Sunday Newsday chatted with three of the directors of the non-profit organisation last week: Dion Boucaud, Lesley-Anne Macfarlane and Danielle Dieffenthaller.

The organisation’s fourth director, Mariel Brown, was absent.

Boucaud explained FILMCO arose from an exercise they had with a local television station that wanted to rebrand as “total local”.

He said they met with the station weekly to show how to provide profitable and sustainable programmes with local content. He recalled the station managers were amazed at how much foreign exchange they would be able to save.

However, in 2016 there was a change in the station’s leadership which cancelled the entire process.

Boucaud said, rather than cry and gnash their teeth, they decided to get together and “do it on our own”.

Boucaud explained the relationship between filmmakers and local stations is one-sided because stations charge for the content to be aired and the filmmakers also have to get their own advertising.

“It’s tiresome, it’s unsustainable, it’s hostile, it needs to change.” Boucaud said broadcasters seek cheap foreign programming and just sell commercials.

Macfarlane said one of the main goals of FILMCO, which was incorporated last week, is to aid in the creation of a sustainable system for local film and television and will do this through sustainable models, workshops and training. He said a main issue was that there was single body that could speak on behalf of filmmakers.As a result, they will bring filmmakers together as a group to approach broadcasters and Government. Boucaud said feedback on FILMCO has been positive since they launched their Facebook page in January.

“It is something that has been needed and wanted.” Boucaud said the film industry was booming at a point partly because of the TT Film Company (TTFC), for which he served as a consultant at one point. With the film company, he said decisions were immediate and the managers listened to industry players.

However, the film industry was at a “standstill”, after the previous administration implemented CreativeTT in 2013 and made film a subsidiary along with music and fashion. Boucaud said with this structure the new FilmTT has a board made up of filmmakers but they cannot make any decision without first going through the CreativeTT board. Therefore, decisions that took a week before now take a month.

“The whole film structure started to crumble.” He said the fruits of the TTFC can be seen in films such as Bazodee, The Cutlass and Play the Devil but now there is little momentum, noting many filmmakers lost their motivation and some left the country to find work elsewhere.

Now, FILMCO is creating a process where dialogue can take place and said they have engaged FilmTT which has been supportive.

Boucaud said to build the industry incentives are needed such as tax credits and duty free allowance on equipment.

Dieffenthaller governments do not understand the power they hold as creative people, adding there is a lot of lip service about supporting the film industry.

Macfarlane also observed students graduating from the film programme at the University of the West Indies find there is “nothing for them”, and older filmmakers cannot help them as they are struggling themselves.

“We all struggling,” Dieffenthaller added. Boucaud said government should remain involved in a national television station to “preserve our culture, (our) moral values, tell our stories, (and) educate the population on why they need to invest in the country.” Dieffenthaller said many people do not care about the country and that is why they can allow it to look like a rubbish heap, “The only time they see themselves is when they biting concrete.

The majority of people. Or in handcuffs, or dead on the front page or your mother raped. I mean, really, how are we selling this country? “Get us back to understand who we are. We don’t know who we are.” Dieffenthaller said FILMCO is not asking for handouts but for investment.

FILMCO will have their first meet and greet on May 5.

Always cruising behind leader Whisper Light, champion jockey Ronald “Tiger” Ali asked the Harriram “Pepsi” Gobin-trained for his effort 400 metres out and he simply scooted clear to win by a massive 11 1/4 lengths.

Champion sprinter Control Unit, despite having three kilo claimer Omar Mohammed up to lessen his 60 kilos burden, failed to make an impression in the race and finished fourth of five.

Both ali and Wilmer Galviz shared riding honours, landing two winners apiece.

But no trainer managed saddling more than one winner on the day’s eight-race programme.

The day saw its fair share of upsets, with the biggest being when Sling Shot won to reward backers with $16.70 and $5.05 on the tote, and Star Pharoah backers got $12.65 and $3.35 on their tote wagers.

Turfites had to wait for the final race to csh in on the Hi5 which paid a most handwome $5,215.40.

The rich man does not see Lazarus at his gate. The disciples proceeding to Emmaus do not see Jesus and think Him to be a stranger. “There is none so blind as he who will not see” is a well-known saying.

It is not that he cannot see, but he “will not see”.

