Over $150,000 in cash will be up for grabs when the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), presented by Flow, hosts its award ceremony this Sunday evening (2 Oct), at the Little Carib Theatre.
The Festival, which began on 21 September and will end on 4 October, is showing the best new and recent films from T&T, the Caribbean and its diaspora. Nearly 100 films are being screened at venues throughout the country.
The ttff awards prizes in two main categories: jury awards and people’s choice awards. The jury awards are voted on by a five-member panel of film industry professionals, all independent of the Festival. People’s choice awards are voted on by the Festival’s patrons.
The jury prizes this year are:
Best Feature Film – Narrative
US$4,000
Sponsored by the National Gas Company
Best Feature Film – Documentary
US $4,000
Sponsored by the National Gas Company
Best Short Film
US $2,000
Sponsored by the National Gas Company
Best Local Feature Film
TT$20,000
Sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company
Best Local Short Film
TT$10,000
Sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company
In addition, there are two prizes for best local actor and actress.
The people’s choice awards are:
Best Feature Film
TT$5,000
Sponsored by Flow
Best Documentary Film
TT$5,000
Sponsored by bpTT
Best Short Film
TT$5,000
Sponsored by the Agostini Insurance Brokers
There will also be a special prize, sponsored by the Caribbean Development Bank, for a film that best highlights a social issue relevant to Caribbean society.
Apart from the film prizes, a number of other awards will be given out at the ceremony. These include a film graduate development award, sponsored by bpTT and worth $20,000, and awards honouring six pioneers of the cinema and film industry in T&T, also sponsored by bpTT.
The winner of the RBC Royal Bank Focus: Filmmakers’ Immersion will also be announced, with a $20,000 cash prize to be presented.
The ceremony will also see legendary musician, actor and activist Harry Belafonte given the ttff’s first ever lifetime achievement award. Mr Belafonte’s daughter, Gina Belafonte, producer of a documentary about her father that is playing in the Festival, will collect the award on his behalf.
The ttff, which was founded in 2006, is given leading sponsorship by RBC Royal Bank and is supported by the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company, the National Gas Company, the Tourism Development Company, bpTT and the Tobago House of Assembly.
For more information on the ttff go to www.ttfilmfestival.com.
