Caribbean mart to unite fresh voices

Emilie Upczak, creative director at the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), said the market will launch in September 2015 with the backing of the European Union’s Belgium-based ACP (African Caribbean Pacific) body.

“It will be a boutique film mart that is very much project-based and we’re modeling it on [Rotterdam’s] CineMart,” Upczak told Screendaily following a presentation at the recent ninth edition of the festival.

“We will make a call for 10 Caribbean projects in March – mostly features but also open to docs. We will pair producers with industry professionals with the hope of kick-starting the feature film industry in the Caribbean. It’s really an emerging space.”

Upczak said the initiative, which will include the Regional Film Database, an archive of films dating back 10 years and filmmakers, would strive to connect regional filmmakers while making use of available incentives.

Trinidad & Tobago offers a 35% cash rebate on local spend on international productions, while the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico both have funds, Martinique and Guadeloupe have access to French money and Jamaica is a co-production partner with the UK.

“We’re looking inward and we’ve been very encouraged by the stories that are coming out of here because they’re fresh,” said Upczak, pictured in between ttff external relations director Nneka Luke at left and art director Melanie Archer.

“It’s a new landscape and we feel there’s a new voice with this industry and it needs to connect to the global market.”

The recent ttff ran from September 16-30 and presented the following awards:

Best Narrative Feature:
Behaviour (Cuba), Ernesto Daranas Serrano

Best Documentary Feature:
You And Me (Dominican Republic), Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada

Best Short Film Narrative:
Bullock (Cuba), Carlos Machado Quintela

Best Short Film Documentary:
ABCs (Cuba), Diana Montero

Best Trinidad & Tobago Feature:
Art Connect (Trinidad & Tobago), Miquel Galofré 

Best Trinidad & Tobago Short Film Narrative:
Dubois (Trinidad & Tobago), Kaz Ové  

Best Trinidad & Tobago Short Film Documentary:
Field Notes (Trinidad & Tobago), Vashti Harrison 

Best New Media Film:
They Say You Can Dream A Thing More Than Once (Barbados), Versia Harris

Amnesty International Human Rights Prize:
The Abominable Crime (Jamaica and USA), Micah Fink 

BPTT Youth Jury For Best Film:
The Way He Looks (Brazil), Daniel Ribeiro

People’s Choice Award Best Narrative Feature:
A Story About Wendy 2 (Trinidad & Tobago), Sean Hodgkinson

People’s Choice Award Best Documentary Feature:
Art Connect (Trinidad & Tobago), Miquel Galofré 

People’s Choice Award Best Short Film:
Flying The Coup (Trinidad & Tobago), Ryan Lee 

RBC: Focus Filmmaker’s Immersion Pitch Prize:
Raisa Bonnet, Puerto Rico

Best Student At The Film Programme Of The University Of The West Indies:
Romarlo Anderson Edghill

Best Trinidad And Tobago Film In Development:
Rajah: The Story Of Boysie Singh (Trinidad & Tobago), Christian James