Tagore Film Festival

2012 Student Photography Exhibition

Call for submissions for the ttff/12

Presented by Flow, the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of films made in the Caribbean region, including Latin American countries in the Caribbean Basin; by Caribbean people of the diaspora; and by international filmmakers that reflect Caribbean culture and way of life both in the region and the diaspora.

The ttff/12 will be held from 19 September to 02 October.

Selected films screened at the Festival are eligible for the following five jury prizes: best narrative feature film (US$4,000); best documentary feature film (US$4,000); best short film (US$2,000); best local feature film (TT$20,000); and best local short film (TT$10,000).

There are also three people’s choice awards, for best dramatic feature, best documentary and best short, each worth TT$5,000.

All selected films are also eligible for screening on Flow’s video on demand service after the Festival.

There is a submission fee of TT$60 (or US$10) per entry.

The Festival screens films in digital and 35mm formats. Entries of various lengths are accepted.

All initial submissions should be made either in digital format (for example, via Dropbox, Yousendit, FTP, Vimeo, Cinando, Festivalscope or personal secure online link), or in NTSC DVD format and must be in English or with English subtitles.

You may also submit via www.withoutabox.com, trinidad+tobago film festival.

All submissions must be accompanied by:

• Synopsis
• Running time
• Year of production (not before 2010)
• Country of origin
• Language, and if subtitled
• Genre
• Name of director, producer and cast (if appropriate)
• Short biography of director
• Festivals screened at/awards won (if any)
• Contact information

Digital submissions should be sent to annabelle@ttfilmfestival.com

DVD submissions should be sent to:

Annabelle Alcazar
Programme Director
trinidad + tobago film festival
199 Belmont Circular Road
Port of Spain
Trinidad & Tobago

Submitted materials will not be returned.

THE DEADLINE FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS IS 31 MAY 2012. THIS DEADLINE WILL BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT FILMS THAT DO NOT FULFILL THE STATED CRITERIA.

ttff/12 reserves the right to determine the eligibility of the submissions to be screened at the Festival, the appropriate venues and time slots for the screening of films, and to use excerpts of the films for publicity purposes. All films submitted must have applicable clearances and the Festival will not be held liable.

The ttff seeks to make all screenings at the Festival T&T premieres. Occasionally, however, the Festival considers films that have already been shown in T&T. Please contact us if you have a film that falls into this category.

Please note that there are usually many more submissions than spaces available in the Festival lineup and therefore not all films can be accommodated. This does not necessarily imply that a film has not met the Festival’s criteria or is of poor quality. It may be that we have already selected a film on a similar topic, or that a film is deemed to have already received sufficient public exposure.

The ttff, which is in its seventh year, is held annually in September and receives leading sponsorship from RBC Royal Bank and bpTT, and supporting sponsorship from the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism, the Tourism Development Corporation, the Tobago House of Assembly and the National Gas Company.

ttff/12 Screening on Campus

Best Films of 2011 - According to Film Students (Part 4)

 Best Films of 2011: Jane Eyre – The Beauty of Subtlety

 A Review by Nadiya Romero

 

Michael Fassbender

The silent and uninvolved possess the deepest and fiercest passions, as seen in what may be considered the best film adaptation and period piece since Pride and Prejudice in 2005 – Jane Eyre. “A classic for a new generation,” as Rolling Stone describes it, Jane Eyre is emotional and smouldering - elegant and understated all at the same time. While leaving the novel uncompromised and outdoing previous versions, director Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre), brings this nineteenth century classic to life with a stellar cast, accurate costumes, gothic set designs and tone, as well as a beautifully composed soundtrack by Italian composer, Dario Marianelli.

Orphaned Jane Eyre is raised by her aunt Sarah, who unfairly ships her off to a strict Catholic boarding school for ‘bad’ behavior. Upon completing her education and turning eighteen, Jane (Mia Wasikowska) leaves the institute and finds work as a governess for Adele Varens (Romy Settbon Moore), the daughter of Edward Fairfax Rochester (Michael Fassbender), owner of Thornfield Hall. Though parentless, penniless and complete with her ‘tale of woe,’ Jane maintains a dignity, modesty and stoicism that leave Adele and her charmingly cold father deeply in love with her. But as Miss Bronte would have it, a shocking secret is revealed on Jane and Rochester’s wedding day, causing the devastated governess to flee the premises and the lives of her loved ones.

