View my films in TV Film Fest (July)

Click to enlarge image

Write these dates in your diary. Two of my films will be screened in the T & T Film Company's upcoming TV Film Festival—on the following stations: Gayelle, GISL, CNC3 (and soon coming on board, WIN TV). The films will be shown a few times, giving you ample opportunities to view.

See below for schedule (date, time, station) and trailers:


ALL OF EMILY (22 minutes)

1.Sat 9 July @ 9:00 p.m. on GISL

2. Sat 9 July @ 9:30 p.m. on CNC3

3. Mon 25 July @ 8:40 p.m. on Gayelle

See ALL OF EMILY trailer below




 
INVISIBLE: CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS (10 minutes)

1. Sun 3 July @ 9:30 p.m. on TV6

2. Sat 9 July @ 8:30 p.m. on GISL

3. Fri 15 July @ 9:30 p.m. on CNC3

4. Mon 18 July @ 9:30 p.m. on Gayelle

See INVISIBLE trailer below:

Proof in my hands

Well, so much for not blogging again until the first week of teacher training is over.

How can I resist saying that today I held the proof copies of Daisy Chain in my hands?

Every time I looked at the book, I broke into a smile, acknowledging that it's finally here! Many things are "finally here". Worth the work. Worth the wait.

Patience pays.

I won't post an image of the novel, but I love how it looks. I love the simplicity and minimalism of the cover. And I love seeing the text on pages, between two covers. The whole package gives the content a whole new energy and meaning.

Once the proof copy has been proofread, I will send it back to the States, the publishers will make the necessary changes . . . and then Daisy Chain will be ready for the road! Hopefully in time for this.

Enjoy your Divali

Om made by my friend Glen, in his front garden

Truth over untruth, Light over darkness

Article in Caribbean Camera

(Canada Chronicles continued ...)

During the recent film festival I was interviewed by Jean Hodgkinson of The Caribbean Camera (a newspaper published weekly on Thursdays in Toronto and Fridays in Montreal).

Director’s Cut

We are not shadows. We exist.
- Euzhan Palcy -

Mme Palcy was fêted at this year’s fourth annual Caribbean Tales Film Festival. The theme, “Caribbean Film—A Tool for Education and Social Change,” was evident. On the page opposite, my compatriot Colin Rickards will help you get to know la Reine Cinéaste. Mingling freely she chatted enthusiastically with one and all granting interviews, it seemed from a distance, practically upon request. Never one to snub opportunity, I happily submitted to necessity. During our Saturday evening interview, not reviewed [ni traduit!] as of this writing, Mme Palcy employed a word I hadn’t yet heard her utter, not during the Q&A nor during her speech to accept the Award of Honour. That word was “revolution.”

It is perhaps no small coincidence this article is being written July 14. La Fête Nationale commemorates July 14, 1790, “which didn’t give France its soul,” said Henri Martin in 1880, as head of the Senate committee responsible for consecrating the holiday, “...but the Revolution made France conscious of herself.” The English-speaking world insists it be called Bastille Day, using the storming of the infamous Paris prison exactly a year earlier as its reference point, but it nevertheless remains inexorably linked to the profound social changes delivered by la Révolution. Mme Palcy was of course speaking of films, artistically, but it mattered little.

What was revolutionary intoned this Martinique-born Nefertiti, the “first black female director to be produced by a major Hollywood studio,” was that in her films an upstanding Sidney Poitier character did not have to pass his gun to an equally upstanding Michael Caine character in order to kill off a perfectly villainous white character. Many others at this year’s CTFF reinforced the argument that West Indians are, indeed have always been, participatory agents in history and not merely idle spectators. The explosion of filmmaking in the region simply means Le septième art is recognized as the best tool for people to tell their own stories and hence educate the world about the storytellers.

Christopher Laird, founder and CEO of Trinidad television’s Gayelle the Channel, presented a 44-minute package of the station’s live coverage of the Drummit 2 Summit protest. Held during April’s Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, it was organized by The Rights Action Group and Fishermen and Friends of the Sea. Although in April yours truly reported the Drummit 2 Summit protest attracted fewer media and police than the Independence Square protest, this opinion was formed within the Summit’s security perimeter as Gayelle’s cameras were recording well beyond it. “We were getting calls from other outlets to carry the live feed,” this year’s recipient of the CTFF Lifetime Achievement Award recalled.

