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In a sterling example of the globalized nature of the international film business, Barcelona-based Cornelius Films, behind Basque Country-set “Negu Hubrilak” and buzzy upcoming stop-motion feature “Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake,” has boarded “My Uncle’s Movie,” a Dominican Republic feature starring “Better Call Saul’s” Steve Bauer.

Now in pre-production and set to shoot in 2024, ““My Uncle’s Movie” (“La Película de Mi Tío”) marks the follow-up of Dominican Natalia Cabral and Catalan Oriol Estrada’s auspicious fiction feature debut “Miriam Lies” (2018) and multi-prized “Una Película Sobre Parejas” (2021). It is Cabral’s first solo directorial outing without Estrada since her 2005 short “DiscoDecada.”

Set to be presented mid-August at Locarno’s networking initiative Match Me!,“My Uncle’s Movie” is now set up as a production of Faula Films, Estrada and Cabral’s label, based between the Dominican Republic and Barcelona; mega filming facility Lantica Studios, whose now sole owner...

The Dominican Republic (Dr) has been making bold strides in its film industry, reporting dynamic growth and earning kudos both at home and internationally. Ironically, what spurred its growth was a global pandemic. As many countries remained in lockdown, Dr opened its borders to more location shoots by June 2020.

“It was precisely during the pandemic that we began to present record-breaking levels in terms of production service earnings. We went from collecting revenues amounting to $50 million in a good year to over $250 million,” said Marianna Vargas, director general of national film institute, DGCine.

With health and safety protocols firmly in place, Dr began to lure a number of high-profile projects, led by M. Knight Shyamalan’s “Old,” Jennifer Lopez-led romcom “Shotgun Wedding” and Channing Tatum-Sandra Bullock action-comedy caper, “Lost City of D.”

A more recent production is Netflix’s “Nyad,” starring Jodie Foster and Annette Bening, where...

One of the most robust of Latin America’s emerging film industries, Dominican Republic cinema boasts a standout presence at this year’s Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.

On Monday, Nov. 13, following a two-year alliance inked at the Cannes Festival by Dominican Republic film commission DGCine and the Huelva Festival, four Dominican projects at development stage will be presented at an event intended for film producers interested in Ibero-American co-production.

“The four projects are representative of the current Dominican cinema landscape, made by a new generation of filmmakers which demonstrates the diversity of voices and issues [addressed] in our film industry,” says Marianna Vargas Gurilieva, general director at DGCine.

“Víctor Piñeyro’s ‘El sueño’ is a universal and popular story, interesting for its references; Karlina Veras’ ‘La mansa’ has a singular tone, with passages through Spain; a striking project, Juliano Kunert’s “Maguana Racing” offers a tremendously peculiar premise, and Yinna de la Cruz...

Creating what looks like one of the undisputed highlights of Ventana Sur’s Spanish Screenings, three of Perú’s foremost filmmakers – Daniel and Diego Vega and Joanna Lombardi –have boarded “Bienvenido Mr. Hollywood,” which promises a complete departure for one of Catalonia’s leading edge cineastes, Mar Coll.

Co-created and directed by Coll (“Three Days With the Family”) and Aina Calleja, an editor on Coll’s first series, “Killing the Father”), “Welcome Mr. Hollywood” is written by Coll, Calleja and Diego Vega, who with brother Daniel broke out with his debut, 2010 Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner, “October.” A 2013 Locarno best actor winner for Fernando Bacilio, “El Mudo” consolidated the brothers’ reputation as top young Latin America auteurs.

““Welcome Mr. Hollywood” is lead produced by Barcelona’s Funicular Films and co-produced by Daniel and Diego Vega’s Lima-based Maretazo Cine. Lombardi, a former head of fiction at Telefonica Media Networks Latin America,...

The Miami Film Festival returns this year with a hybrid event that includes nine premieres from March 4-13 in the Florida city. The festival had previously announced that “The Good Boss” would open the event while “Plaza Catedral” would be the closer. In total, 120 films from more than 35 countries will unspool next month.

