Ready. Action. Film. Maybe!
CaribbeanTales is all set to put on the Big Show, but Virus Shutdown waits in the wings.
The CaribbeanTales Film Festival (CTFF) has an amazing plan for 2020; quality Trinidadian, Caribbean and world movies, a gala launch, and an outreach festival in England. “Now,” says Dianne Webley the newly promoted director of the Festival, "if the virus shutdown soon has an end, we can tell Toronto when this is all going to take place.”
Earlier this week, Frances Anne Solomon, the founder of the annual festival announced that Webley has taken over the day-to-day operation of the 15th annual fall classic. She also announced that three new people have joined the CTFF board.
“A long-time member of the CaribbeanTales family, Diana Webley has been working at Harbourfront Centre for 15-years,” said Solomon. “For the past two years she has also served as the Associate Festival Director for CTFF.”
“What has happened is that Frances Anne (Solomon) has been deeply involved with her own feature film, Hero and has had to step away with the actual running of the festival,” explained Webley. “And now, with her decision (through the Festival’s film production arm CaribbeanTales Flex) to produce a movie about Denham Jolly (founder of Flow Radio), she is letting go. I am happy to take it all on!”
“ We do have a lot to announce, but, like everyone else in the city, we are at the mercy of the pandemic,” she told the Caribbean Camera yesterday. “ I can tell you that we have three new board members. Dr. Dori Tunstall, Shawn Cuffie and Peter Lyman have agreed to join The Charity Board which gives us guidance and influence in our fundraising endeavours.”
“Dori Tunstall is the Dean of Design at Toronto’s Ontario College of Art and Design University and is the first Black female to have that role in the world! We were so excited the first time she came out to the Festival and later offered her help. She has taught in Australia and the US before coming to Canada.”
Also joining the CTFF Board are Peter Lyman and Shawn Cuffie. Lyman is a Toronto business executive and is an internationally recognized expert in the arts, media and communications. Cuffie is active in the arts and entertainment industry, working in dance, fashion, music and television. At the end of this year’s Black History Month he produced the wrap-up Black Diamond Ball.
Leaving the Board are three well-known names in the entertainment industry. Toronto lawyer Leroy Crosse, film composer John Welsman and T&T documentary maker Christopher Laird’s volunteer terms ended this year.
Before the Pandemic arrived the CTFF was planning a gala of its own and it was set for mid-July at the TIFF Bell Lightbox building in downtown Toronto. The gala was to be part media launch for the 2020 festival and part fundraiser.
“It still could happen in July, but if it not,” explained Webley, “well we are looking at early September.”
The film festival is a go, for now, from September 9th to the 25th with programming and films taking place at the College Street Royal Theatre, the Carlton Cinemas and TIFF.
Right now the CTFF is in the process of choosing which movies will be shown this fall. Webley says they are close to having their final list. Movie goers can expect to watch full length movies and shorts from Trinidad and the Caribbean, the US, Canada, the UK and Africa.
“A long-time member of the CaribbeanTales family, Diana Webley has been working at Harbourfront Centre for 15-years,” said Solomon. “For the past two years she has also served as the Associate Festival Director for CTFF.”
“What has happened is that Frances Anne (Solomon) has been deeply involved with her own feature film, Hero and has had to step away with the actual running of the festival,” explained Webley. “And now, with her decision (through the Festival’s film production arm CaribbeanTales Flex) to produce a movie about Denham Jolly (founder of Flow Radio), she is letting go. I am happy to take it all on!”
“ We do have a lot to announce, but, like everyone else in the city, we are at the mercy of the pandemic,” she told the Caribbean Camera yesterday. “ I can tell you that we have three new board members. Dr. Dori Tunstall, Shawn Cuffie and Peter Lyman have agreed to join The Charity Board which gives us guidance and influence in our fundraising endeavours.”
“Dori Tunstall is the Dean of Design at Toronto’s Ontario College of Art and Design University and is the first Black female to have that role in the world! We were so excited the first time she came out to the Festival and later offered her help. She has taught in Australia and the US before coming to Canada.”
Also joining the CTFF Board are Peter Lyman and Shawn Cuffie. Lyman is a Toronto business executive and is an internationally recognized expert in the arts, media and communications. Cuffie is active in the arts and entertainment industry, working in dance, fashion, music and television. At the end of this year’s Black History Month he produced the wrap-up Black Diamond Ball.
Leaving the Board are three well-known names in the entertainment industry. Toronto lawyer Leroy Crosse, film composer John Welsman and T&T documentary maker Christopher Laird’s volunteer terms ended this year.
Before the Pandemic arrived the CTFF was planning a gala of its own and it was set for mid-July at the TIFF Bell Lightbox building in downtown Toronto. The gala was to be part media launch for the 2020 festival and part fundraiser.
“It still could happen in July, but if it not,” explained Webley, “well we are looking at early September.”
The film festival is a go, for now, from September 9th to the 25th with programming and films taking place at the College Street Royal Theatre, the Carlton Cinemas and TIFF.
Right now the CTFF is in the process of choosing which movies will be shown this fall. Webley says they are close to having their final list. Movie goers can expect to watch full length movies and shorts from Trinidad and the Caribbean, the US, Canada, the UK and Africa.
The CTFF, again Pandemic willing, is involved in the launching of a sister-movie fest in the UK. The inaugural Windrush Caribbean Film Festival is set to take place in June 2020 in London. If it doesn’t launch this summer, they will try again to run it in October, or failing that, next year.
(AN EDITED VERSION OF STEPHEN WEIR'S STORY APPEARED IN YESTERDAY'S CARIBBEAN CAMERA).
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