“Gayelle is meant to be a touchstone, there as you channel surf,” Laird told me. Since its founding in 2004, Gayelle’s purpose has been to provide space for “street voices, a place where people can jump in and show what we can do. Sports and Carnival have been the only two outlets for 50 years.” But, he notes, the technological revolution of the past five years has made media production far more accessible to people. While demanding Gayelle “remain as nimble as possible,” this shift facilitates and encourages the kind of creative expression bottled up for too long in the Caribbean due to lack of technological resources. The spirit is both willing and able.

Elspeth Duncan said Gayelle provided a “large canvas” with which to hone her skills. Before shooting even began on her first film, the cameraman called in absent with a family emergency. “I had to shoot on my own. And then I realized I can do it myself,” she reminisced. Her film “Invisible,” an HIV/AIDS-awareness film, has aired on several Trinidad networks. It’s the story of discrimination faced by Veronica and her 4-year-old daughter, both of whom are HIV-positive, and her 8-year-old son, who isn’t. You don’t see faces, only hands and arms, children’s crayon drawings, faces behind curtains. Duncan didn’t want to digitally frost out faces, to avoid “perpetuating the idea that HIV must hide.” And Veronica the Invisible narrates her own family’s story.

So it went. A documentary on Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder; music videos and full-length features; documentaries like “Gathering the Scattered Cousins,” in which Nigerian-born Akin Omotoso travels to his mother’s native Barbados for the first time, after her death. And as Elspeth Duncan noted, “The intimacy of the festival is good for connecting with people.” The films helped out in this regard, too.

14 juillet ’09

Intimate and Inspiring

(Canada chronicles continued ...)

Some of my film work has been screened at various festivals - in Trinidad and internationally, but until this year (apart from festivals in Trinidad) I've only ever physically been to two of the international festivals - both in England. The second one was the Commonwealth Vision Awards (2004), which wasn't really a festival - it was an award ceremony at which they screened the films of those of us who had been awarded.

The first was the Commonwealth Film Festival in Manchester (2003), where my film "All of Emily" was screened. It was a good experience, but perhaps because it was my 'first time' and I didn't know anyone, it was also a bit overwhelming. Opening night was a huge bee hive of people dressed in black, swarming around, greeting each other with dramatic 'Daaaaahhhhlings!' followed by the theatrical kissing of both cheeks and the exchanging of call cards and fancy postcards advertising films (none of which I had or knew anything about doing). It took a while for me to sink in.

In contrast, the recent 4th CaribbeanTales Film Festival (my third physically-attended international festival) was very intimate. I found this to be one of its strengths. The experience allowed everyone the opportunity to connect and interact easily with each other ... whether as founder, member of audience, film maker, organizer, volunteer, member of the media or guest of honour (who, this year, was Euzhan Palcy).

(l. to r.): Euzhan Palcy and Frances-Anne Solomon at CTFF 2009
Source of photo

I think it's safe to say that everyone there was struck by Euzhan Palcy's ageless beauty, grounded energy and humility. I don't think she needed to speak much. Her work and her presence speak on her behalf. But when she did speak at length on the Saturday of the festival, in an interview with Professor Elizabeth Nunez, it was fascinating ... hearing of her life, inspiration and evolution as a film maker.

In her early years in Martinique, among other things, she used to write short stories, lock her brothers in a room with her (so they wouldn't escape once they were bored) and direct them in acting out her plots. They were always anxious to hear what was going to happen next in these 'productions'. It took me back to my own childhood when I would write short stories and books for my sisters, read to them and stage productions (not locking them in the room though), using their various dolls as the actors and the bed as the stage/location. My sisters would eagerly await the next episodes and sequels.

Carmen and Geoffrey
Source of Photo

The beautifully produced opening night documentary - "Carmen and Geoffrey" was well selected. The love and passion these two share(d) for each other, their art and life in general was highly moving and emotive ... not only to me, but to others who commented on it post-screening. Through the film I saw their life partnership as a spontaneous, creative, combustive and alive experience - still ongoing. Early in the movie, Geoffrey, riding in a car, tells the camera that when he set eyes on Carmen for the first time, he knew she would be his. Four days later he proposed, she accepted and the rest is history.

How many can dive with such passion and immediacy into something or someone that they don't even 'know'?

I remember someone once tritely commenting to me (on the heels of an earlier CTFF) that the festival was small and simply consisted of the founder's friends and family. Being there this year I noted that the festival did indeed feel like a gathering of family and friends - literally and otherwise. The air of familiarity and fraternity placed icons not on lofty pedestals, but as neighbours on chairs around cosy tables with everyone, as equals. It was the 'friends and family' aspect of the CTFF that embraced us all as an integral part of the bigger picture.

