Pushing for a local film scene

That was the question posed by Trade and Industry Minister Stephen Cadiz at a recent “Film in Focus” workshop as he discussed the monetary and skills value of producing more films and commercials right here in TT.

“How many local films have you ever seen on Caribbean Airlines? The answer is none,” he said.

Cadiz’ reflection on the origin of films shown on CAL was prompted by his recent journey to Perth, Australia for the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The “Film in Focus” workshop was held last Friday at Hilton Trinidad by the TT Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI), in collaboration with the TT Film Festival (TTFF), as part of TTCSI’s National Services Week 2011.

Addressing an audience of local, regional and international film-makers and industry stakeholders, Cadiz compared the in-flight movie selection on Australia-based Qantas airline to that of CAL.

“I flew to Australia the other day and one of the films that was shown in this year’s TT Film Festival, Fire in Babylon, was also one of the in-flight movies on Qantas airlines. So here it is you jump on a plane in London and there is Fire in Babylon.

“I was so excited that a movie shown here (TT) and that I enjoyed thoroughly, was being shown to a very international audience flying from London to Australia. But the flip side to that is, how many local films have you ever seen on Caribbean Airlines? The answer is none,” Cadiz said.

Fire in Babylon is a documentary about the spectacular success of the West Indies cricket team of the late 1970s and the 1980s. Captained by Vivian “Viv” Richards and including players such as Michael Holding and Desmond Haynes, the team won every Test series they played, thus earning themselves a place in history. The film is told in the words of the players and commentators who lived through the golden age of West Indies cricket.

Noting that the concept of film as a pillar of economic diversification has been promoted for a few years, first under the previous PNM administration and now under the People’s Partnership Government, Cadiz questioned how this is to be achieved if locally-produced films are not properly promoted.

“Here it is that we want to promote our business, we really want to get this thing done and we don’t even have one local film being shown on Caribbean Airlines. (Promotion) is where we have to start bringing this thing together. We have to make it happen. It’s not only about the rebates, the training, the TT Film Festival, it is about getting your film shown, getting exposure for your work,” Cadiz noted.

Promotion of local content requires the production of local content, which led the Trade and Industry Minister to talk about the revenue-earning potential of commercials shot and edited in this country.

“I recently got a note on my desk today that the value of local advertising for print and television is in the vicinity of TT $800 million a year. What percentage of that is film and what percentage is done locally? What we are pushing for is local content,” he said.

Cadiz noted the importance of encouraging people.

“Whether it’s through additional incentives or other means, to understand that your local advertisements and promotions have to be done here in Trinidad and Tobago. This is also another avenue to get people interested in film because it’s basically the same skill as when you’re doing ‘ads’,” Cadiz said. The minister recalled Tobago was once used by an Antiguan production company as the backdrop for international commercials for products such as Heineken.

“They spend huge sums of money filming the ads in Tobago. These are areas that we can tap into, that are of concern to us. The Government is very, very supportive of all aspects of film-making and we want to ensure that, in the shortest space of time, we can have a full-blown industry with people who have high quality skills that can be rented out (globally),” Cadiz declared.

Film-makers were also encouraged to make and promote local films by chief executive of the TTCSI, Nirad Tewarie.

Citing a clause in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (Cariforum), Tewarie said promotion within the EU is easier to achieve than one might think.

“There is provision for films which are jointly produced by EU entities and Cariforum entities, that’s all of us, to get national treatment in the EU market. That is a potentially huge benefit which no one else yet has but if we don’t take advantage of it before the Africans, the Asians, people from the Pacific sign on, or the Indians do, we are going to lose that opportunity,” Tewarie noted.

Cariforum countries and the EU signed an EPA in 2008. It was designed to help spur growth across the Caribbean by enabling businesses to export more to the EU and within the region.

Tewarie said the EPA clause on co-productions was an example of the importance of looking for global opportunities to show one’s work.

“Maybe that’s something that the EPA implementation unit at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and TTCSI can help with in the future,” Tewarie said.