CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival - Celebrating Black History Month.

Click Here to View The Festival Trailer!

Tickets are still available for the CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival, "Celebrating Black History Month"!


FESTIVAL SCREENINGS will take place from
February 13-27 2009 @ 10:00 a.m. Weekdays

@ the following locations:
Silvercity Yorkdale, 3401 Dufferin Street
Coliseum Scarborough, 300 Borough Drive
Silvercity Yonge-Eglinton, 2300 Yonge Street

Click here to view Festival Program and Schedule.

TICKET INFORMATION
Students: $7.00
Educators: Free admission per 10 students

Seats are still available for the following films::
THE ROSA PARKS STORY by Julie Dash -
A WINTER TALE by Frances-Anne Solomon -
JOURNEY TO JUSTICE by Milton Bryan and Roger MacTair
POOR BOY'S GAME by Clement Virgo
AFRICA UNITE by Stephanie Black
THE AGRONOMIST by Jonathan Demme
DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST by Julie Dash
SPEAKERS FOR THE DEAD by Sudz Sutherland

BOOKING YOUR CLASS
For more information please contact:

Miki Nembhard,
ctyfilmfestival@gmail.com
416-598-1410

CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival, Celebrating Black History Month, presents its Gala Launch, featuring the Rosa Parks Story, by Julie Dash.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO – January 27, 2009

Celebrating Black History Month, renowned international director Julie Dash presents her stunning groundbreaking film, The Rosa Parks Story, at the Caribbean Tales Youth Film Festival Gala Launch. The film commemorates the late African American Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks, whose bravery in refusing to relinquish her seat to a white person on an Alabama bus in 1955, triggered the first civil rights demonstration in the US and heralded the Modern Civil Rights Movement.

The screening takes place at the Silver City Yonge-Eglinton Centre (2300 Yonge Street) on January 29, 2009 at 6pm. CaribbeanTales is delighted that Ms. Dash will also be available after the screening for a question and answer period.

With her stunning 1991 debut feature film Daughters of the Dust, Julie Dash became the first African American woman to have a movie on general theatrical release in the United States. The Library of Congress has placed Daughters of the Dust in the National Film Registry, where it joins a select group of American films preserved as National Treasures.

The Rosa Parks Story won Ms. Dash an NAACP Image Award, The Family Television Award, The New York Christopher Award and she was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement at the 55th Director's Guild of America Awards. In addition, the film received an Emmy Nomination for lead actor Angela Bassett who plays Rosa Parks in the film.

From February 13th to 27th, 2009 the Caribbean Tales Youth Film Festival will showcase a unique series of films and documentaries that tell stories about and from the African Diaspora. The festival is aimed at high school students and features a selection of classic Africentric films that expand and deepen audience's understanding of and empathy for - Canada's multicultural identities.

Other celebrated films to be screened at the festival include award-winning filmmaker, Frances Anne Solomon's critically acclaimed A Winter Tale, Julie Dash’s first feature film Daughters of the Dust; Jamaican-Canadian Director Clement Virgo's Poor Boy’s Game; Africa Unite, by Stephanie Black; Art for Social Change, by Mary Wells; Speakers for the Dead, by Sudz Sutherland; Journey to Justice, by Roger McTair and Milton Bryan; The Argronomist, by Jonathan Demme; and many more!

CaribbeanTales, a non-profit organization, is Canada's premier multimedia company that creates, markets and distributes educational films, videos, radio programs, audio books, theatre plays, web sites and events showcasing the rich heritage of the Caribbean Diaspora worldwide.

CaribbeanTales’ mandate is to foster and encourage intercultural understanding and citizen participation through the medium of film and so contribute to an inclusive Canadian society.

-30-

Available for interviews:

Frances-Anne Solomon, Festival Founder/Curator

Julie Dash, Special Guest Director.

Festival screenings will take place from February 13 to 27, 2009 at 10am on weekdays at the following locations:

Silver City Yorkdale, (3401 Dufferin Street)

Coliseum Scarborough, (300 Borough Drive)

Silver City Yonge-Eglinton, (2300 Yonge Street)

Tickets for the Caribbean Tales Youth Film Festival are now available: $7 for students and free for educators who bring in ten students or more.

For ticket and festival inquiries, please contact Miki Nembhard at 416. 598. 1410 or ctyfilmfestival@gmail.com.

To view the full Festival program please go to www.CaribbeanTales.ca

A Winter Tale in Dominica

A Winter Tale will premiere in "the Nature Isle" Dominica, on Friday 16th January 2009, with a VIP Launch Reception and Screening at the Alliance Francaise at 7pm.

On Saturday 17th there will be a public screening at 8pm at the same venue.