The festival, organized by Miami Dade College, will bestow its Precious Gems Awards on Ramin Bahrani (“The White Tiger”) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”), while Dp Ari Wegner and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer will receive the Art of Light Awards.

“The collective spirit of joy and gratitude that we felt from patrons and filmmakers at last year’s shared in-person theatrical screenings strengthened the always mighty creative heart of Miami Film Festival,” said executive director Jaie Laplante. “As we take all necessary precautions to ensure the continued safety of our patrons, we look forward to...

A total of 18 films will be showcased, including a €3m historical feature set in medieval Estonia.

The projects selected for Tallinn Black Nights’ industry showcase have been revealed, including a €3m adventure film set in medieval Estonia.

Scroll down for full list of projects

This year’s Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event will take place entirely online and will spotlight 18 films seeking sales agents or festivals for international premieres. The projects will be presented on November 24.

Both the Baltic Event, showcasing Baltic and Finnish projects, and International Works in Progress compete for the same awards: the Post Production Award worth...

With streaming dominating the industry — and suddenly becoming the “new normal” in a changing world — IndieWire is taking a closer look at the news cycle, breaking down what really matters to provide a clear picture of what companies are winning the streaming wars, and how they’re pulling ahead.

By looking at trends and the latest developments, Streaming Wars Report: Indie Edition offers a snapshot of what’s happening overall and day-to-day in streaming for the indie set. Check out the latest Streaming Wars Report for updates to the bigger players in the industry. Buzzy Originals

Embracing the Virtual Experience

In just three weeks, indie outfits like Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, and Film Movement have already rolled out theatrical-at-home plans (otherwise known as...

Costa Rica 3–5 September 2019The new meeting point of the Audiovisual Industry in Central America and the Caribbean is set for Costa Rica September 3–5, 2019http://www.maucc.netJose Castro of the Costa Rica Film CommissionWe have made an important alliance between the Film Commission of Costa Rica and the organizers of the Expo Andina Link Costa Rica (Latin American meeting of cable and television), to create this new space with the mission of facilitating business and exchange between suppliers in Central America and the Caribbean and buyers of international audiovisual content.This initiative seeks not only to create a market space, but also a space for co-production between the countries of our region.

Central America and the Caribbean are introducing film funds in their countries and awaiting government approval.

Producers of audiovisual content who want to offer their portfolio of contents and projects, must register at www.maucc.net before August 4th.

Panama City — Fueled by one of the strongest film tax incentive schemes in the world – with a 100% break for national productions, 25% break for international productions, and 1.5% withholding tax – the Dominican Republic has seen a surge in film production since the new film law was enacted in 2010.

This phenomenon has been further leveraged by the creation of the Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios, operated by Lantica Media, as part of a partnership with the Pinewood Studios Group.

The favorable fiscal climate has attracted a rising number of English-language shoots including Netflix’s series “The I-Land,” the BBC-NBC three-part series “The Long Song,” and Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

The Dominican Republic’s film industry, with around 25 films produced per year and average budgets close to $1 million, stands out in the Central American and Caribbean region, where filmmakers are often forced to resort to guerrilla filmmaking techniques to get their films made.

The Guadalajara Int’l Film Festival (Ficg), Mexico’s largest film festival, is further expanding its lineup with the addition of a new competitive animation section in its 34th edition, running March 8 -15. Oscar-winning Guadalajara native Guillermo del Toro has put his heft behind the new section and will also announce the first winner of his Del Toro-Jenkins film scholarship at the fest. Ficg aptly opens Friday with an animated feature, Carlos Gutierrez’s “Day of the Dead” (“Día de Muertos”).

Actor Peter Fonda (“Easy Rider”) and British helmer Hugh Hudson (“Chariots of Fire”) are receiving Mayahuel International lifetime achievement awards at this edition. Festival will also screen “Easy Rider,” which Fonda co-wrote, co-produced and starred in, to mark its 50th year anniversary.

