Stories from Camilo C. Antonio

Testing Ground For The Oscars: Celebrating vision and cultural entrepeneurship, bringing Caribbean tales to the Toronto Filmfest by Camilo C. Antonio

Reprinted from the Vienna Review 01/10/2010

Camilo Antonio - Photo by Che Rodriguez

Mr. Antonio is a lyric poet ; former Director, Human Resources Development Branch and the Asia-Pacific Bureau of UNIDO; recipient of the Millennium Philippine Presidential "Pamanang Pilipino" (National Heritage Award 2000).

On a three-day visit to Toronto in 2000, I was hugely impressed by the scene as the city prepared for the 25th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Re-visiting Toronto ten years later, I had more time to immerse myself in the city’s dynamic features. I went there in the beginning of September to support a group of 25 outstanding Caribbean filmmakers who were selected to pitch their film projects in the world’s biggest and busiest marketplace for films, known by those in the business simply as TIFF.

Caribbean Filmmakers at CTWD Incubator during TIFF 2010

The group was part of a larger vision and strategy to brand the Caribbean region as a market for ventures in the film industry. The exercise included a market development programme with consultant-mentors who coached the participants in the aesthetic as well as business aspects of presenting their strategies and plans to would-be financing partners. Frances-Anne Solomon spearheaded this initiative as CEO of Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), a newly established company that was launched during the Festival. CTWD aims to fill the gap and to meet the demand from international investors & distributors for a regional mechanism that promotes and sells Caribbean-themed audiovisual products. Growing up in Toronto, where she also studied and has established networks, the internationally acclaimed Canadian filmmaker of Trinidadian heritage was well placed for this role.

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CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution and New York's Autonomous Entertainmment sign partnership deal.

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution and

New York's Autonomous Entertainmment sign long-term agreement.

Toronto, Canada – Thursday, November 15, 2010 - - CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, the first film distribution company in the English-speaking Caribbean, and New York-based boutique marketing and distribution consultancy firm Autonomous Entertainment Inc. have entered into a long-term partnership to promote and sell Caribbean films and television programs worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Autonomous Entertainment will handle CTWD's acquisitions, and help with sales, marketing and outreach of CTWD's catalogue in the US and around the world. In addition, CTWD and AEI will collaborate on a number of planned special releases and events featuring Caribbean filmed content over the next months and years.

AEI is led by CEO Michelle Materre, a veteran of the independent film distribution and marketing business. In 1991, as co-founder and Vice President of KJM3 Entertainment Group, Michelle oversaw the theatrical distribution of Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust, the first film by an African American female director to be released theatrically in the United States.

Michelle Materre, CEO of Autonomous Entertainment Inc

Since then she has held management positions across the industry including Curator of the Channel Thirteen/WNET series Reel New York, Executive Director of International Film Seminars at the Robert Flaherty Film Seminars, Associate Director at Women Make Movies, and Director of Distribution for Third World Newsreel. She is the founder and curator of the Creatively Speaking film series at BAM cinematek. In 2009 she formed Autonomous Entertainment with Head of Operations Cedric Beasley and Head of Production Paul Gennaro to bring greater visibility to independent film, illustrating how entertaining and informative work can also be commercially viable, high quality and low cost without compromise.

"We are very pleased to be working with AEI," says CTWD's CEO Frances-Anne Solomon, "It makes alot of sense because of the many synergies we share. Michelle's experience in marketing and distributing films in the US that are specifically targetted to our markets, is invaluable to us. It is a partnership that will provide both CTWD and AEI with immediate growth opportunities in the US and worldwide through our combined networks."

Michelle Materre says: "We are thrilled to form this unique partnership with CTWD, and are committed to bringing the work of Caribbean filmmakers to as broad an audience as possible. I am certain that this collaboration with CTWD, combining community engagement with new technologies, will set a groundbreaking model for how distribution works in the very near future. We look forward to all the possibilities."