This blindness of ours can arise from many sources.

The love of money may blind us to poverty on our doorstep. Racial, ethnic or religious prejudice may blind us to the need to accord dignity and respect in persons who are not of our race, ethnicity or religion. There is another, perhaps more insidious form of blindness to which we may all be subject. It arises from the institutions or circles we inhabit — our place of work, our church group, our circle of friends, our role as parents.

These institutions act to interpret and give order and meaning to the world around us. They provide us with the mental models, and the “lenses”, through which we see, interpret and judge information about the world. They determine which news sources we consume, or whether we rely on gossip and social media for our information.

Without really thinking, we find ourselves having views on, or attitudes towards, what our children wear or what music they listen to, or to Donald Trump’s presidency, the actions of Vladimir Putin, or what Pope Francis says. Such mental models are functional in that they help us to classify and make sense of people and events relatively quickly. But they can also lead to spiritual blindness.

Many politicians who are elected into government find that they get into an institutional ‘bubble’ in which the information that gets to them is filtered, their actions and responses and circumscribed, and they gradually lose touch with the people who elected them to office. The same can and does occur with CEOs and with religious leaders. It is said that: It is lonely at the top! All of us, and particularly those in positions of leadership who may be trapped in institutional “bubbles”, need to recognise the dangers of our mental models and deliberately take steps periodically to recalibrate our lenses, escape our bubbles and allow fresh information and insight to reach us.

Parents need to get into the world that their teenage children inhabit and understand what is shaping their thinking and their behaviour. Priests and religious leaders need to get into their communities and see and experience what their followers are experiencing.

Politicians need to get in touch with their constituents and not just when they engage in protests for bad roads or lack of water. Intellectuals need to read and engage honestly with views which are not consonant with their own.

But even as we seek to avoid being imprisoned by our mental models, which may be fixed by our politics, our ethnicity, or our ideology, there is one lens which ought to remain constant and clear and that is to see God in every human being we meet. We can be sure that when viewed through that lens, we are more likely to have the right view and the right interpretation of any situation we are dealing with.

Speaking to Newsday during the Merry Boys-Cane Farm match, Pamela Singh from Princes Town said, “What I will tell you it’s a dream for me, it is a dream coming to reality. “ Singh said she has always liked cricket. “In fact when I was a child I was a cricketer, I played cricket in elementary school. I go to the Oval and If I am driving in the night and I see a match I stop and watch an over.

“Is really south people support cricket,” she added. “I was in the Oval for the Pakistan series, we just like it.” Her friend Gully Ramlochan, who is also from Princes Town said, “We are so happy to have this Stadium in south because we are cricketers. We like to go and look at cricket and anywhere it have cricket playing we find ourselves going to look at cricket. We were longing for here to open for us to come and visit. It is a very nice thing they have done for us in south.” Wes Hosein from San Fernando was in attendance alongside his two friends. Hosein said, “It is something long in the waiting because in south we have been neglected for decades. We have waited almost ten years for this and I am looking forward to the events they are having here because it is convenient.” The Brian Lara Academy was first scheduled to open for the 2007 World Cup which was held in the West Indies.

Hosein believes the venue has the potential to host international cricket. “They must leave room for improvement, there is always room for improvement. The possibility exists (to host international cricket) but they need to do a little more teething.

“In anything, even if you are building a house and the builder hand over your house complete you still have something to do.”

Opening batsman Belcon struck five fours in his 40-ball knock to lead the Diego Martin- based team to a score of 148 runs for eight wickets. Ex- TT and West Indies batsman Lincoln Roberts pitched in with 32 off 29 deliveries, while Amir Khan and Ranga Lachana scored 19 not out and 19 respectively.

Khan was instrumental in getting Merry Boys to a competitive total as his knock came off just six balls which included one four and two sixes.

Devon Clement took two for 41 in four overs, while Anthony Simmons snatched 2/9 in two overs for Cane Farm.

Cane Farm got off to a disastrous start as they were reduced to 32/5 in the eighth over. Shakeel Allick and Brandon Ramdial fought valiantly for Cane Farm but they were left with a lot of work to do.