The festival kicks off with a new female general director at the helm, Estrella Araiza, who has been the festival’s head of industry & markets and has...

Docs include The Dread, and My Home, In Libya.

Cannes selections Birds Of Passage and Border will compete with the likes of Transit and Non Fiction for the Gold Hugo at next month’s 54th Chicago International Film Festival.

Artistic director Mimi Plauché announced on Friday (14) the international competition line-ups at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival, which runs from October 10–21.

The longest running competitive film festival in North America will feature two world premieres – Guie’dani’s Navel (Mexico) and the documentary Father The Flame (USA) – and showcase 16 films in the main International Feature Film Competition, 14 films in New Directors Competition,...

On the face of it, the plot of “Miriam Lies” is not the stuff of high drama, or indeed drama of any altitude: Held back by her natural shyness and a mounting combination of peer and parental pressure, a 14-year-old girl dithers over whether or not to meet the cute-seeming guy she’s met online, and invite him to her upcoming birthday party. But what in other cultural contexts might play as an episode arc for a Disney Channel sitcom takes on acute tenderness and resonance in Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada’s lovely, pensive coming-of-ager: In taking as its subject a biracial teen (played with glowing delicacy by newcomer Dulce Rodríguez) in the Dominican Republic, the film weaves a complex, sensitively examined array of identity crises into the tangle already faced by the average teen-movie protagonist.

Perhaps the most modestly proportioned highlight of this year’s Karlovy Vary competition,...

Karlovy Vary – As the title not so subtlety indicates, “Miriam Lies” and she lies often. The soon to be 15-year-old has her reasons, however. And while the film may take place in the Dominican Republic, this assured narrative diretorial debut of Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada ensures that Miriam’s situation is one that girls (and boys) from mixed race parentage all around the world will be able to relate to.

Continue reading ‘Miriam Lies’ But This Impressive Drama Also Tells The Truth [Kviff Review] at The Playlist.

Radu Jude’s latest film won the Grand Prix - Crystal Globe, whilst Robert Pattinson and Barry Levinson also collected awards.

The 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 29 - July 7) closed today with its annual awards ceremony.

Radu Jude’s latest film “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” won the Grand Prix - Crystal Globe, whilst Robert Pattinson and Barry Levinson also collected awards.

Scroll down for full list of winners

“Barbarians” was selected by grand jury comprising Mark Cousins, Zrinka Cvitešić, Marta Donzelli, Zdeněk Holý and Nanouk Leopold. The Crystal Globe comes with $25,000 prize money.

Robert Pattinson in Karlovy Vary for the closing weekend of the festival Photo: Film Servis Kviff With Twilight star Robert Pattinson in attendance for the last weekend of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (to introduce the Australian road movie The Rover by David Michôd) the 53rd edition of the event also revealed its prize selections.

First off, were the Non-Statutory Awards. Among them was the Fipresci (International Film Critics) accolade for a co-production from Argentina, Brazil and France, Sueño Florianópolis, directed by Ana Katz. The citation read: “An elegant and complex comedy built with subtle humour and powerful characters.”

Director Ana Katz with her Fipresci jury award at Karlovy Vary Photo: Film Servis Kviff The Ecumenical Jury bestowed their award on Redemption (Geula), directed by Israelis Joseph Madmony and Boaz Yehonatan Yacov and dealing with a father trying to save his ill daughter. The same jury also commended: Winter...

Ten world premieres are among the 12 films competing for the Crystal Globe at Central and Eastern Europe’s premier film festival, Karlovy Vary, which runs June 29-July 7. The competition titles include leading Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians,” an exploration of nationality and national trauma; Argentine Ana Katz’s family drama “Sueno Florianopolis”; and Canadian filmmaker Sebastien Pilote’s “The Fireflies Are Gone,” the story of a rebellious teen relationship.

