1 / 6 CARIFESTA XI FILM FESTIVAL
The Carifesta Film Festival, in cooperation with The Back Lot, contains 4 kinds of activities:
1. Film Screenings: Films, Documentaries, Shorts, Animations
2. FilmLab: Master Classes + Film Introductions
3. Kids Corner: Special educational activities and films for children
4. Animae Caribe: Animation Films and Workshops on Animation
1. FILM SCREENINGS
A wide variety of feature films and documentaries will be presented from the participating countries. A selection of the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase will also be screened during the festival. Animae Caribe from Trinidad and Tobago will present animated films from around the Caribbean.
2. FILMLAB Master Classes
The lecturers originate from various countries and have developed their broad knowledge about film by teaching at film schools, directing and producing films and documentaries, programming for festivals, being member of various festival juries. Master class 'Latin American and Caribbean Cinemas'
How did the Latin American and Caribbean cinema develop up till now? The lecturers give a short overview of the history of film making in this region and on the various schools and trends that have emerged. The master class also pays attention to the opportunities and challenges independent filmmakers face in Latin American and the Caribbean and the recent situation on (co-)producing and screening films: the practice, the market and the festivals and the public they attract. In the master class some examples of well known Latin American and Caribbean Films and filmmakers will be shown. This master class provides a good insight in the situation for independent filmmakers in the region nowadays.
Master class 'How to make Latin American and Caribbean Films'
This master class provides a great source of information for semi-professionals in the film industry as well as for people who are interested in the process of film making. The master class starts with an introduction on how to make independent films in Latin America and the Caribbean, the difference between (the making of) art film, independent film vs commercial productions, Hollywood films and an overview of various film schools. Participants will get in depth insight in the process of filmmaking step by step: from idea to post production and learn how to present their idea in order to get (financial) support for producing the film. The master class also deals with issues such as the influence of the digital era, the question if and how filmmakers are being influenced and the issue of piracy.
2 / 6 This master class will closely relate to the film ‘NO’ (2012), by the Chilean director Pablo Larrain. The film deals with the campaign against the re-election of the Chilean dictator Pinochet. Watching this film is highly advised after participating in this master class. Master class 'How to watch films: film language and philosophy'
What films do we watch and why? What does a film tell us and how?
This interactive one day master class discusses different films and different ways of watching them and a range of intriguing topics such as the (manipulative) power of image, the intention of the film maker, the reality value of documentary and fictional/creative documentary and the cinematographic freedom or responsibility of the filmmaker. It also covers a short training in watching films and provides the participants with instruments on how to judge a film from various perspectives: the critic, the film maker, the festival programmer. The master class offers some examples and exercises to reflect on the work as a filmmaker and create your own language. A very interesting master class for both filmmakers (to be) and film lovers.
Master class ‘Animation’
In this master class provided by Animae Caribe's Shaun Escayg, participants will learn more about the process involved in producing a mixture of live action and 3D character animation methods. This will be demonstrated using his film 'The Noka Wheel', a coming of age story centered around an eight year old boy who suffers from a form of schizophrenia and like his now deceased grandfather, is a timid recluse. While at a wake in honor of his grandfather; he encounters an old ‘friend’ of the family, who challenges his concepts of reality. There he is submerged into a parallel world filled with mythological Caribbean creatures that challenges his beliefs but at the same time empower him.
Master class ‘Low budget film making in the Caribbean’
Film director Pim de la Parra (Suriname) started in 1988 with the so-called ‘minimal movies’: feature films produced in a short period of time and with minimal budget and facilities. In this master class participants will learn how to produce a film on a very low
budget. Watching the film ‘Wan Pipel’ is highly advised before participating in this master
class
Special Screenings
Film introductions by various lecturers.
Screening of a well known Latin American/ Caribbean ‘HIT’
Introduction of the film by Luis Naguil, director, cinematographer and producer. Founder of Taxi Films, Arte y Maña Producciones and Positivo Films. Naguil has filmed and produced in more than 20 countries and has worked as director for several production companies. He was a teacher at the Centro Encuadre (Montevideo) and the
3 / 6 Business University (ENU, Uruguay), and has been member of diverse juries, commissions and working groups.
Screening: ‘Cuchillos en el Cielo’
Introduction by Alberto Chicho Durant, film and documentary maker, has directed more than 20 documentaries and 7 feature films, all shown in major Film Festivals around the world and honored with international prizes.
Screening: 'NO'
Introduction by Irma Dulmers, specialized in the Latin American Cinema. Program advisor Latin American Cinema at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (2000 - 2011), which brought her to lots of film festivals in the world, mainly in Latin America, where she participated as a jury member and as programmer. In between she supported the foundation of the Latin American Film Festival in Utrecht (LAFF), where she took part in the board for 3 years. In 2013 she was programmer at the LAFF.
3. KIDS CORNER - Workshops Watch That Sound
Discover the creative possibilities of sound and music with media!
Participants learn to make their own film soundtrack guided by a musician and music producer. All sounds included in the soundtrack, are created, recorded and edited during the workshop. No existing samples are used. The workshop area is decorated as a sound/ music studio with various microphone setups. Sound and music can be made with more than 100 instruments and sound sources. After a short introduction all participants are placed in groups of two to get to work. Per session a maximum of 20 participants can be accommodated. For youngsters from 12 years of age.
Digital Playground
Make your own short film in 3 hours? This is possible with Digital Playground.