Allick slammed an unbeaten 33 off 31 deliveries with four fours, while Ramdial contributed 27 as they reached 100/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Rishaad Harris, who did the damage at the top of the innings, finished with 2/22 in three overs.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Marlon Richards snatched 2/13 in four overs and Keon Isaac took 2/17 in three overs.

Up to press time last night Queen’s Park I and Central Sports were playing in the second quarter-final.

Today, in a quarter-final double- header, Courts Orangefield and First Citizens Clarke Road will square off at 3 pm, before Powergen and Jailal Enterprise Victoria face off at 7 pm.

The action was at a peak as the children of soca/jamoo creator Ras Shorty I were performing in the concert, The Blackman Legacy.

At about 11 pm, owner Carl Jacobs told the MC the concert had to stop, an announcement which received a cold reaction from the audience as they were awaiting three of the top singers, Marge, Isaac and Nailah Blackman. The DJ played music while many patrons walked out of the cafe, while others stayed back wondering what was taking place. Outside, Jacobs was told by two police officers that his neighbours, Randy Ahing and Donna Sandring, complained about the noise level at the entertainment spot. Upon inspection, the officers felt the noise level was acceptable but as they were about to leave, Ahing and Sandring claimed Kaiso Blues Cafe was operating without a licence. Montano came outside and when he was told what had happened, went to speak with the complainants, and it turned out he knew Ahing. After a discussion, Ahing and Sandring agreed the show could continue but not as loud as before.

The show resumed with Marge, Isaac and Nailah’s performances to the delight of the patrons who stayed and the show ended with the Blackman clan singing Ras Shorty I’s iconic hit, Watch out my Children. Last year, a noise pollution complaint against Kaiso Blues Cafe ended in court. There was an agreement where live performances and music must be stop by 11 pm during the week and by 1 am on weekends, pending a final court decision.

Montano told Sunday Newsday he had been planning to visit Kaiso Blues Cafe for nearly a year and finally got a chance on Friday night. He was pleased to be help as he felt the music was “really happening”.

After the show, Montano suggested to Jacobs that he should find a new venue.

“It makes no sense to fight this, the time has come for you to move out and get somewhere new. You have out grown this space,” Montano said.

“I must say, sometimes, the men are better dressed at functions than the women now,” said Eastman.

“Fellas now, they learn the importance of a jacket and a blazer and a sweater and a cardigan and a bow tie and I mean, the fellas and them, they on top of things.” It is a welcome development, Eastman observes, who along with Khan, have been in the industry for four decades, inclusive of the life of the Zadd and Eastman brand of women’s fashion.

In 1981, Khan founded a retail outlet on the Point Fortin Main Road by the name of Le Fleur.

After earning a name for himself as a retailer, Khan developed the skills and confidence necessary to create his own fashion label with Eastman. The brand has burst its local seams and is internationally known and sought after.

“We have styled Destiny’s Child – we did a photo shoot with them in California,” Eastman said of the multiple Grammy award winning R&B group, which produced superstar Beyonce.

“We also supplied Nicki Minaj with clothes for different purposes when she came to Trinidad. And Dottie Peoples, the award winning gospel artiste.”

Trinidad-born Minaj has also one multiple awards as a top performing hip hop artiste.

Locally, the designers have dressed an impossible to list number of women, from Sharon Rowley, lawyer and wife of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, to jazz singer Vaughnette Bigford. They’ve styled several Miss Trinidad and Tobago queens and won numerous awards at home and abroad.

The brand is focused on providing beautiful clothing to “sophisticated women who know and understand fashion” and, will continue to do so, Eastman assured.

But, the designer has taken note of how local men are grooming and styling themselves.

“Now, it is a gym thing, and the haircuts.

Before, when you would just going by a barber and scrape down your hair, but now you have styles: the high-cut, the beard, the Muslim thing, the male ponytail on the top, the buff-up shoulders, the slim shirt and sleek jeans. I mean, they are on par and sometimes even better dressed than the woman.” Despite the welcome change, Eastman, who also lectures on design concept in fashion design degree programme at the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s BA in Fashion Design, sees no need for the label to go into the men’s wear just yet.

However, he said the trend reflects a slowly unfurling consciousness about what new developments in the industry.

“Trinidad is having a conversation about a fashion industry. People have been saying that this is one of the alternative industries to oil and gas. To get there, we have asked for free zone spaces, training people, introducing sewing classes into the education system.” And government has responded to the calls for fashion to be taken seriously as a viable industry with FashionTT , a subsidiary of Creative TT .