A standout performance by Caleb Landry Jones dominates Peter Brunner’s dark Austro-American drama “To the Night,” while two filmmakers returning to Karlovy Vary present “noticeably more poetic new films”: Russia’s Ivan Tverdovsky (“Zoology”) will screen “Jumpman,” while Israeli director Joseph Madmony brings his third premiere to West Bohemia, the drama “Redemption,” co-directed by cinematographer Boaz Y. Yakov.

Czech Republic-based filmmaker Olmo Omerzu will screen a road movie centered on boyhood friendship,...

Dating back to 1948, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in the world and has become one of Eastern and Central Europe’s most prominent events for cinema. The festival, which takes place in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic every July, has now announced the program of films for its Official Selection, East of the West, and Documentary competitions.

The Official Selection is composed of 12 films – ten world premieres and two international premieres – and is led by renowned Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s latest film I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians, which plays as an investigation on the large idea of nationality, and esteemed Argentinian director Ana Katz’s film Sueño Florianópolis, a family drama structured with elements of both trite and humorous storytelling. Among them, the line-up includes the complex romance The Fireflies Are Gone (by Canada’s...

Exclusive: The Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) is supporting 16 new feature projects from Latin America and the Caribbean. 12 will receive grants, each worth up to $10K. Projects, which range from development stage to post-production, will get financial support, mentoring and workshops. Filmmakers come from Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Since launching its Tfi Latin America Fund in 2010, Tfi has set aside $750,000 for 76 filmmakers. The fund is run in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Canacine. Tfi sponsors Sanfic in Santiago, Chile and the Los Cabos Film Festival and provides mentoring at Nuevas Miradas Filmmaker Retreat in Cuba and workshops at DocsMX in Mexico City.

“Our long-standing collaborations with over 10 regional partners in Latin America & the Caribbean have been a truly meaningful cultural exchange for Tfi. I have been involved with this program since its inception, and have greatly enjoyed seeing these thoughtful storytellers flourish throughout the region.

Del Toro returned after winning best director, picture at the Oscars.

The 33rd Guadalajara film festival (March 9-16) paid tribute to Guillermo del Toro, back in Mexico after winning the best director and best film Oscars for The Shape Of Water.

The filmmaker, met with standing ovations during the festival, took part in three master classes attended by around 12,000 people and launched three scholarships. During the event he revealed plans to shoot a film in Mexico.

Del Toro also opened a new cinema named after him, one of nine new state of the art venues with a 3500-seat capacity in...

Latin American cinema is having a moment.

With the rise of highly acclaimed auteurs like Pablo Larrain, the last handful of years has seen a steady increase in awareness amongst the cinephile set with regards to the cinema of Latin America. However, 2017 looks to be a coming out party of sorts for a film scene that’s routinely given cinema some of the most rewarding and exciting pieces of work.’

As Anthology Film Archives continue their premiere series with collaborator and boutique distributor Cinema Tropical, that brand is teaming up with yet another film collective for the second installment of the Neighboring Scenes film series.

Starting Thursday and running through January 31, Neighboring Scenes sees Cinema Tropical team with The Film Society Of Lincoln Center to bring some of the best films from Paraguay, Peru, The Dominican Republic, Chile, Mexico and various other countries to the big screen. Many seeing their...

The Film Society of Lincoln Center

and Cinema Tropical announce

Neighboring Scenes: New Latin American CinemaJanuary 26–31: The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces the second annual Neighboring Scenes, a showcase of contemporary Latin American cinema, co-presented with Cinema Tropical

Exhibiting the breadth of styles, techniques, and approaches employed by Latin American filmmakers today, the festival highlights impressive recent productions from across the region. Featuring titles from Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic for the first time, as well as films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, Neighboring Scenes celebrates the expanding range of contemporary Latin American filmmaking in its second edition.

