Formed 2006 | ||
Headquarters 47 Long Circular Road, St James Parent agency CreativeTT, Ministry of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago Website | ||
The Trinidad & Tobago Film Company Limited (FilmTT) is a national agency established in 2006 to facilitate the development of the film industry in Trinidad and Tobago. FilmTT provides logistical support and services such as location scouting and research and acts as a liaison between industry partners, the community, production houses and Government agencies. The agency is also a leading sponsor of the annual Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.
Contents
- Industry Liaison
- Location Scouting
- Secondary School Short Film Festival
- Smartphone Film Festival
- Film Festival Season
- Small Marketing and Development Grants
- References
FilmTT came under the purview of the Trinidad and Tobago Creative Industries Company in 2013.
Industry Liaison
FilmTT is responsible for coordinating the necessary permits for crews to film. As a state agency, FilmTT organizes with various ministries within the government for clearance for various aspects of the production process.
Location Scouting
FilmTT researches and proposes a range of locations in and around Trinidad and Tobago to production crews for filming. The agency executes the legal negotiations involved in the acquisition of locations for filming.
Secondary School Short Film Festival
The Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools Short Film Festival was founded by MovieTowne and passed on to The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company Ltd (FilmTT) in 2010. Winning films are shown at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival annually and winning schools awarded with high-tech equipment to sustain their film programs and productions.
Smartphone Film Festival
The national Smartphone Film Festival was launched in 2013. The competition which invites amateur filmmakers from Trinidad and Tobago to film mini-movies using only smartphone/mobile technology has no age limit. These short films must be no longer than 5 minutes in duration. The winner of the 2015 Smartphone Film Festival, Ayesha Jordan, had her film, “Good Ole Days” submitted into the 2016 Toronto Smartphone Film Festival.
Film Festival Season
FilmTT has established an annual local film industry event by encouraging and facilitating collaboration among Trinidad and Tobago’s three major festivals – trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), Animae Caribe Animation and Digital Media Festival and Green Screen Environmental Film Festival. In 2016, Film Festival Season took place from September – November.
1. Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival – 20 – 27 September: trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) is an annual event that celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema. Ttff also seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering wide-ranging industry programmes and networking opportunities. FilmTT has been a leading sponsor with this festival since its inception in 2006.
2. Animae Caribe – 24 – 29 October: Animae Caribe’s Animation and Digital Media Festival is the Caribbean’s biggest and most prestigious animation festival, providing a platform for the development of animators, as well as the exposure of animation as a viable business. The Animae Caribe Festival attracts top animators from studios such as Dreamworks, Aardman, Pixar, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon to Trinidad and Tobago to present and host workshops for potential, novice and professional animators. This festival is based on information sharing allowing participants to gain vital information on trends and career possibilities in this dynamic industry. Animae Caribe was sponsored from inception in 2001 firstly by the Tourism and Industrial Development Company, and thereafter by FilmTT which emerged out of this company in 2006.
3. Green Screen: The Environmental Film Festival – 1 – 12 November: Green Screen the Environmental Film Festival is an annual film series that screens movies about environmental conservation, climate change, green energy, sustainable development and social justice. These films are shown free of charge to audiences all around Trinidad and Tobago. This festival is a production of Sustain T&T. FilmTT is one of the leading 2016 sponsors for this festival.
Small Marketing and Development Grants
FilmTT is currently accepting applications for marketing and development grants for the advancement of film projects. These projects may include attending targeted international film festivals, markets, incubators, labs and workshops. The Call is open to all residing nationals and permanent residents of Trinidad and Tobago, and can be used for trips and projects during the period May 1 – December 31, 2017. Applicants must have at least three film credits for three different productions.
Nneka Luke, General Manager of FilmTT, said that the call is an opportunity for the company to invest directly in active film projects in a targeted and sustainable way.