Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Caribbean Tales Film Festival is going online!   The theatres were booked, the movies picked and the stars were making plans to come to the city and walk the Caribbean Tales International’s (CTFF) red carpet this September.  On Wednesday the CTFF advised the Caribbean Camera’s Stephen Weir that while the show must go on, it will not be taking place in any bijous in the year of COVID 19! “It is not happening in theatres this year. It will be a live-stream festival,” spokeswoman Fennella Bruce told the Caribbean Camera. “ It won't (be held in any movie house), unless there is a drastic change in COVID-19 protocol from Provincial and Toronto Health Officials.” The 15th annual movie fest will now run from September 9th until October 2nd and will take place on-line with eight individual nights of films and 25 short films of live-stream entertainment.  As well, during the summer months there will be community programming made available thr...

The grand world tour for HERO begins next Thursday By Stephen Weir / Caribbean Camera For local filmmaker   Frances-Anne Solomon,   the best outcome for next week’s Canadian premiere of her new movie is that audiences in Toronto and Hamilton will give the feature a Hero’s welcome.  After a successful launch late last year in Trinidad, HERO,"   inspired By The Extraordinary Life & Times Of Mr. Ulric   Cross ," is about to be screened at theatres in the GTA and across Canada.     Filmed in Trinidad, Ghana, the United Kingdom and Canada, HERO is the  full-length docudrama  about Ulric Cross (played by Trinidad and Tobago singer  Nickolai Salcedo ) ,  t he famed Trinidadian World War II airman. This is a big vision film that tells the story of  the West Indies’ most decorated war veteran. Cross was a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force and went on after the war to become a jurist and an African diplo...

Winning viewers for Caribbean Movies in Toronto and Trinidad By Stephen Weir The biggest news for the just completed Caribbean Tales Film Festival (CTFF), took place not at home in Toronto but in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It was announced last week that  Frances-Anne Solomon, the head of the CTFF, and a filmmaker herself had just won the People’s Choice Award at the Trinidad and Tobago International Film Festival Francis-Anne Solomon Ms. Solomon, in addition to spearheading the Toronto festival, has been hard at work all spring and summer completing her own film.    That movie,   HERO -- Inspired by the Extraordinary Life and Times of Ulric Cross ,  was previewed and premiered at the CTFF in Toronto and then rushed down to Port of Spain to be shown in competition in their T&T film festival a week later. The film is the first Trinidad / Canadian feature length film to be premiered and previewed in both country’s keynote festivals in the same ye...

Nickolai Salcedo readies to climb aboard the world stage for  his role in the new Trini-Canadian flick By Stephen Weir It is not just actor Nickolai Salcedo who is waiting for a bus to arrive.   It is the whole cast and crew of the new Canadian / Trinidadian movie, Hero , that are anxiously wondering when and where their soon-to-be previewed film is going to take them. Salcedo plays Ulric Cross, the famed Trinidadian World War II airman. The Hero is a full-length docudrama that tells the story of the life and times of Cross. He was squadron leader for the Brits and went on after the War to become a jurist and diplomat. His life spanned key events of the 20th Century when independent African and Caribbean nations came of age.   It is all going to happen quickly.   Next week, at the September 5 th gala kick-off of Toronto’s Caribbean Tales Film Festival, Hero will be shown for the very first time.   Salcedo in Bloor St West coffee shop...