You live and learn. This time I made little quarter-page flyers advertising Emily,
with links to the CTFF. Photocopied and guillotined at Kinko's on Bloor. Handed out to people in the area.

On a more personal note, what was this festival for me?

From my observation, audiences (whether small or more sizeable) were appreciative and respectful of the films they viewed. The feedback I got for my two (especially "Invisible") was good.

I reconnected with some people I already knew and haven't seen in a while and made connections with new ones (including other film makers) from Canada and the Caribbean.

I got interviewed by the Caribbeancamera newspaper and one of the TV stations.

I met up again with Professor Nunez (with whom I'd done a writing course at UTT last year) and she gave me the impetus to get back to working on my novel, Lily.

I got to speak/practice French a few times (inclusive of telling two French visitors about mon roman).

I was reminded of a few things ... one of them being that time waits on no one, that focus and dedication are of the essence and that one must find/know and follow/live one's passions. What else is there?

Most of all, I was grateful to this festival for being the catalyst in my decision to return now to Toronto. For both obvious and inexplicable reasons, TO has captured my heart and spirit in a way that no other place (to date) has. I had been intending to come later in the year ... but when I unexpectedly got the email about the CTFF, something in my heart blazed open in a way that I had not felt in a long while and I knew that, for whatever it was worth, I had to go there now. (Guided by a "Magical Raven" - long story). I knew the blazing heart feeling wasn't specifically about the festival. It was/is about something larger and more ongoing ... i.e. being alive, following my heart and trusting where it leads me even when I don't always know and understand exactly why.

4th CaribbeanTales Film Festival starts today

(Canada Chronicles ...)

As Canada’s premier standalone Caribbean film festival, CaribbeanTales presents the best Caribbean films from around the world.

July 9 - 12th 2009
William Doo Auditorium,
45 Willcocks St.,
Toronto, ON

Full festival schedule and further information here.

Tickets are available now through the University of Toronto Box Office at UofTtix Box Office, (416) 978-8849 or Uof T's Central Box Office, open Mon-Fri 11am-5pm in Hart House, U of T.

"Elliot, about my cremation. There's one thing I want you to do for me when it's over ..."
Photo: Elspeth Duncan

Two of my films, "INVISIBLE" and "ALL OF EMILY" will be screened on Friday 10th July 2009 from 7:00 p.m. for "Trinidad Night" at the 4th CaribbeanTales Film Festival, which starts today.

"Trinidad Night" will feature "an explosion of new work by film and TV creators from the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago."

See Emily trailer here.

Experience the 4th CaribbeanTales Film Festival this weekend in TO.

Two 30" Red Earth/Mystic Intervention ads

Rather than have the same thirty second ads running over and over for Red Earth Eco-Arts Festival 2009, I suggested that we invite different people to create twenty seconds worth of video (relevant to the environment/the festival). Gayelle would then add a ten second information tag and Red Earth logos to make each 20" video/short film into an ad. The idea was for television viewers to be experience a kind of little film festival, rather than 'ads' during commercial breaks. However, not many people bit at this opportunity and there are only three short-film-ads.

My two offerings are below (specific to Mystic Intervention, which is part of the Red Earth Festival). The other piece was a lovely stop animation piece was created by Kitt Joseph. I will share it once they've uploaded it.

Ad #1 (30 seconds)
Music & Video: Elspeth Duncan
10" tag and logos: Gayelle

Ad #2 (3o seconds)
Music & Video: Elspeth Duncan
10" tag and logos: Gayelle

On TV tomorrow

As one of the film makers with a film in the TTFF, I will be on TV tomorrow talking about INVISIBLE, which will be screened on Monday 22 September at 5:30 p.m.

6:15 am on Gayelle

10:00 am on Allyson Hennessy's show on NCCTV 4

TT Film Festival 2008 17 - 30 September

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival
Movie Towne
17 - 30 September, 2008

INVISIBLE will be showing on 22 September at 5:30 p.m. (all ages)

(Below: extract from festival website):

Invisible: Children Living with HIV/AIDS

Running Time : 10 minutes
Origin : Trinidad & Tobago
Year : 2007
Director : Elspeth Duncan

Heartbreaking, heartwarming yet hopeful, this mini-documentary focuses on the true story of Veronica and her two children. Both Veronica and her four-year-old daughter are HIV positive. In light of the debilitating social discrimination faced by the small family as a result of HIV, Invisible asks which is the greater threat to human existence: HIV/AIDS or ignorance?

Lots of films to be shown.
Click on the TTFF link and have a look at the schedule.