Our film festivals promise an immersive and enriching experience. Here’s a glimpse into the cinematic odyssey awaiting you:
In its 18th year (2023), the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF), as Denise A Deonarine puts it, “is the pinnacle of any movie lover’s calendar in the Caribbean, because it is their chance to see new movies developed by the Caribbean or with the Caribbean in mind.” Deonarine, is the General Manager of the Filmmakers Collaborative of Trinidad and Tobago, organisers of the TTFF.
The festival, founded to foster innovation in the Caribbean film industry, supports local filmmakers and embraces global cinema, earning its role as a cinematic hub. The TTFF fosters diversity, showcases notable films, impacts global filmmaking trends, rewards filmmakers, engages audiences with new experiences, and supports local film industry growth. In 2024, patrons can look forward to another unique and exciting cinematic journey with lots of premieres and screen gems they can enjoy. The theme is usually launched each year in August and the festival is usually held in September.
The Green Screen Film Festival, which usually occurs in November, is the only annual sustainability themed film festival in the Caribbean. Carver Bacchus, Founder and Director of Green Screen Environmental Film Festival explained, “It was created to educate our audience on environmental and sustainability issues, illustrate what we have to lose to climate impacts and motivate people to action. The festival started in 2011 with a community screening and has offered workshops, competitions, seminars, and virtual film presentations since then.”
In 2023, there were film screenings on television, virtual screenings and in-person activities and in 2024 more community activities and collaborations will be done.
The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is the Anglophone Caribbean’s biggest annual celebration of writers and books. It is a festival of words, stories, and ideas, with an international scope and a deliberately Caribbean focus. Nicholas Laughlin, Festival and Programme Director, Bocas Lit Fest, discloses that once again the festival will be headquartered at the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago, with satellite events at other locations. He said, “Audiences can expect, as always, to meet and hear authors of some of the most acclaimed Caribbean books of the past year — novels, books of poetry, memoirs, and more — alongside up-and-coming writers in all genres.
In the lead-up to the festival, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest will host an NGC Bocas Children’s Caravan beginning the first weekend in March. It will culminate with the NGC Bocas Children’s Festival, which coincides with the adult festival in April. The First Citizens National Poetry Slam is on! Semifinal rounds are to be held in the Central Bank Auditorium on March 23 and 24, with the Grand Slam taking place at the Queen’s Hall on April 28 as the closing event of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest.