“This year, we are pleased to highlight several emerging filmmakers, with many fantastic debut and second films in a range of styles — from political thriller and bleak comedy to observational documentary,” said Film Society of Lincoln Center Programmer at Large Rachael Rakes. “Furthermore, half of the works...

The International Film Festival of  Cartagena de Indias, Colombia's most important film event, announced the winners for its 55th edition. The top prize in the narrative competition went to Guatemala's "Ixcanul" by Jairo Bustamante, which after its triumph in Berlin has become a festival hit. However, the Brazilian feature "White Out, Black In"(Branco Sai, Preto Fica)  took home both the Special Jury Prize and the Fipresci Award, becoming the big winner at the festival. Notable Colombian winners include documentaries "Letter to a Shadow" and "Tea Time" (also honored in Miami) and narrative feature "The Silence of the River." Here is the full list of winners. 

Official Fiction Competition

Jury Members

Michael Fitzgerald- Malgorzata Szumowska - Cao Guimaraes

Best Film: "Ixcanul" by Jayro Bustamante (Guatemala) - Wins Cine Colombia Award that includes  $15.000 - Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

Special Jury Prize: "Branco Sai, Preto Fica" (White Out, Black In) by Adirley Queirós (Brazil) - PC: Cinco Da Norte Serviços AudiovisuaisBest Director: Hector Galvez for "Nn" (Peru, Colombia, Germany, France) - Isa: Habanero

The International Federation of Film Critics Award - Fipresci

Jury Members

Ivonete Pinto - Michael Pattison - Roger Alan Koza

Best Film: "Branco Sai, Preto Fica" (White Out, Black In) by Adirley Queirós (Brazil)Colombian Cinema Official Competition

Jury Members

Mirsad Purivatra - Gerwin Tamsma - Juan Carlos Arciniegas 

Best Film: "El Silencio del Rio" (The Silence of the River) by Carlos Tribiño (Colombia, Uruguay, France) - Wins Cinecolor Award that includes Usd $11.000 in deliveries and the Lci Seguros Award, which consists of a  50% discount on the insurance purchase for production up to Us$50,000. -Isa: Habanero Films

Special Jury Prize: "Carta a Una Sombra" (Letter to a Shadow) by Daniela Abad and Miguel Salazar(Colombia) - PC: Producciones la Esperanza

Best Director: Roberto Flores Prieto for "Ruido Rosa" (Pink Noise) - Wins Hangar Films Award that includes Usd $30.000 in film equipment for the production of his next film. - PC: Kymera Producciones

Additional Awards

Club Colombia Audience Award: "Carta a Una Sombra" (Letter to a Shadow) by Daniela Abad and Miguel Salazar (Colombia) - Wins Usd $15.000

Official Documentary Competition

Jury Members

Sergio Wolf - Ally Derks - Meredith Brody

Best Film: "La Once" (Tea Time) by Maite Alberdi (Chile, U.S.) - Wins Cinecolor Award that includes Usd $13.000 in digital post-production services - Isa: Cat & Docs

Special Jury Prize: "Tu y Yo" (You and Me) by Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada (Dominican Republic) - PC: Faula Films

Gems

Jury Members

Jorge Sanchez Sosa - Nicolas Morales Thomas - Ciro Guerra

Best Film: "Hermosa Juventud" (Beautiful Youth) by Jaime Rosales (Spain, France) - Wins Rcn Award for promotional purposes during its release in Colombia,  valued at Usd $50.000. - Isa: Ndm

Special Jury Prize: "El Hombre de las Multitudes" (The Man of the Crowd) by Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimaraes (Brazil) Isa: FIGa Films

Special Mention: "Timbuktu" by Abderrahmane Sissako (Mauritania, France) - Isa: Le Pacte/U.S. Dist: Cohen Media Group

Official Shorts Competition

Jury Members

Joel del Rio - Roberto Fiesco - Andres Parra

Best Short Film: "Se Venden Conejos" (Rabbits for Sale) by Esteban Giraldo (Colombia) - Wins a professional Sony camera and  Usd $3.000 from Cinecolor in digital post-production services for the director's next project.