 
Fukunaga could not have chosen a more talented or appropriate set of actors, as there is not one mediocre performance from the opening scene to the bittersweet end. Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland, The Kids Are Alright) is the archetype of subtle and unconventional beauty, as she gives a performance wrought with quiet emotion, wit and intelligence. Her blunt face reveals everything and nothing, giving her a presence that is as intimidating as it is captivating. In other words, Wasikowska gives an entirely new and ironic meaning to the phrase ‘plain Jane.’ Michael Fassbender (Shame, X-Men: First Class) has had a good year. Another fairly new but wildly talented and attractive actor – Fassbender truly embodies the tormented Rochester, with his cold stare and brooding disposition. Dame Judi Dench, as usual, never disappoints. Her honest Mrs. Fairfax could not be ignored. In addition, the chemistry between the lead actors is palpable as seen in the compelling scenes between them, which are enhanced by poetic dialogue that both Wasikowska and Fassbender deliver without looking and sounding wooden or overly maudlin, which seems to be the norm of such movies in this genre.

The costume design of Jane Eyre simply augments the story, without being overdone or overwhelming. The sharpness and monotony of Jane’s grey dresses are reminiscent of her social background as well as her direct and determined air. Fukunaga’s use of close-ups, wide shots and lighting makes Jane Eyre more personal and authentic. He creates an unforgettable setting that mirrors the inner turmoil of his characters, as seen in the stormy opening scene that shows a distraught Jane. His drab, eerie tone seems beautifully in sync, and at times, in contrast with Jane and Rochester’s violent, yet controlled passions. Jane Eyre is made complete with a stunning soundtrack created by Marianelli, who also composed for similar films such as Pride and Prejudice and Atonement.

Jane Eyre is without a doubt, the best of its category in 2011. It manages to be entirely poignant and romantic without filling the spongy heads of hopeless romantics with sappy misrepresentations of love and all its tenets. It is a movie far more invested in emotional authenticity rather than theatrics, cheap tricks and unnecessary grandiose gestures.

Mathematics Meets Photography: The Viewable Sphere

Best Films of 2011 - According to Film Students (Part 3)

Best Films of 2011: Betta Mus Come

A Review by Dainia Wright 

The idea of a signature Caribbean style for our films, an aesthetic that captures our essence, is one the many interesting points about the film.  The cinematography is edgy, capturing the rawness of the Jamaican culture with extensive use of handheld photography more typically used in documentary. Saulter’s style infused the film with a sense of romanticism of the life of poverty in Jamaican ghettoes. Despite the fact that Ricky has leverage being a gunman for the Jamaica Labour Party (implied), he is still not able to receive running water. Jamaican political tribalism has established a system where one’s political affiliation hinders one’s social mobility.

The plot of the film is unconventional, suspending Classical Hollywood’s notion of a cause-effect narrative, which extends to Ricky’s lack of control of his own life. Ricky tries to exit the life of a gangster and tries to bring his companions with him in hopes of providing a better example for his son. He falls for the beautiful Kemala, who unfortunately lives on the wrong side of the neighbourhood, who also holds the interest of the opposing community don, Dog Heart. Realizing that the life of an ordinary citizen was unlikely because of the political situation in the country, they are lured back into the life of crime and to their demise.

The film is reminiscent of Perry Henzel’s The Harder They Come, in its tone, the disjointed plot construction and more blatantly the similarities in the deaths of the protagonists.  Betta Mus’ Come, however, adds a modern dimension in its cinematography style, which not only adds a degree of reality but of the roughness of their lifestyle, always on the go.  Thus the film recreates the beginning of the film industry for Jamaicans and has incited a new excitement over the possibility of a film industry in Jamaica.

Storm Saulter and his team are experimenting with a new form of distribution for the Caribbean. Rather than waiting on distribution deals from Hollywood, they have taken into their own hands to seek out cinemas to play their film. They also appeal to unconventional audiences for Caribbean cinema. Usually films are made with idea of distribution in the United States of America, or Canada or other developed countries. However, his team has pursued distribution in Africa and Latin America, which hopefully a new market for the Caribbean as a whole. They have set a quite a standard for the filmmakers of the Caribbean and I hope their success increases with the production of more films.