The screenings are organised by Dominica's Film Commissioner Anita Bully, and sponsored by Archipelago Trading, and Sutton Place Hotel.

Peter Williams and I are both in Dominica for the weekend's event, which tomorrow will also include two school screenings and youth film workshops during the day.

My special thanks to Yvor Nassief, and Ginette Harris, for their hospitality and for making this trip posible.

For more information or to obtain tickets for any of the events, please contact Ms. Anita Bully Tel: (767) 448-2454, or at kaibully@hotmail.com

Photo: Actor Peter Williams with Mrs Anita Bully, Dominica's Film Commissioner in Roseau, Dominica.

An Invitation to attend our GALA LAUNCH

(Click on invitation to enlarge)

Tickets are now available for

CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival
GALA LAUNCH

on Thursday January 29th 2009 @ 6pm

Featuring "The Rosa Parks Story"
A film by renowned international director
JULIE DASH
(Daughters of The Dust)

Ms. Dash will join us for the Launch and Q&A after the film.

SilverCity Yonge Egnlinton
2300 Yonge St
Toronto On M4P 1E4

Tickets are $10 each,
Please email me by return if you would like to purchase tickets

Look forward very much to seeing you there!
Frances-Anne

The CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival, "Celebrating Black History Month".

FESTIVAL SCREENINGS will take place from
February 13-27 2009 @ 10:00 a.m. Weekdays

@ the following locations:
Silvercity Yorkdale, 3401 Dufferin Street
Coliseum Scarborough, 300 Borough Drive
Silvercity Yonge-Eglinton, 2300 Yonge Street

Click here to view Festival Program and Schedule.

TICKET INFORMATION
Students: $7.00
Educators: Free admission per 10 students

Tickets are still available for the following films::
THE ROSA PARKS STORY by Julie Dash -
A WINTER TALE by Frances-Anne Solomon -
JOURNEY TO JUSTICE by Milton Bryan and Roger MacTair
POOR BOY'S GAME by Clement Virgo
AFRICA UNITE by Stephanie Black
THE AGRONOMIST by Jonathan Demme
DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST by Julie Dash
SPEAKERS FOR THE DEAD by Sudz Sutherland

BOOKING YOUR CLASS
For more information please contact:

Miki Nembhard,
ctyfilmfestival@gmail.com
416-598-1410

Youth Film Festival Targets Educators & Highschool Students During Black History Month!

CaribbeanTales YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL
Celebrating Black History Month - February 2009

Click here to view Program and Schedule.

February 2009, CaribbeanTales will showcase a unique series of films and documentaries, from and about the African diaspora.

Each screening will represent a broad range of experiences that both celebrates and educates on the richness and diversity of African history, deepening audiences' understanding of Canada's vibrant multicultural communities.

FILMS TO BE SCREENED INCLUDE:
THE ROSA PARKS STORY by Julie Dash
AFRICA UNITE by Stephanie Black
THE AGRONOMIST by Jonathan Demme
DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST by Julie Dash
SPEAKERS FOR THE DEAD by Sudz Sutherland
A WINTER TALE by Frances-Anne Solomon
JOURNEY TO JUSTICE by Milton Bryan and Roger MacTair
POOR BOY'S GAME by Clement Virgo

SCREENINGS
February 11-28 2009
10:00 a.m.
Weekdays

Silvercity Yorkdale, 3401 Dufferin Street
Coliseum Scarborough, 300 Borough Drive
Silvercity Yonge-Eglinton, 2300 Yonge Street

TICKET INFORMATION
Students: $7.00
Educators: Free admission per 10 students

BOOKING YOUR CLASS
Educators and High Schools that are interested in making a reservation for their class should contact (416) 598-1410 or ctyfilmfestival@gmail.com.

About CaribbeanTales: CaribbeanTales’ mandate is to foster and encourage intercultural understanding and citizen participation through the creation, distribution and presentation of educational films, videos, new media and resource materials that reflect the diversity and creativity of Caribbean-Canadian and African Diasporic heritage and culture.

Our vision is to contribute to an inclusive Canadian society by celebrating the rich traditions of Caribbean heritage storytelling.

We invite students and teachers to come out and enjoy this one-of-a-kind festival.

For more information please contact:

Miki Nembhard,
CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival Co-ordinator

99 Gore Vale Avenue
Toronto ON M6J 2R5
www.caribbeantales.ca
ctyfilmfestival@gmail.com

416-598-1410



We look forward to seeing you!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

THE 2009 CaribbeanTales 4th ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL

Canada's One and Only Forum Showcasing The Best of Caribbean Cinema, At Home and Abroad, Classical and Creole, Digital and Celluloid, This Year Puts The Spotlight on "Caribbean Film - A Tool For Education and Social Change"

North America's premier stand-alone Caribbean Film Festival is accepting submissions for the CaribbeanTales 4th Annual Film Festival. The upcoming festival takes place from July 8th to the 12th, 2009 in Toronto, Canada, and is produced by CaribbeanTales in association with New College, University of Toronto, and the Caribbean Studies Program at U of T.

