bfm International Film Festival ACP Networking Exchange: Meet the Filmmakers
Words: Sophia A Jackson
Nine of the UK’s most talented filmmakers have been short-listed to take part in bfm’s first Filmmaker Networking Exchange. The initiative has been made possible with assistance from the European Union’s ACP (African Caribbean and Pacific) funds. The first leg of the programme starts this month at the Trinidad and Tobago festival which runs from 16th to 29th September. The UK ACP filmmakers, Frances Anne Solomon (A Winter Tale), Dalton Narine (Mas Man) and Jean Michel Gibert (Soca Power In Trinidad & Tobago) will be out there between 23rd and 30th September.
The filmmakers, their films and the festivals they are taking part in
Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion, The Story of Lover’s Rock) Jamaica & Cannes
Louis Buckley (Lion Mountains: A Journey through Sierra Leone’s History, Nubian Spirit)
Mel Nwanguma (Seeker & Area Boys) Jamaica
Ishmahil Blagrove Junior (Hasta Siempre & This is Our Country Too) Trinidad
Lawrence Coke (Melvin Portrait of Player, Morally Speaking & One Day at a Time)
Rachel Wang (Afro-Saxons) Trinidad
George Amponsah (The Importance of Being Elegant & The Fighting Spirit) Cannes
Kolton Lee (Cherps & Freestyle) Cannes
- Trinidad and TobagoFrances Anne Solomon (A Winter Tale) UK
Dalton Narine (Mas Man) UK
Jean Michel Gibert (Soca Power In Trinidad & Tobago) UK
- - Jamaica
Steve McAlpin (Bashment & What Goes Around Comes Around) Trinidad, UK
Kimala Bennett (Combing Through the Roots: The Politics of Hair in Jamaica), UK
Rick Elgood (Me and Mi Kru) UK
Joel Burke (Bad Lucky) UK
The exchange will see a delegation of filmmakers from each of the participating countries attend film festivals in each region as well as a final trip to Cannes Film Market to promote filmmakers within the ACP programme.
Kolton Lee, director of Cherps and Freestyle released on October 24, said of the opportunity:
“It was really good to find out I’d been selected and I’m looking forward to it. As the trip is split between the nine of us, I’ve been selected to go to Cannes. Cannes is good if you’ve got something to go with and having just done Freestyle I’m hoping that will attract attention. I also have some other projects I want to get moving and also attract some finance. One is called Burn! It’s a revenge thriller set in west London. The second one is Alex Wheatle’s book, East of Acre Lane which has been financed by the Film Council. I’m happy to go with either. Last year my film, Cherps was selected for the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival and won the Audience Award and I had a fantastic time.”
There are a number of benefits for the filmmakers who take part in the programme from raising their profile to the networking exchange with filmmakers from the Caribbean region (and abroad). Also, sharing good practice and contact which could lead to future collaborations and possibly distribution opportunities i.e. television, theatrical and DVD.
Related links
Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival
11th bfm International Film Festival Brochure – Opportunity to advertise
