados) and “Jerk Chicken” (Jamaica), will be screened.
CTWD, a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs, has hosted two film festivals in Barbados, another in Canada, produced training workshops for filmmakers, and now has more than 60 films in its catalog.
The New York Showcase is FREE to the public, however, patrons must RSVP to secure their spots.
The CaribbeanTales New York Film Showcase which brings the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Caribbean Week in New York to a close, is supported by The Africa Channel, Barbados Tourism Authority, Bay Gardens Resorts (Saint Lucia), Brammer’s Subway of Brooklyn, Bullzii Marketing, Caribbean Cookbook by Rita G. Springer, Caribbean Lifestyle TV, Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Consulate General of Barbados in New York, Caribbean International Network (CIN TV), Cockspur Rum, Creatively Speaking, cynergy spa, Distribution Specialist Michelle Materre, Falco Ink, Funsation4 Media, Great Huts Resort (Jamaica), Ocean Style Magazine, Spanish Court Hotel (Jamaica), Third World Newsreel, Tribeca Film, and ZYNC TV.
For further information, visit www.sharons26.sg-host.com/CTFF/, www.youtube.com/ctwdfilms or www.caribbeanweekny.com.
About CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution
CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution is the first full-service film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean, and aims to become the go-to solution for producers and buyers of Caribbean-themed content. The company holds marketing events through the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group, and provides co-production services to producers. CTWD was founded by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, and its principals include creative industries expert Dr. Keith Nurse, economist and businessman Dr. Terrence Farrell, media personality and producer Lisa Wickham, and filmmaker and writer Mary Wells. CTWD is a member of the BIM Ventures family of entrepreneurs.
ENDS