This year's focus will be "Caribbean Film - A Tool for Education and Social Change".

Artistic Director and Festival Founder Frances-Anne Solomon says: "We are delighted to be partnering with U of T to produce the 2009 festival which aims to bring together like-minded filmmakers and cultural activists around the important theme of art for social change."

The festival will feature an Academic Conference and a Youth Day, alongside 4 days of entertaining film screenings and thought-provoking talk-back sessions.

With a growing international awareness of the Caribbean's burgeoning media industry, the CaribbeanTales Film Festival aims to entertain and educate through a series of industry panels, filmmakers' discussions and presentations on both historical and contemporary filmmaking throughout the Diaspora.

The CaribbeanTales mandate is to foster and encourage intercultural understanding and citizen participation through the creation, distribution and presentation of educational films, videos, new media and resource materials that reflect the diversity and creativity of Caribbean-Canadian and Caribbean-Diasporic heritage and culture. Our vision is to contribute to an inclusive Canadian society by celebrating the rich traditions of Caribbean heritage storytelling.

The 2008 CaribbeanTales Film Festival: Fokus Jamaica was a huge success with over 20 filmmakers featuring films and videos made in Jamaica, about Jamaica or by Jamaicans. With participants like filmmaker Stephanie Black (Africa Unite, Life & Debt), cinematographer Franklyn "Chappie" St. Juste (The Harder The Come), music video director Ras Kassa (Welcome To Jamrock), Jamaican-Canadian actor Peter Williams (Stargate SG1 and A Winter Tale), award-winning Canadian director Clement Virgo (Poor Boy's Game), producer Gloria Minto (Glory to Gloriana), and Jamaican icon, actress, writer and producer Leonie Forbes, the Fokus Jamaica festival brought CaribbeanTales to the mainstage in the Canadian media and film communities. We plan to build on this momentum with the CaribbeanTales 4th Annual Film Festival, as we continue our work to create a more inclusive awareness of Caribbean culture and the Diasporic communities.

We invite filmmakers of Caribbean heritage, or who have a film with a focus on the Caribbean to participate in this monumental festival, North America's only stand alone Caribbean Film Festival. Please *submit by March 31st 2009 to be considered for the CaribbeanTales 4th Annual Film Festival.

We look forward to seeing your work!

Submissions can be sent to:
Jamaias DaCosta,
Partnerships Coordinator
CaribbeanTales
99 Gore Vale Avenue
Toronto ON M6J 2R5
www.caribbeantales.ca
caribbeantales2009@gmail.com
416-598-1410

*Submission Deadline: March 31st 2009

*Please note that submissions will not be returned

Newz from "A Winter Tale" and "Lord Have Mercy"

Greetings everyone,

A Winter Tale will screen twice at the Antigua and Barbuda Literary Festival this weekend - on Friday 7th at 4pm, and on Sunday 9th November at 11am. Venue is the Jolly Beach Resort.

Actor Peter Williams and I will both be there to "Talk It Out" after the show...

The Festival has established itself, in 3 short years, as a top Caribbean literary and cultural event, and many international artists will be present, including award-winning American author Elisabeth Nunez, Indo-Trinidadian novelist and poet Ramabai Espinet, and hip hop artist Motion (to name but a few).

*****

On October 16th we had a wonderful screening and workshop in Barbados at the Errol Barrow Center for Creative Imagination.

The event was the first International Diaspora Arts Festival, hosted by Professor Gladstone Yearwood, Director of the Center.

The two other films featured were Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation by the great African-American filmmaker Charles Burnett, and Ezra a stunning film on child slavery by Nigerian Newton Aduaka, which won the top award for best film at Fespaco 2007. I had the privelege of meeting both these wonderful artists in Barbados.

And here is a review of my film by prolific blogger Ian Bourne of Bajan Reporter. Visit our website http://awintertale.ca to catch up with all the recent reviews from our Trinidad, Jamaica and Antigua releases.

****

LORD HAVE MERCY, the classic sitcom starring Sprangalang and Rachel Price, as well as Jamaican icon Leonie Forbes, poet/performer Dbi.young.anitafrika and the comic Russell Peters has been picked up by CIN in New York and will begin airing starting November 16, 2008 to February 8, 2009 on Channel 25, Sundays @ 3:00pm.

More soon, love
Frances-Anne