Action

These are all our stories as told by local film-makers, either through full-length features or film shorts. This weekend, we get to add Bazodee, featuring soca star Machel Montano, to the list of films that depict another aspect of who we are. But even as we critique the cinematography, Machel’s acting and make the comparisons to Hollywood, we need to investigate the purpose of local films in our development.

The storylines referred to earlier feature a combination of veteran actors like Errol Sitahal and newcomers to performance. What then is the role of elders like Sitahal or Eunice Alleyne in training young people in the craft of theatre? How can our film industry help in our transformation through consistent celebration of our stories? In the 1970s, the Caribbean film industry began to show its potential. In fact, Caribbean Beat magazine points out that “... the first indigenous feature film in the English-speaking Caribbean, the historical drama The Right and the Wrong, was made in Trinidad.

The year 1973 saw the making of the TT story Bim, a “dramatic piece based on the lives of master criminal Boysie Singh and politician Bhadase Sagan Maraj ...” The music of Andre Tanker provided the soundtrack. But the promise of a burgeoning film industry never materialised, and only recently has there been a resurgence of the sector.

To me, our local film industry is one that takes place in an alternative universe, populated by a small group of inhabitants. They emerge at specific points to showcase the projects that have been happening away from the public eye and then disappear again to their private, separate world.

Yes, there are auditions, and community showings sometimes, but what is the philosophy of the sector, who is responsible for charting its path and how it is being integrated into the needs of a 21st century citizenry? There are of course directors who have a vision of their wider purpose. But in order to make the sector really work, some basic areas need to be addressed. For example, where does one go for permission to block the road for a major scene or to use an historical building? What structures are in place to provide basic funding for films? Further, how can this sector truly empower next generations? Our young people are still choosing subjects based on what is “on the line”. So, if they have an interest in multiple subjects that clash with how the teaching schedule is “lined up”, well, they just have to choose one and that’s it.

Part of changing this archaic structure is to ensure that creative alternatives such as film-making, animation and special effects make-up are offered to students at high school – effectively thinking beyond the line.

The official announcement for the new general manager of the local film company made much of her role in building the “brand” of the company and the TT Film Festival.

However, it seems to me that the greater mandate for Ms Luke is to find ways to deeply reach into our creative energies and turn them into lucrative and sustainable alternatives to oil.

All of this while fostering a national sense of self through seeing our stories on the big screen. For me, this is the call to action that really matters.

Dara Healy is a performance a r t - ist and founder of the N G O , the Indigenous Creative A r t s Network – ICAN