Special Mention: "Completo" by Iván Gaona (Colombia)

New Creators

Jury Members

Maite Alberdi - Franco Lolli - Jorge Forero

Best Short Film: "En Busca del Aire" (Searching for Air) by Mauricio Rojas Maldonado (Antioquia University) - Wins a professional  Sony camera; and GoPro HERO4 camera from Revista Shock.Special Mention: "La Ruta de Julita" (Julita's Route) by Omar Eduardo Ospina (Magdalena University) - Wins a scholarship to study film production at the Bucaramanga University.

Special Mention: "Estepario" by Ángela Duque (Sabana University) - Wins a scholarship to study sound recording and design at Bucaramanga University.

Trinidad & Tobago, a small island nation is filled with every race. As if a microcosm of the world today at its best, as if without the daily problems of life, violence or the political problems the people must cope with in their lives, the privileged participants in trinidad + tobago film festival, now approaching its 10th year, spent a glorious week together sharing cinema, one of the seven new industries this oil rich republic has designated for development.

This country is one of 28 Caribbean islands which share a tropical paradise of beaches and forests, and yet each is unique with its own mix of music and people living on islands surrounded by the warm waters of the Caribbean. The collective intelligence of indigenous, African, Indian, Chinese, Syrian, Spanish, French and British traditions is being redefined by a new generation, developing its métier of cinema, new and social media here.

The Caribbean multiplicity of island cultures, T&T's proximity to Latin America along the western Caribbean coastline and how the film festival's founder and director Bruce Paddington sees the film industry developing from this pivotal point inspires everyone who attends this festival. The staff, including creative director Emilie Upczak, and the entire staff and the volunteers have improved the festival programming and the business activities of the filmmakers.

"When you talk about Caribbean films, you have to be aware of the history of its diversity," said festival founder Bruce Paddington. "When people ask me about the Caribbean aesthetic, I have to, in many ways start talking about history and colonialism, and neo-colonialism and issues of slavery and pirates and languages. You have the French, Spanish, English and the Dutch. The Caribbean still is not completely independent place. So a lot of the films reflect issues of race and ethnicity."

For more read “ How the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival Could Save the Caribbean Film Industry ”

Diaspora is the new synthesis of the world today. Relabel the "immigration problem" and call it "diaspora". Numerous diasporas have allowed the people of the Caribbean to settle in and to send out new waves of diaspora which can, in the guise of art, unite the world. T + T is the micro model of this vision which is taking tangible shape throughout the world today. Looking at The Caribbean, immediately apparent and a topic of discussion in the society itself, in the music, art and in the film languages, is Diaspora. The entire human race is represented here as a product of Diaspora, not immigrants, but citizens of a society of people in Diaspora.

Even the country's genius- created instrument, Pan, or the steel drum, the only new musical instrument created in the 20th century, is a subject of study in most university music schools and has more adherents and orchestras abroad than in the country itself. During Carnival, 1,000 steel drum musicians converge here from all over the world where a giant parade and competition called Panorama transform T&T into a musical paradise. You cannot imagine the transformative power of a steel band orchestra unless you experience it first hand. Even listening to Cuban salsa, one can frequently hear the sound of steel drums.

Attempting to explain this phenom, opening night of the festival screened “Pan! Our Music Odyssey” exec produced by French transplant, Jean Michel Gibert, this multi-tiered film, music, live entertainment event is another exportable product of the region, one to be shared worldwide.

The film world here is developing on four levels simultaneously and by design. Inclusive of British, French, Dutch and Spanish colonial and slave-trading traditions, indigenous American, African, Indian, Arab and Asian diaspora communities here are working to unite film education, festival, production and distribution not only at home but throughout the region of the Caribbean nations, already represented in The United Nations in a 15 member Caribbean Community political consortium called Caricom.