ABOUT CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution:

Established in May 2010, CTWD is a full service marketing and distribution company that acquires exclusive, long term rights to Caribbean-themed content for television, educational, home entertainment and Internet distribution. The company also holds marketing events through the CaribbeanTales Film Festival Group, and provides co-production services to producers. Positioned to become the go-to solution for producers and buyers seeking quality content, CTWD is led by Frances-Anne Solomon, founder and Chief Executive Officer, with other principals including Creative Industries specialist Dr Keith Nurse (Chair), celebrated economist Dr Terrence Farrell, Producer Lisa Wickham, and filmmaker Mary Wells. The organization was launched internationally with a Market Development Program for Caribbean producers during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, and already holds the rights to almost 40 projects. CTWD is a member of the Barbados Business Enterprise Corporation that provides Seed and Venture Capital Services.

For more information visit CTWD at www.CaribbeanTales-Worldwide.com, and AEI at www.AutonomousEntertainment.com

CTWD Media Contact:
Kevin Pennant, Pennant Media Group,
Tel: (416) 416.596.2978
E-mail: kp@pennantmediagroup.com

OUR 2010-2011 CATALOGUE IS ONLINE NOW!

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution is open for business! And just in time for the new semester, we are delighted to announce our 2010 - 2011 Catalogue.
CTWD offers you unique audio-visual content by Caribbean film makers from the region and the Diaspora.We have added 12 new programs to our inventory.
Enjoy our classy new layout, which makes it easier for you to find material in your field of study. You may also download a copy of our 2010/11 Film Distribution Catalogue (5.5 MB pdf). Consult our Pricing Guidelines. Then buy online for your institution or not-for-profit organisation. For more information, please contact us.
.__________________________________________

2010-2011 CATALOGUE

FEATURE FILMS » DOCUMENTARIES » SERIES » SHORT FILMS » MUSIC VIDEOS

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - CARIBBEANTALES 2011

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

“VISION, MOMENTUM, ACTION!”

CaribbeanTales 2011 – Film Marketplace
February 22 - March 2, 2011 in Barbados.

CaribbeanTales has had an amazing year!

Following the success of our 2010 Symposium and Marketplace that attracted not only regional film professonals and audiences, but buyers and executives from South Africa, the USA and Canada, CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution Inc. was launched in Barbados in May, aimed at creating money-making opportunities for producers of Caribbean content.

In September 2010, CTWD hosted the first CaribbeanTales Market Development Program for a contingent of 40 filmmakers and industry stakeholders during the Toronto International Film Festival. Building on this momentum, CaribbeanTales is delighted to announce the following opportunities for filmmakers:

* CTWD FILM SHOWCASE and COMPETITION: We will select and screen 7 features and 14 shorts in Competition. If selected for Screening your film will be evaluated for distribution potential by a panel of international specialists. Awards will be presented for Best Feature Film ($5000 US value), and Best Short Film under 40 minutes ($2500 US value).

* CTWD FILM INCUBATOR: 10 projects in development will be selected for inclusion in our 6-day intensive Incubator aimed at honing your projects to make them distinctive, commercially viable, and market-ready for the international marketplace. Cash and in-kind awards will be presented for the best Pitches.

International Director Julie Dash leads a Directing Masterclass before a packed audience at CT 2010

Please send all submissions to CaribbeanTales@gmail.com. Completed films can be sent via YOUSENDIT or other file-sharing programs. Or you can send your film by post to: CARIBBEANTALES 2011 SUBMISSIONS, Flat B Dalton Villas, Brighton Beach Road, St Michael Barbados.

All submissions should include the following information: Name of film; director/producer/production company; length of film; date of release; country of production.

**Submission Deadline: DEC 15, 2011

**Please note that submissions will not be returned.

CaribbeanTales WorldWide Distribution gets off to a flying start at the Toronto International Film Festival

Jamaican-Canadian Producer and Actor Tonya Lee Williams, with Barbadian Filmmaker and Director of the Bridgetown Film festival Mahmood Patel (left) and Rubadiri Victor, artist and filmmaker from Trinidad (right).

