CineLit Festival honours Dereck Walcott

Ingmar Bergman LATIN American Embassies have taken a greater involvement in this year’s NGC Bocas Lit Fest. CineLit, the Latin American and Caribbean Literary Film Festival being run from April 18-30, will show a variety of films focusing on literary works. Three of the 27 films will show the work of and/or the life of the late Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott. The participating embassies in this year’s CineLit are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain and Venezuela.

One of its opening events would be a press conference on April 19 at the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Hart and Abercromby Streets, Port-of-Spain from 10 am.

Then the official launch of the festival will take place on April 21 at NALIS’ amphitheatre.

The festival is now in its second year.

Chilean Ambassador, Fernando Schmidt Arizt?a, speaking to Newsday about the festival said, “This time we have more films than 2016. Some of them have received international recognition.” The festival, he added, was “a common effort of all Latin American embassies in Trinidad and Tobago in order to break lack of understanding between the cultures.

Cinema projection gives the citizens of TT an opportunity to understand a little bit more about our various countries.” A welcome piece written about the festival says, “Again this year CineLit celebrates the remarkably rich heritage of both literature and film form our hemispheric neighbours and commemorates the life and work of the Nobel Laureate, poet Sir Dereck Walcott who recently passed away.” He said all of the films were related to literary works, which is why it was placed in the framework of the Bocas Lit Fest.

Arizt?a said the event has expanded itself to the University of the West Indies, where as part of its opening there would a film of the history of the Panama Canal followed by discussion on April 18.

On the April 21 at the official launch The Motorcycle Diaries would be shown.

It tells of a motorcycle trip made by a young Che Guevara from Brazil to Peru and which led him to, “his own life’s calling.” Arizt?a said the food from the participating countries would be offered at the launch.

He said there were no synergies between the trinidad and tobago film festival (ttff) and CineLit since the ttff required newer films and CineLit’s theme it focused primarily on literary works.

But Arizt?a said the Chilean Embassy would have a presence at this’s year ttff.

Films for CineLit will be shown at NALIS’ AV Room, UWI St Augustine’s campus centre for Language and Learning Auditorium, The Film Unit, Carmody Road, St Augustine and the Alma Jordan Library’s audio visual room.

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