The 11th Black Filmmaker (bfm) International Film Festival (IFF) assistance of European Union African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) funds, featured a strand of recent work from the Caribbean, and facilitated a networking exchange between filmmakers from the UK, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica and Zambia.
Delegation of filmmakers from each of the participating countries attended film festivals in Trinidad & Tobago in September 2009, a trip to Cannes Film Festival in May 2010, and a will attend a final festival in Zambia in September 2010.
The aim of the project is to enable filmmakers and participating festivals to access international opportunities that will serve to further promote their work. During the overseas trips filmmakers will have the opportunity to exhibit their work, take part in Q&As, panel discussions, seminars, master classes and be given media opportunities. The project aspires to have some longevity outside of its immediate remit in establishing relationships that will lead to distributions networks and outlets for all parties.
The project began in September 2009 and will complete in – September 2010
ACP Networking Exchange Selection Criteria
Up to eight filmmakers from each region have been selected to take part.
Filmmakers have been selected to participate on the programme on the basis of the following criteria;
- Completion of a feature length work (i.e. over 75 minutes in any genre).
- Having a body of work.
- Completion of films with qualitative production values.
- Award winning or acclaimed work.
- Work which reflects the experience of the African disapora.
- Work which has an international audience appeal.
- Having developed a distinctive filmmaking style.
- Pursuit of filmmaking as their main or sole career.
- Good public speaking skills and the ability to deliver and participate in seminars and panel discussions.
- Willingness and ability to travel to the Caribbean and Europe during the designated period.
- Willingness to act as an ambassador and to participate in marketing and PR opportunities.
- A national of the country they are representing.
Participating Filmmakers
The following filmmakers have been selected to represent the following regions (and will participate in activity at the locations highlighted in bold);
United Kingdom
Ishmahil Blagrove Junior (Hasta Siempre & This is Our Country Too) Trinidad
Lawrence Coke (Melvin Portrait of Player, Morally Speaking & One Day at a Time) Trinidad
Rachel Wang (Afro-Saxons) Trinidad
Menelik Shabazz (Burning An Illusion, The Story of Lover’s Rock) Zambia & Cannes
George Amponsah (The Importance of Being Elegant & The Fighting Spirit) Cannes
Kolton Lee (Cherps & Freestyle) Cannes
Trinidad and Tobago
Danielle Dieffenthaller Trinidad & Tobago Producer, Writer and Director, (Cannes)
Frances Anne Solomon (A Winter Tale) UK
Narine Dalton (Mas Man) UK
Jean Michel Gibert (Soca Power In Trinidad & Tobago) UK
Jamaica
Steve McAlpin (Bashment & What Goes Around Comes Around) Trinidad, UK
Ras Kassa (Not to Me) UK.
Zambia
Musola Catherine Kaseketi ( Suwi,) Cannes
Chris Mukkuli (Grannies: a dying breed) Cannes
Click here for the ACP press release