“Stimulating and facilitating the business development and export activity of the fashion industry in Trinidad and Tobago to generate national wealth,” is the state enterprise’s mandate, according to Creative TT ’s website. The Ministry of Trade and Industry’s analysis of the creative industry last year identified 210 fashion companies, which employed over 1,465 persons and generated in excess of $266 million.

As such, Eastman believes there is potential for growth with proper planning and implementation, but the road ahead will be long.

“Trinidad people are generally very fashion trendy, we go with the new trends, but we are basically a new society.

London and these places have had 200 to 300 years of history to develop their own.” To get there, Eastman asked that people ponder three questions. “What is our taste? What are our standards? What is our aesthetic?” Even as he raises the debate on fashion on the national level, Eastman said the Zadd and Eastman label remains rooted in its Point Fortin hometown.

And they will be part of the borough’s annual celebrations this week, leading to its 37th anniversary date on May 6.

Women are sure to step out in a Zadd and Eastman signature style for the events.

“We have always supplied clothes for parties, like the newest all-inclusive Bedrock.” However, Zadd and Eastman is most popular in the community as queen-makers.

“Since the inception of the Miss Borough competition, we always placed first, second, third, over the years. We have not entered over the last few years, giving the other young people a chance, but that has been our major contribution to the borough

Speaking on the removal and destruction of several wooden sculptors by artist Damian Agostini from around the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain, artist Gail Pantin said while she believes art is important, nothing lasts forever.

She pointed out that historical art pieces were being destroyed in all over the world, either deliberately or accidentally, and advised Agostini not be a victim but to continue to work, and do even more. The focus, she said, should be the disrespect of the Port-of-Spain City Corporation and its municipal police by dumping and destroying his work. She told Sunday Newsday there were vagrants and garbage around the savannah but the police did not remove those, nor did they clean up any other part of the savannah.

Pantin said she personally paints and sketches every day, and knows other artist who do the same, whether or not they had an exhibit. Therefore, they had a lot of work on hand. What artist needed, she continued, was a place to showcase their work as art galleries were too expensive for many, even if they could get their work into a gallery.

She suggested a space in the savannah, possibly on the paved area opposite Memorial Park, where tents could be erected once a month. There, artists and craftsmen could book a spot in advance for a small fee and showcase their work.

Artist Ozy Merrique had a similar suggestion of a space where, once a week, artists could get together and support each other. He said at the moment, artists were showing support for Agostini as well as sending a message that artists were not pleased with the kind of policies and enforcement that would end up with an artists work being thrown away.

The space, he said, should be one where artists could work on, display, and sell their pieces.

However he admitted, “The vending aspect may get out of hand when you have to decide who gets picked and where they would set up. Then it may turn out to be craft, of which there are enough spaces and opportunities, rather then fine art.” He said the priority of such a space should be more about contact with other artists and the general public rather than the sale of pieces. “It should be an opportunity for people to come to see the process, engage with artists, for artists to be more accessible. More than that it is about the authorities having sensitivity with respect to understanding how important art is.” This, he said, included the authorities revisiting the use of art in libraries and other public spaces, or museums that had the same art on display for years.

Diana Mahabir-Wyatt too believed a space could be found around the savannah or around Memorial Park where artists could be encouraged to hang their paintings. She said this could be done similar to Hyde Park in London where, on weekends, artists display their work during the day and remove them on evenings.

In this way, artists a chance to show their work as well as sell it.

“It would be an absolutely wonderful addition to the beauty of Port-of-Spain, the activities that are available for the public, and it would help people to learn about art,” she said.

“I would have thought that, if there is anybody in the Ministry of Culture or Tourism, that they could build on what their natural talents are as something that would attract tourists and also make Trinidad and Tobago’s creative production known all over the world.” Speaking of Agostini’s plight, Mahabir-Wyatt said she could not understand the mentality of anyone who would destroy “artistic work of merit”, whether they understood the art or not.

She added that tourist buses and tour guides used to stop to see Agostini’s sculptures just as they stop to view the local paintings displayed around the Queen’s Park Oval. She said tourists who saw his work appreciated it because they understood the architectural principles used to build the sculptures.

