‘Devil’ opens TT Film Festival

The TTFF is an annual celebration of films from and about the Caribbean, its diaspora and Latin America. This year’s Festival promises to be the best yet, with more films, guests and special events than ever before.

Things get underway with a gala opening and cocktail reception on Wednesday at the MovieTowne in Port-of-Spain. After the formal proceedings, which will be carried live on Gayelle the Channel, there will be a screening of the 1995 Venezuelan film, Florentino y el Diablo, or Florentino and the Devil.

Made by Trinidad and Tobago-born filmmaker Michael New, who now lives and works in Venezuela, Florentino and the Devil tells the story of mythical folk hero Florentino, a young horseman on his black steed, a free spirit roaming the open Orinoco plains, a singer who confronts the Devil in a duel of improvised verses, and whose determination to protect the plains and its people proves stronger than the Devil’s power to conquer and destroy them. The eternal fight between good and evil, and the power or music and culture are themes all TT people will readily recognise.

This epic film takes its visual cue from modern-day cowboy movies, and is full of devilish robbers on horseback, dangerous spears and pistols hidden under their ponchos; moaning, swooning women and, perhaps best of all, rousing, delightful, campfire-side songs.

Michael New is expected to be present for the screening of his film. Afterwards, there will be a Festival launch party at the Zen nightclub, featuring live music performances from a number of guest artistes.

The TTFF runs until September 30, and selected films will be screened in Tobago, San Fernando and at UWI in St Augustine. The programme comprises dozens of feature length, short, and animated films, which cover a wide range of genres and themes.

Along with the film screenings there will be workshops for local filmmakers, and panel discussions with a number of acclaimed international directors.

This year, the TTFF will screen more than 60 films for two weeks at MovieTowne in Port-of-Spain, and selected films will also travel to the Vistabella Regional Complex in San Fernando, to UWI in St Augustine, and also to Fairfield Complex in Tobago. The TTFF is partly funded by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, a company created under government statute, to spearhead the development of the local film industry as both a location site for foreign-made films, and to foster our incipient film talent. This year the Tourism Development Company (TDC) has become a sponsor in order to promote the newest non-Carnival cultural event to the region and internationally. Speaking for the TDC, Marketing Manager, Jason Baptiste says that the Film Festival has become another big annual event on the country’s cultural calendar.

From September 18-30 there are five daily screenings at MovieTowne with a host of film directors, prize-wining industry professionals and panellists from the region and North America taking part in Question and Answer sessions, workshops and panels, and Isaac Julien, the highly esteemed British director will be in attendance at Studio Film Club, Laventille.

For more information on the Festival, including the full schedule of films and events, times and dates, visit the TTFF website at www.trinidadandtobagofilmfestival.com.