11 Jul Local film makers to get boost
A foreign-based organisation is partnering with a local based non-governmental organisation (NGO) to enhance the film industry in this country.
First Light, based in the United Kingdom , works with filmmakers that use film and media production for the development of skills for young people between the ages of five and 25.
Several workshops are planned for this year and it will be launched during the Animae Caribe festival scheduled for October.
This year, the British Council invited Forward Ever Foundation, created by Christopher Din Chong and Camille Selvon Abrahams of Animae Caribe to observe a new film making project in Havana, Cuba.
The Forward Ever Foundation has been in existence for two years. Its main focus is exposing underprivileged young persons between the ages of 10 and 25 to all aspects of the film industry through free professional training.
British Council, First Light, Full Circle Animation and Forward Ever Foundation met Friday to speak about how the strategies used in Cuba could be used in Trinidad and Tobago. First Light conceptualized the whole idea of the workshop. First Light and the British Council presented feedback about the workshop in Cuba that would help to further structure how the workshop will be done and what impact it may have in this country.
Din Chong was invited by the British Council to go to Cuba because the British Council sponsored the Docudrama “The Singapore Promise” for the Camera Chicka Project, which he produced. The production showcased stories of self sacrifice, development, discipline, triumph, hope, leadership and inspiration and included interviews with several local organizations. Selvon Abrahams had developed relationships with key personnel in the film industry while studying in London and is also a past tutor of Din Chong at the University of the West Indies.
The workshop, held in Cuba, focused on the basics of video production and photography including camera works, editing, interviewing and many more skills needed in the film industry.
The Forward Ever Foundation is starting similar workshops throughout the country “to sensitize the communities and generate interest in the foundation,” said Alette Williams, the foundation’s publicist.
She said, ” The knowledge and connections gained from the trip to Cuba will be used as a platform for introducing the same strategies to the communities here in Trinidad and Tobago. This foundation will afford a viable opportunity for young people with a range of backgrounds, skills and abilities, to be exposed to another avenue and to earn an income outside the conventional employment sector. It will also develop the natural artistic and creative ability of our youth.”
The workshops are expected to be more focused and detailed and will include programs and activities that encourage exchange of films and ideas with young people across nations particularly Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba Williams said.