“This was not just a craft thing.

It was real artistry.”

In a media release yesterday, the TTOC said it acknowledges the continued public interest in the on-going court matter between Williams and the TTGF following the decision of its Games Management Committee (GMC) to confirm Dick as the named gymnastics representative to be included in the Team Trinidad and Tobago (Team TTO) delegation for last year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The TTOC maintained that the process of the GMC was respectfully followed including confirmation of the eligibility of the athlete and confirmation of the qualification process of the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG). The TTOC reiterated that the FIG spoke to the legality of the selection of the named athlete, and noted that the name change of the TTGF representative from Thema Williams to Marisa Dick was made in accord with its regulations.

“The decision of the GMC that the TTOC had no choice but to include Ms Marisa Dick in the TeamTTO Rio 2016 delegation was made after two days of intense discussion, and the consideration of submissions by several entities including FIG, the TTGF, and legal advice.” The TTOC said in light of the ethical is sues raised during the selection process, the TTOC made the decision to invoke its authority under Clause 13 of its constitution to determine whether the TTGF had infringed the TTOC constitution, the Olympic charter and the International Olympic Committee’s Code of Ethics in respect of their duty to be fair.

“The lawsuit subsequently filed by Ms Williams tied the hands of the TTOC with regards to Clause 13, as the matter was now considered ‘sub judice’ and thus prohibited from public discussion elsewhere.” Williams through her attorneys has initiated legal action against the TTGF. Last Wednesday, she attended a media conference with her attorneys Martin Daly SC and Keith Scotland. Daly levelled nine questions to the TTOC which he said, if answered, would provide a clearer understanding into the country’s controversial first entry into gymnastics at the Olympics.

TTOC said it would like to underscore its commitment to improve sports governance.

“The TTOC also affirms that the public has a vested interest in the selection of athletes to represent Trinidad and Tobago. As such it is committed to making the selection criteria for athletes seeking to represent Team TTO in various sports available on the TTOC website, and on the websites of various sporting organisations.” The TTOC pointed out TTOC president Brian Lewis recently stated, “It is my belief that the modern sport organisation, which is still a member-based, non-profit and even volunteer- based operation, has to strike that balance between non-profit and operating in the business- space, modern environment.” The TTOC said it therefore acknowledges the potentially significant legal implications and consequences of all its decisions.

“As an independent body, the TTOC must continue to resist pressures including those of a political, legal, religious and economic nature that would potentially distract from its larger responsibility to all athletes in Trinidad and Tobago. The TTOC takes its role to develop and protect the Olympic movement and sport throughout Trinidad and Tobago seriously, and therefore cannot offer any further comment on the on-going matter involving Ms Thema Williams and the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation (TTGF).

Number two seed Marcelle fell to the talented youngster Renales 21-19, 21-9.

Renales, the Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association nominee for Sportswoman of the Year 2016, was scheduled to face Solangel Guzman in the final yesterday.

Guzman’s superiority was on show as she swept past Leanna Castanada 21-6, 21-2. The number one seed, who has dominated women’s badminton for the best part of a decade, is a formidable tactician who has won many local as well as regional titles.

Alistair Espinoza defeated fellow veteran Roger Moore, to set up a showdown with his nemesis Will Lee in the men’s singles final.

In the other semi-final, Lee had stiffer competition from his longtime time rival Naim Mohammed, before winning the match 22-20, 21-14. Espinoza and Lee both play for the Shuttleforce club located in Sangre Grande and know each other’s game well.

In the men’s doubles semi-finals, Espinoza and Lee defeated Hayden Bishop and Jason Ramjass 21-9, 21-13.

The pair will meet Mohammed and Sheraz Nabbie, who got past the Sinanan brothers Renaldo and Travis 21-19, 21- 16.

The women’s doubles final will pit the number one seeds Guzman and Renales against Castanada and Latoya Walrond.

Guzman and Renales got past the Mollah sisters Faith and Kelly 21-8, 21- 3, while Castanada and Walrond beat the number two seeds Marcelle and Stephanie Mitchell 21-16, 21-10.

The master’s round robin title was also decided yesterday.

Many of the players will be on show when the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Championships are held in TT from August 10-25 at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua.