After living in NYC where I worked behind the scenes on numerous productions, I heard about a call by the TTFC for short films. I submitted my script and my film proposal was accepted. 3 filmmakers out of approximately 80 applicants won grants and this was how NO SOCA NO LIFE, as well as Where the Sun Sets were born. These are two of the films that you will be seeing tonight. My goal was always t
o be a writer/director based on my college degree and while waiting for the TTFC grants to take effect, I took that time to work on local sets. I saw an opportunity in Trinidad to be more than what I was doing in the US ( Production Assistant, grip, gaffer, Producers Assistant, behind the scenes cameraman to name a few) . I was now in a key position to write, produce and direct, which was what I really wanted to do. With this great start, I thought it was going to be an easy journey, but I was wrong, because the film industry in Trinidad and Tobago is at an early stage,and there is still a lot of work to be done to create an established film industry. TT Film Company, has assisted me, as well as numerous other film makers in realizing our vision. The TT Film Festival has created a space for us to show our work and have our films received and reviewed by local and international audiences. These are two crucial elements in building an industry at this stage. The one thing I felt was missing, is a distribution outlet, which is just as important as the aforementioned. Reason being, if a film maker is lucky enough to find a sponsor to assist in funding a film, that is a breakthrough. If the film maker is able to source enough money to create the film as they envisioned, that is a minor miracle. After this initial search for support, the film maker then becomes engrossed in the production of the film and devotes all of his or her energy to bringing their idea to life. What happens after the film is produced is …..an after thought. What typically happens, is that producers have created a magnificent film but are now out of resources. They have a fantastic product in hand, but no idea of how to use what they have done to get them to the next step. Frankly, film makers should not have to worry about the next step, because their area of expertise is in creating art. This was the reason for the creation of THIRD WORLD CINEMA, to be a part of the distribution method to assist filmmakers in earning an income through showcasing their local films directly to an audience that cares. There is now an opportunity for them to share their stories, vision, work, with the masses.
