A prayer for peace

Happy Emancipation Day, People,

Celebrate the constantly evolving miracle of human survival,
passion, intelligence, humour,
capacity for laughter, grief, sympathy, pain and creativity.

Peace.



Video clip: "I Is A Long Memoried Woman" - A Videotape by Frances-Anne Solomon, based on the book of poems by Grace Nicholls. With Adjoa Andoh, Leonie Forbes. Choreography by Greta Mendez, Music by Dominique Le Gendre.

It has come
It has come

Fire-ritual
and bloodfeast
a banner of heads on spikes

the black surge

and Toussaint in
the Fort de Jour
dying with cold

It has come
It has come

Firestorm
and bloodrage
a sky of flame

the black surge

and Toussaint in
the Fort de Jour
dying with cold

It has come
It has come

Fireceremony
and bloodrush
an insane sunrise

the black surge

and Toussaint in
the Fort de Jour
dying with cold

It has come
It has come

Ashes to Ashes
Blood to Dust

Ashes to Ashes
Blood to Dust

and Toussaint in
the Fort de Jour
dying with hope

I Is A Long Memoried Woman: Film Notes & Study Guide
More about I Is A Long Memoried Woman

Thanks for coming!

Friends,

Thanks for coming out to the 2nd Annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival. We had an incredible time! It was wonderful to witness the range and high quality of film and television work of fellow Trinidadians worldwide. The schedule of films & filmmakers is online for you here. We hope to have an opportunity to screen some of the films again during the year.

It was a particular privelege for me to honour legendary film director Horace Ove CBE, and to recognize the extraordinary work of Gayelle The Channel and its co-founder and CEO Chris Laird.

Special thanks to all our Sponsors, and especially The Trinidad & Tobago Film Company for facilitating the participation of the T&T contingent.

Til next year friends when we promise to come bigger and better with an even more stunning line-up of films from the Caribbean region.

The Festival also saw the Launch of TALK IT OUT, our nationwide, anti-violence tour of award-winning film A Winter Tale. After the screening cast and crew were on hand for an electric and passionate discussion with the audience about the issues raised by the film.We are now busy setting up screenings in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax and Vancouver, and will keep you posted on details of the Tour, as well as up-coming Festival screenings of A Winter Tale in your area, and of course the eagerly-awaited DVD release, scheduled for '08.

Join A Winter Tale's Facebook Group, for regular updates on the TALK IT OUT TOUR!

Peace,
Frances-Anne

(Photos courtesy of Georgia Popplewell: 1. The T&T delegation: Bruce Paddington(Festival Co-curator), Carla Foderingham (CEO, T&T Film Company), filmmaker Horace Ove, CBE, Caribbean Free Radio's Georgia Popplewell, Filmmaker Yao Ramesar, Chris Laird (CEO, Gayelle The Channel). I am on the left, and behind, waving is Toronto-based artist Chris Pinheiro.
2. Film director Horace Ove, with his new Nikon camera.
3. Cast and crew of A Winter Tale talk it out after the film's screening.

VIEW ALL GEORGIA'S FESTIVAL PHOTOS HERE

FRIDAY @ The CaribbeanTales Film Festival

Just a reminder of the excitement that we have in store for you at the Opening of the 2nd Annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival starting tomorrow Friday 13th July at the NFB Mediatheque.

During the day workshops and in-depth Q&A sessions with celebrated film and video-makers, will turn a sharp focus onto the latest film and television trends from the Caribbean region. At our Opening night presentation, we honour legendary British-Trinidadian filmmaker Horace Ove. The evening will end with a screening of award-winning Canadian-Trinidadian video-maker's Richard Fung's latest film "Uncomfortable".

Video Clip:: A hilarious teaser from "The Choir" (Lord Have Mercy! Ep. 8) starring dbi.young, Rachel Price, Dennis Sprangalang Hall, an Leonie Forbes, which be screened tomorrow as part of the workshop on Caribbean "Series & Sitcoms".

The full Festival Schedule is here.

Workshops: Friday, July 13th, 2007

SITCOMS & SERIES, Friday, July 13th at 12:30 p.m. (NFB Mediatheque)

A Workshop to discuss Caribbean sitcoms and series, old & new, using clips from episodes 3 popular caribbean-based series: Westwood Park , Lord Have Mercy!, and Who the Cap Fits.

CARIBBEAN ANIMATION, Friday, July 13th at 2:00 p.m. (NFB Mediatheque)
At 2:00 p.m. a second workshop will follow, focusing on Caribbean animation. Attendees will enjoy 20 minutes of animated works from Animae Caribe: Caribbean Animation, Film & New-Media Festival, and a discussion with Camille Selvon Abrahams.

THE NEW MEDIA, Friday, July 13th at 4:00 p.m. (NFB Mediatheque)
A final workshop discussing new media will take place at 4:00 p.m. with guest Georgia Popplewell of Caribbean Free Radio and Global Voices.