T+Tff has formed alliances with TribeCa Film Institute, Eave (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), Acp (EU's African Caribbean Pacific Fund for Arts and Culture), the European Union's cultural subsidy arm (separate from Eurimages), World Cinema Fund, Curacao Film Festival which is itself an extension of the Rotterdam Film Festival. The industry has come to t+tff to tell of subsidies and coproduction opportunities, possibilities for marketing and distribution in the global marketplace, and to give immersion workshops on filmmaking and film criticism.

Acp has a fund of €13 million to grant in all areas of culture to reinforce and support access to markets, improve the regulatory environment and reduce unemployment, and it grants €10 million of this to cinema and the audiovisual sector. Acp's Director, Mohamed Ben Shabbaz gave an award to the feature which best epitomizes cultural diversity. On presenting the prize, he reiterated their motto, "no future without culture" and on behalf of its membership of 79 countries and their 800 million people, he gave the prize to the feature Stone Street, and encouraged filmmakers to submit projects which are eligible if produced by any member of the Caribbean, African and Latin American nations included in the Acp for grants.

Another incentive to make movies in this untapped and untrammeled region of the world is the 36% return on monies spent on production in Trinidad.

Because Martinique and Guadaloupe are French, they can access the French Cnc production subsidies and coproductions with them can share this.

All this bounty would stir me as a filmmaker anywhere in the world to hasten to find coproducers in these countries to make a movie out of the myriad of stories that exist here. Guadaloupe novelist Simone Schwartz-Bart's great novel written in collaboration with her husband, Andre Schwartz-Bart ( Last of the Just), A Woman Called Solitude, one of the most emotionally moving novels I 've ever read, has yet to be made into a movie. Dominican writer Jean Rhys 'Wide Saragossa Sea, the prequel to Bronte's Jane Eyre, has been made twice since 1993 but still has not had enough impact. Perhaps it's time for a remake. Or how about the novels of Jamaica Kincaid or Alejo Carpentier?

In addition to the productive work at T+Tff, sharing business ideas and sharing the visions of over 120 feature-length and short films, there is the added bonus of being in one of the most amazing spots on earth. Island people, isolated from mainland civilizations and united among themselves by the water which also separates them, opened their arms and invited the international film world to join them for a few days celebrating life. They have shared the natural beauty and the music and other arts of their island paradise.

And imagine the food-- a mix, (like the people themselves) of Caribbean, Indian, Asian, Arabian and African cuisine, all so fresh and with a homemade touch which rivals your own home cooking. Bake and Shark, a deep fried pita stuffed with delicious fresh and tender shark, or Roti, a variation of a curry dish found in India, Doubles, another street food well loved by the people.

The economy, supported by its oil industry which contributes 60% to the Gnp, (though 40% is Bp), a cause for some political dissension, does not need to rely on tourism for its sustenance. And though this is the wealthiest of all the Caricom countries because of its oil and natural gas, it still has the ubiquitous poverty seen worldwide including in our own United States of America. It is by no means perfect, but...

The awards themselves reflect the complexity of a society which, when its own special voice is raised in unison by its citizens, has the grandly unique and harmonic sound of the music of its own steel band.

"Behavior," (Isa: Latido) an incisive portrait of the life of an at-risk boy in Havana, claimed the top prize at the trinidad+tobago film festival. Directed by Cuba’s Ernesto Daranas Serrano, Behavior beat out four other films competing for the Best Narrative Feature prize at the Festival. Behavior was also a favorite with the Festival’s youth jury, who awarded the film a special mention.

