OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 275 7th September 2017 | Page 44

OMG Digital Magazine | 275 | Thursday 7 September 2017 • PAGE 44
The Lies We Tell
Spotlight on T+T
films in celebration of
National Patriotism
As part of the country’s celebration of Patriotism Month,
the trinidad+tobago film festival will host Feature T+T -
a day-long celebration of Trinidad and Tobago through
the screening of local short and feature films, followed
by Q&A sessions with some of the filmmakers. The
screenings - which will be held on Republic Day, Sunday
24 September, at MovieTowne Port of Spain, San
Fernando and Tobago - are  sponsored by the Ministry
of Community Development Culture and the Arts.
Among the feature films to be screened is Moko Jumbie
by Trinidadian-American director, Vashti Anderson. It
tells the story of Asha who, on vacation from England
to visit family in rural Trinidad, soon discovers there’s
trouble in paradise.  Drawn to her neighbour, a young
fisherman, the strain between the two families, one
Indian and one African, is palpable
and as Asha’s attraction deepens, she
must navigate racial taboos, family
disapproval, political turmoil, and
mysterious hauntings by ancestral
Short Drop
spirits. Moko Jumbie - Anderson’s
feature film debut - was a selection at
the 2017 LA Film Festival.
In Quick Pick, by Tobagonian
filmmaker Miguel K Lashley, young
construction worker Travis Duke is out
of luck with love, work and money,
until a winning lotto ticket changes
his fortunes. With no cash in hand
yet, he borrows money from a drug
lord to kickstart the celebrations and
buy a car and a condo. But has Travis
put the cart before the donkey?  The
third feature film in the T+T line up
is Clifford Seedansingh’s The Lies We Tell,   a comedy
about a serial adulterer and what happens when the
tables are turned. Green Days by the River, a fourth TT
feature will open this year’s Festival at NAPA and has
already been announced.
According to Bruce Paddington, founder and festival
director of the ttff:
Salty Dog
Moko Jumbie
Feature T+T will be a day for Trinbagonians to come
together to celebrate who we are, through the cinematic
stories of some of the nation’s finest filmmakers. Film is
a powerful vehicle for strengthening national identity,
instilling national pride and preserving local culture in
an increasingly globalized world.”
There is also a strong offering of short films in the
programme, many from young and emerging
filmmakers.
Salty Dog, by director Oliver Milne, features the familiar
faces of actors Nickolai Salcedo and Errol Roberts -
the salty dog of the title, alongside actress Kandyse
Mc Clure. When the rug is pulled from under his feet,
Mortimer (Roberts) must navigate the stormy waters
they encounter a wide range of Trinidadian characters,
from cross-dresser Hott Pepper to gang member Tan
Tan. It becomes a long day of reckoning with memories,
friendships, and revelations.
Director Kevin Bhall’s beautiful animation, Temple in
the Sea, chronicles the life and work of Siewdass Sadhu,
an indentured labourer who laboured for years to
build a Temple in the Sea at Waterloo. The story is told
through the eyes of a young girl coming to terms with
her heritage and identity. Bhall’s animated productions
have earned critical nominations and local awards,
including at the Animae Caribe Festival in 2005 and
2016 respectively.
In Visibly Me by Nicola Cross - a 47-year-old woman with
no partner and no children finds herself invisible
and feels she has no choice but to find the
antidote. Exploring memory and perspective,
the director’s    deeply personal reflections will
resonate with those who have found themselves
“invisible” at some point in their lives.
Over 34 T+T films will be part of the Feature T+T
Republic Day screenings at MovieTowne with
some in competition for Awards - for Best TT
Feature Film (TT$10,000) and Best TT Short Film
(TT$5,000), both sponsored by the Ministry of
Community Development, Culture and the Arts.
of his relationship with his estranged son (Salcedo).
As tensions flare between the two and reconciliation
seems near impossible, the son starts to check out
retirement homes for his father.
In Maya Cozier’s Short Drop - when Bartholomew, a
retired civil servant, takes a drive downtown, Shanice
mistakes his car for a taxi and hops in. Along the way,
The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) celebrates
films from and about the Caribbean and its
diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through
an annual festival and year-round screenings. In
addition, the ttff seeks to facilitate the growth
of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging
industry programme and networking opportunities.
The ttff is presented by Flow; given leading sponsorship
by bpTT and the Ministry of Community Development,
Culture and the Arts; supporting sponsorship by the
Inter-American Development Bank and UN Women;
and contributing sponsorship from RBC Royal Bank.