(July 17, 2016 – Toronto, ON) The CaribbeanTales Film Festival and FLOW have announced the names of the ten filmmakers who will be participating in the 2016 CaribbeanTales Incubator Program, presented by Flow.
Now in its 7th year, the Incubator is a development and production hub for Caribbean and Diaspora producers, whose aim is to increase the volume of compelling world class content from the Caribbean region. Flow is the lead sponsor of the CTI, as part of its commitment to developing the regional industry. This year, the first time, three winning projects will receive pilot funding from Flow.
“We are 100% in on this project. FLOW will be a very active partner to help continue in this drive to developing a beautiful industry, in a beautiful part of the world. I believe the Caribbean industry needs not only an investor but also a strategic partner, providing not only funding, but also time, passion, and love. It’s all about relationships,” said FLOW’s CEO John Reid.
He went on to say, “We are 100% in on this project. FLOW will be a very active partner to help continue in this drive to developing a beautiful industry, in a beautiful part of the world. I believe the Caribbean industry needs not only an investor but also a strategic partner, providing not only funding, but also time, passion, and love. It’s all about relationships.”
Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of CaribbeanTales, added, “This promising partnership with Flow provides, for the first time, a consistent mechanism through which the most compelling regional projects from the most talented producers can get funded and be seen by wide audiences region-wide. I am looking forward to working with producers to build on this important milestone in the establishment of a sustainable indigenous industry in the Caribbean.”
After receiving a record breaking number of applications, projects were assessed by a team of industry professionals. The 2016 selected projects are as follows:
From Trinidad and Tobago, and sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company: Bitter Fruit, a gripping telenovela full of intrigue and betrayal, from actress, director and producer Juliette McCawley; Big Man Dan, an off-beat animation series by Kafi Kareem Farrell, screenwriter and multi-platform media producer; and Sean Hodgkinson’s new risque melodrama, The Weekend. Hodgkinson’s award winning feature film Trafficked will have its Canadian Premiere at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival immediately following the Incubator.
From Jamaica: Yolande Clarke’s Lil’ Island Kidz, a fun educational animation for children; and Rachel Osbourne’s hard-hitting drama series West Bay, exploring corporate corruption and environmentalism on Jamaica’s North Coast.
From Barbados, Menelik Shabazz’s dark soap opera HEAT, delves into murder, class, and deceit behind closed doors; while Battledream Chronicles, by Martinique’s Alain Bidard is an animated science fiction fantasy series adapted from his feature film of the same name. Battledream, the first feature-length animation from the Francophone Caribbean, will be have its North American Premiere at CTFF2016.
The three remaining projects are from the Caribbean Diaspora. Brooklynites, by Esosa Edosomwan, features the aspirations and dreams of a pan-Caribbean group of twenty-something friends; Mo’ Love by Canada’s Glace Lawrence is a strong female-driven sitcom set in Toronto’s East End; and, Money Money Money is a madcap comedy series, from Holland-based producer Monique Dikmoet.
There is more information online. The CaribbeanTales Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17 in Toronto.