The youth jury gave its top prize to a Brazilian film, the charming Lgbt-themed coming-of-age drama "The Way He Looks," directed by Daniel Ribeiro. Its Isa, Films Boutique has, since its debut in Berlin 2014, licensed it to U.S. -Strand Releasing, France -Pyramide Distribution, Germany -Salzgeber & Co. Medien Gmbh, Hong Kong (China) -Cinehub, Benelux -ABC - Cinemien,Norway -Filmhuset Gruppen As & Europafilm As, Poland -Tongariro Releasing, Spain -Surtsey Films, Switzerland -Agora Films, Taiwan -Maison Motion, Inc., U.K. - Peccadillo Pictures

Best Documentary Feature was awarded to a film from the Dominican Republic, Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada’s "You and Me (Tu y yo)," an intimate look at the complex relationship between an elderly woman and her domestic servant.

A documentary was also the winner of the Best Trinidad and Tobago Feature Film—Miquel Galofré’s "Art Connect,"an uplifting crowd-pleaser featuring young people from the urban community of Laventille in east Port of Spain, whose lives are transformed when they undertake an art project.

The inaugural Amnesty International Human Rights Prize went to "The Abominable Crime," Micah Fink’s touching, troubling reflection of the struggle gays and lesbians in Jamaica face to achieve their rights.

*Note: "Behavior" is Cuba's Official Submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and "The Way He Looks" is Brazil's Official Submission in the same category.

Here is a full list of the awards:

Best Narrative Feature: Behavior, Ernesto Daranas Serrano, Cuba Best Narrative Feature, Special Mention: Sensei Redemption, German Gruber, Curaçao Best Documentary Feature: You and Me, Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada, Dominican Republic Best Documentary Feature, Special Mention: Hotel Nueva Isla, Irene Gutiérrez and Javier Labrador, Cuba Best Short Film, Narrative: Bullock, Carlos Machado Quintela, Cuba Best Short Film, Documentary: ABCs, Diana Montero, Cuba Best Trinidad and Tobago Feature: Art Connect, Miquel Galofré Best Trinidad and Tobago Short Film, Narrative: Dubois, Kaz Ové Best Trinidad and Tobago Short Film, Narrative, Special Mention: Noka: Keeper of Worlds, Shaun Escayg Best Trinidad and Tobago Short Film, Documentary: Field Notes, Vashti Harrison Best New Media Film: They Say You Can Dream a Thing More Than Once: Versia Harris, Barbados Amnesty International Human Rights Prize: The Abominable Crime, Micah Fink, Jamaica/USA Bptt Youth Jury Prize for Best Film: The Way He Looks, Daniel Ribeiro, Brazil Bptt Youth Jury Prize for Best Film, Special Mention: Behaviour, Ernesto Daranas Serrano, Cuba People’s Choice Award, Best Narrative Feature: A Story About Wendy 2, Sean Hodgkinson, T&T People’s Choice Award, Best Documentary Feature: Art Connect, Miquel Galofré, T&T People’s Choice Award, Best Short Film: Flying the Coup, Ryan Lee, T&T Rbc: Focus Filmmakers’ Immersion Pitch Prize: Raisa Bonnet, Puerto Rico Rbc: Focus Filmmakers’ Immersion Pitch Prize, Special Mention: Davina Lee, St Lucia Best Student at the Film Programme of the University of the West Indies: Romarlo Anderson Edghill Best Trinidad and Tobago Film in Development: Rajah: The Story of Boysie Singh, Christian James...

Exclusive: One of the driving forces behind the upcoming Caribbean Film Mart has said the structure will provide a timely platform to allow the region’s dynamic “fresh voices” to connect with the global market.

Emilie Upczak, creative director at the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), said the market will launch in September 2015 with the backing of the European Union’s Belgium-based Acp (African Caribbean Pacific) body.

“It will be a boutique film mart that is very much project-based and we’re modeling it on [Rotterdam’s] CineMart,” Upczak told Screendaily following a presentation at the recent ninth edition of the festival.

“We will make a call for 10 Caribbean projects in March – mostly features but also open to docs. We will pair producers with industry professionals with the hope of kick-starting the feature film industry in the Caribbean. It’s really an emerging space.”

Upczak said the initiative, which will include the Regional Film Database, an archive...