Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  Three of the best film festivals’ films in three different venues on three different days but come on, Jamaica is no T&T Why does it just happen in September? Now that all the critics and movie people have seen the best new film festival flicks how do we, the common people get a chance to buy bags of popcorn, sit back in a darkened theatres and watch a trio of amazing movies about the community’s history, its living heroes and of course Carnival. We are talking about a suite of films that have just gotten the red carpet treatment at three different events and venues - the Caribbean Tales Film Festival launch, a Harbourfront star studded 85 th  birthday party / film premier, and a drama about growing up in Malvern which debuted earlier this month at TIFF and shows again at a TIFF repeat  showing next week. These three titles, with one reservation are keepers not just for now but forever.   Toronto Caribbean Carnival: Fun and Free  is an hour-long docum...

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...

--> Proposed Jamaican Film Gets The Nod From The Big Pitch By Stephen Weir Horrific crashes are the stuff movies are made of. The Titanic. The Hindenburg. The Twin Towers. And if the judges at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival (CTFF) are right the next Jamaica feature film to be made is sure to be the second biggest train wreck of them all. The CTFF has given the nod to a film proposal that wants to create a drama around the most famous Jamaican train wreck you have never heard of! The 1957 crash of a packed train near Kendal, Jamaica. “Yeah you probably never heard of the Kendal. I didn’t, and I am Jamaican,” said award-winning filmmaker Gabriel Blackwood.   “When I did learn about the Kendal crash I knew I had to tell the story. You know when the train derailed over 60 years ago, it was the world’s second worse train wreck!” filmmaker Gabriel Blackwood picture by sweirsweir Kendal is the name of the feature length film the young Jamaican is g...

THE WEEKEND:Canadian roots showing in new Black RomCom By Stephen Weir in today's Caribbean Camera When THE WEEKEND opens in the United States later this  fall, audiences there may assume that this Black RomCom movie is American. But one doesn’t have to dig deep to find its Canadian roots. Written and directed by Stella Meghie of Toronto, THE WEEKEND had its world premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where it was shown four times. Meghie, now based in the US, has made three films in the past three years, and some  of them have made big money in Hollywood. Her new romantic comedy is expected do the same. It is already attracting interest from film distributors on both sides of the border. “Stella Meghie was born in Toronto but we really have to call her Oshawa’s own,” said TIFF's Artistic Director, Cameron Bailey.“ Her new movie is different from the typical Black Romantic Comedy. There is a real Canadian edge to this one.” It's a...

Caribbean Tales In The North. TIFF Owns The South . When it comes to the downtown Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the College Street Caribbean Tales Film Festival , (CTFF) it is the Two Solitudes of the movie world. TIFF has the Big Names, the Big Movies and a Big Army of volunteers to make sure that the ticket holders stay off the red carpets and out of the VIP parties.  At CTFF, the actors, actresses, directors and crew are in-your-face minglers and if there was a red carpet they would be dragging movie fans onside to whine with them! Jacinth Sutphin at the Dip Case in point. Last Thursday the CTFF kicked off with a beer and pizza gala at the Cafe Diplomatico (aka the Dip ) on College Street just steps from the Royal Theatre (festival home).   Actors and actresses who are household names to Trinidadians and Jamaicans but unknown in Canada, were so willing to pose with fans, the Caribbean Media, and one lone CBC reporter, the sel...