Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 05/10/2025 09:48

Thank you for the award

Since February, the month in which I filmed Charlotteville Tails, I have written on this labour of love in several of my articles, sharing various stages of its creation – what inspired it, attempts to acquire sponsorship (perhaps every creative person’s greatest struggle), the process, the thank-you mentions, the invitations to the public to come and see it, at the Caribbean Film Festival in June, at the public screening I arranged at MovieTowne, Lowlands (August), and, most recently, at the TT Film Festival (TTFF) (September 24-30). I am pleased and grateful to announce that members of the film jury selected Charlotteville Tails as the winner of the TTFF/25 award for Best Film Made in TT. In their compellingly-written citation, judges said Charlotteville Tails is “a film which rejects easy pity and shows its audience how care and commitment both cost and count. Tough and tender, this film doesn’t shy away from dark images and hard truths about our society, and ultimately honours the virtue of taking responsibility. It distinguished itself through the uniqueness of its concept and the profound emotional impact it left on us.” More than this award being about me per se, I see the accolade as a lever, to help elevate and bring prominence to the issue of animal welfare and the need to put more emphasis on efforts made by many throughout our nation who strive to ensure the wellbeing of the disadvantaged creatures that live (and suffer) among us. I felt similarly when I was awarded Best TT Short Film at TTFF2018 for my other Tobago-based, animal-related film (Venus & Magnet): “This is another platform from which to speak for the animals.” Over the years since its inception, the TT Film Festival has had various hands stirring its pot of development. In 2026, the festival will celebrate its 20th year. In a country where funding for creative industries and projects is not seen or treated as a priority, one must applaud any creative venture that survives and, what’s more, thrives. I recall the 2018 TTFF awards held at Central Bank Auditorium being a grand affair, where servers with trays catered to our eat-and-drink needs and the well-attired crowd hobnobbed in pre-awards-ceremony anticipation. Even if funding was challenging before, in many areas, covid flipped a switch and post-pandemic, funding/sponsorship became even less forthcoming. For this year’s TTFF awards ceremony (held in the IMAX theatre) the after-awards celebration was held in the on-site TTFF Film Lounge. It was an intimate, down-to-earth affair with large coolers of drinks and a spread of various eats, inviting a please-help-yourself approach. [caption id="attachment_1182463" align="alignnone" width="541"] -[/caption] Without the glitz, glam and grandeur that can come via “big funding,” this simple but meaningful celebration found its glitter in the aura of warmth, camaraderie and appreciation that radiated around communing filmmakers, guests and festival staff/volunteers. When it comes to local filmmaking, there is a phrase that floats around –“We like to/need to see ourselves.” Imagine saying that to someone, yet never providing them with any mirrors with which to do so. What are the mirrors that can be held up to enable our local filmmakers to project our reality and/or fiction to willing audiences? There is a distinct difference between watching a film on a phone or computer screen and watching it on a massive cinema screen where (in Charlotteville Tails, for example) tiny details like fleas crawling on one dog’s (Ginger’s) fur were clearly visible and “in your face.” This is why I sourced several sponsors (mainly friends with businesses) to enable me to rent the 172-seat theatre in MovieTowne (Lowlands), for those in the film and “people of Tobago” to see themselves and environs in the big, large-format “mirror.” Especially after the win, various people have been asking where they can see Charlotteville Tails. I intend to organise another large-screen viewing for those who missed it. You may write to me at elspethbduncan@gmail.com if you would like to be on a mailing list for that update. In closing, I want to take the opportunity to commend all the filmmakers from various parts of the world whose films were submitted to, selected by and screened at the TTFF25. This in itself is an achievement, considering that the TTFF team had the task of selecting from 400 submissions.   The post Thank you for the award appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.