MUSIC VIDEOS FROM TRINIDAD & TOBAGO : Featuring music videos by popular Trinidad artists including soca sensation Machel Montano and David Rudder.

6PM: OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION: HONOURING HORACE OVÉ FILM AND TV OPPOTUNITIES IN T&T with Carla Foderingham (CEO of the T&T Film Company)
	HORACE OVÉ Screening highlights of his film career (showreel) Dream to Change the World – Horace Ové (UK) A profile of British-Trinidadian activist John La Rose, founder of New Beacon Books and the Caribbean Artists’ Movement.
	Uncomfortable: The Art of Christopher Cozier – Richard Fung (CAN) The work and ideas of artist Christopher Cozier in the context of post-independence Trinidad’s oil-rich economy, complicated ethnic politics, and vibrant cultural forms.

Limin With Verlia in the African Diaspora

Between 11am-2pm today tune into 88.1 FM CKLN. Verlia Stephens will be interviewing Horce Ove, Chris Laird, and Bruce Paddington, some of the filmmkers who will be arrving today from Trinidad for the Festival. I'll be meeting them at the airport then phoning in to the station from there so as not to miss the show.

"Limin in de African Diaspora" with Verlia Stephens on CKLN 88.1 FM between 11-2..

Our Program is Online!

The countdown is on to The CaribbeanTales 2nd Annual Film Festival starting this Friday - Sunday at NFB Mediatheque and Workman Theatre:

Our program is online now, and you can peruse it here

In addition, every day this week I've been profiling special events at the Festival, and today it's our SPOTLIGHT ON GAYELLE THE CHANNEL:

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The CaribbeanTales Film Festival turns a Spotlight on the phenomenon of Trinidad’s dynamic local TV station Gayelle The Channel, and its founder & CEO Christopher Laird

The fast-growing young station, which exploded onto the airwaves in Feb 2004, features 100% local content, and reaches a broad audience of over a million viewers internationally through conventional broadcasting, cable TV, and live Internet streaming.

On Saturday 14th July the Festival is proud to present a screening of Laird’s brand new feature documentary "A Day in the Life of De Gayelle", an insider's view of the innovative young Channel, followed by an up close and personal Q&A session with the stations prolific and hard-working founder.

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Christopher Laird is the Founder and CEO of Gayelle The Channel, and co-founder and Managing Director of Banyan Limited, the Caribbean's foremost and most prolific producer of television programmes about the Caribbean and its people, which has produced more than 500 television productions over the past 30 years.

Named by leading Toronto video artist and critic Richard Fung, as "one of the most important filmmakers working in the Anglophone Caribbean", he is also a published poet, has run a theatre in Port of Spain, published a journal of the Arts for five years in Trinidad & Tobago, and since 1975 written, directed and/or produced over 400 TV programmes for Banyan.

He has won many awards for his pioneering use of television in the region as a tool for community engagement, as " a call and response" mechanism to reflect and engage the authentic diverse voices of the Caribbean and its people, as a collaborative medium through which artists and community make relevent creative interventions that change society.

PLEASE NOTE: BY POPULAR DEMAND
THIS PROGRAM WILL BE REPEATED ON
SUNDAY JULY 15TH @ 11AM

An Aftenoon Of Stimulating Workshops on Caribbean Media

The 2nd Annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival is full of exciting events!

In addition to film screenings, presentations and special guest appearances, on Friday 13th July the Festival will host a series of workshops and in-depth Q&A sessions with celebrated film and video-makers, which turn a sharp focus onto the latest film and television trends from the Caribbean region.

The festival runs from July 13 to 15, 2007 at the NFB’s Mediatheque and Workman Theatre.

The workshops will begin with a short screening, followed by an informal discussion between attendees and guest speakers.

12:00PM – 1.30PM
Workshop: Sitcoms & Series
Westwood Park-D. Diefenthaller, (T&T),
Lord Have Mercy – F. Solomon (CAN),
Who The Cap Fits – C. Laird (T&T)

1.30PM – 2.30PM
Workshop: Caribbean Animation
Animae Caraibe Film Festival: Camille Selvon Abrahams

3PM-4.30PM - (In the Overflow)
Workshop: The New Media
Caribbean Free Radio & Global Voices: Georgia Popplewell

4PM – 5PM
Workshop: Music Videos from T&T

OUR FULL SCHEDULE IS ONLINE HERE

A Winter Tale @ The CaribbeanTales Film Festival

Friends:

Join me for this Special Community Screening of my film A Winter Tale, where we will also launch our new project TALK IT OUT.

Invite your friends. Spread the word!

Sunday July 15th at 5.30pm,
at the Workman Theatre,
1001 Queen St West, Toronto.

RSVPs to AWinterTale@gmail.com.

See you there,
Frances-Anne

TALK IT OUT: Read the PRESS RELEASE

CaribbeanTales 2nd Annual Film Festival: Peruse the full program here.