Caribbean filmmakers descended on Toronto in numbers for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) held at various venues around Toronto from September 9th to 19th. These filmmakers, some new to the craft and others experienced hands, were assembled by the energetic filmmaker and producer Frances-Anne Solomon and her colleagues from Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution Inc., a newly-formed distribution company whose mission is to bring Caribbean films to the world.

View photos from the Launch HERE.

TIFF Co-director Cameron Bailey who is Barbadian-Canadian, speaking at the Launch of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, flanked by Trinidadian filmmaker and CTWD Founder/CEO Frances-Anne Solomon, and Dr Keith Nurse CTWD Board Chair.

Some of the filmmakers present included Mary Wells of Jamaica, Tony Hall of Trinidad and Tobago, Sharon Lewis of Toronto, and Allison Saunders of Barbados. In all 25 filmmakers from across the region participated in a 3-day Incubator Workshop held at the University of Toronto to develop and hone their marketing and presentation skills. The workshop was facilitated by Michelle Materre of New York and Tanya Mudaly of the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation. They went on to participate in several TIFF events including the ReelWorld Indie Networking Event hosted by Tonya Lee Williams.

Barbadian filmmaker and producer Penelope Hynam, with CTWD Director Dr Terrence Farrell, and CTWD Board Chair Dr Keith Nurse.

View more photos from the Launch HERE.

Ms Solomon expressed her delight at the strong participation of Caribbean filmmakers at TIFF thanks to sponsorship from UNIDO, Caribbean Export, Canada Council for the Arts, Invest Barbados, Caribbean Airlines and the Commonwealth Foundation. She said “It was exciting to organize this event and very gratifying to see Caribbean and Diapora filmmakers network with each other, make valuable contacts in the world of film and sharpen their pitching skills. I feel that Caribbean film is about to take off and Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution will be the spearhead of the effort to bring Caribbean stories to global audiences.” She went on to state “We will be hosting the Second Caribbean Tales Film Festival and Symposium in Barbados in February 2011 and we will be back in Toronto for TIFF in September 2011 with an even larger contingent of Caribbean talent.”

Some of the participants of the CTWD Program: L-R Tony Hall, Michelle Materre, Rubadiri Victor, Mahmood Patel, Camilo Antonio, Che Rodriguez,  Louis Taylor, Hilary Brown, Dr Keith Nurse, Frances-Anne Solomon, Kirk Bucahannan CPTC, Davina Lee,  Ryan Singh, Alison Saunders, Cabral Trotman, Ava-Gail Gardiner, Escipion Olliveira, Rommel Hall, Sheldon Felix.

International Launch of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution was a Huge Success!

Ava Gail Gardiner, from Jamaica, representing the Caribbean Audio-visual Network (CAN) at the International Launch of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution at the Harlem Underground Restaurant on Tuesday night.

Producer Lisa Harewood from Barbados is interviewed at the International Launch of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution.

Staff of the Barbados Consulate, Toronto, in front of the CTWD Banner at our international launch.

Dr Keith Nurse, Chair of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, with a guest.

From left: Award-winning Canadian playwright Djanet Sears and Tonya Lee Williams, actress and Founder/President of the ReelWorld Film Festival, with LA-based producer/actor Marc Gomes.

TIFF Co-Director Cameron Bailey adresses the crowd and welcomes the CTWD delegation, flanked by Frances-Anne Solomon CTWD CEO, and Dr Keith Nurse CTWD Board Chair.

Cameron Bailey, TIFF Co-Director, with Tonya Lee Williams ReelWorld Founder/President and other guests at the International Launch of CTWD

Our Market Development Program is available online!

View the lineup for CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution's international launch, market incubator sessions, and projects that our participants have in development. Please download the official guide (pdf) to this landmark event, supporting Caribbean/Diaspora filmmakers, taking place this month in Toronto.