Children will be taught to make a one minute movie within 3 hours. In every session 30 children are accommodated. They collect footage on Sony Cyber Shot cameras and then upload this onto laptops. The kids are divided into groups of 2-3 to work on collecting the imagery. A specially developed tutorial then teaches them how to edit the material. This results in a one minute movie. For youngsters from 14 years of age.
4. ANIMAE CARIBE
This year for the first time in the CARIFESTA film platform there will be a program and workshops for Caribbean Animation. Animae Caribe will be screening Animations from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, Cuba & Barbados.
Included in the distinguished film workshops are three additional workshops in animation:
1. Workshop in traditional 2D techniques: Learn the basics in principles of
animation or hand drawn animation to create a simple short animation
2. Workshop in basic digital 3D modeling techniques: Learn the tools to create and
4 / 6
3. Stop-Motion Experimental Workshop: Understand the skills used to make
inanimate objects move on film SHORT BIOGRAPHIES
Irma Dulmers
Irma Dulmers is specialized in the Latin American Cinema.
From 2000 - 2011 she was program advisor Latin American Cinema at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) which brought her to lots of film festivals in the world. She spend 6 months at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television EICTV in Cuba where she did her research and wrote the final thesis on the New Latin American Cinema, focusing on film language. She worked as line producer in 2 documentaries in Cuba and took part in a great number of festivals in Latin America, both as programmer as well as jury member.
In between she supported the foundation of the Latin American Film Festival in Utrecht (LAFF) where she took part in the board for 3 years. In 2013 she was programmer at the LAFF.
Luis Naguil
Uruguayan filmmaker, graduated from the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños (EICTV), Cuba. Lives in Costa Rica since 1994 and works in Central America and the Caribbean as director, cinematographer and producer. He is the founder of Taxi Films, Arte y Maña Producciones and Positivo Films. Naguil has filmed and produced in more than 20 countries and has worked as Director for several production companies. He has teached at the Centro Encuadre (Montevideo) and the Business University (ENU, Uruguay), and has been member of diverse juries, commissions and working groups such as the National Film Council of the Ministry of Culture, Costa Rica; Communication Sciences Study Program Commission at the UNESCO UDELAR; and the Director Board of Communication Sciences, Uruguay.
Alberto Chicho Durant
In 1968 was awarded a Teagle Foundation Scholarship to study Economics at Rice University, Houston, USA. Obtains a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. In 1974 studies film at the London International Film School. In 2008 gets a Master in Communications degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. In 1979 he makes his first documentary. Since then has directed more than 20 documentaries and 7 feature films, all shown in major film festivals around the world and honored with international prizes.
In 1994 he gave a seminar on independent film projects at the film school in Cuba. Has been member of the Jury in the following film festivals: Biarritz (France), New Latin American Cinema (Cuba), the San Juan Cinema-Fest (Puerto Rico), Buenos Aires Human Rights Film Festival (Argentina), Cartagena International Film Festival (Colombia), Santa Cruz Iberoamerican Film festival, Mar del Plata International Film fest
5 / 6 (Argentina), Jornada Internacional de Cine de Bahía (Brasil), and part of the Selection Committee for the Latin American NHK Film Award of the Sundance Institute.
Shaun Escayg
Shaun Escayg graduated from the School Of Communication Arts in 1997 and returned to his home country of Trinidad & Tobago to pursue a career in film and animation. It wasn't long before he was hired by one of the leading companies in the country Video Associates where he began working on numerous commercials and documentaries and after partnering up with some of the top local talent, together they dominated the local commercial, music video and film industry. With plans to expand into Latin America, Shaun moved to Venezuela in 2001 and formed Wireframe Entertainment, an animation studio and a small sister company of Blue Bottle Productions. It was here that he focused solely on 3D character animation. However, in 2005 the political climate of Venezuela led Shaun back to North America, where he landed his first job as an Animator on Walt Disney's Get Ed TV series at Red Rover Studios Toronto.
A call from Rainmaker Entertainment to work on an upcoming all CG feature led Shaun out west to Vancouver BC. Rainmaker, a much larger company, allowed Shaun to grow not only as an Lead Animator but as an Animation Supervisor.
Shaun supervised and led his team on the feature length all CG direct to dvd “The Nutty professor “Facing the Fear”. The project was such a success Shaun moved into directing, where he directed his first in game cineractives ‘50 cent- Blood in the sand’ for SwordFish Studios UK and Vivendi Games. In 2010 the Visual Effects industry came knocking once again and Shaun joined Industrial Light & Magic where he's currently employed.
Pim de la Parra
Pim de la Parra (January 5th, 1940) is a Surinamese / Dutch film director. He studied at the Dutch Film Academy and started the film magazine ‘Skoop’ with 2 other film directors. His debut was in 1965; together with Wim Verstappen he started ‘Scorpio Films’ and produced many films, of which ‘Blue Movie’ was the most successful. His film ‘Wan Pipel, the first Surinamese feature film, brought the bankruptcy of the firm, due to the high production costs.
De la Parra lived in Aruba, The Netherlands and, up till now, in his country of birth, Suriname. In 1985 he made his come-back with the film ‘Paul Chevrolet and the ultimate hallucination’, which received many positive reviews and was selected for the main program of the Filmfest Berlin. In 1988 he started with so-called ‘minimal movies’: feature films produced in a short period of time and with minimal budget and facilities. In 1991, De la Parra received the special prize of the jury of the Utrecht Film Festival (The Netherlands) for this complete oeuvre. In 2005 he started the Surinamese Film Academy and produced 6 feature films. His film ‘Wan Pipel’ has been chosen as the first film to be totally renovated and digitalized for further conservation by the Dutch Film Institute ‘Eye’.
6 / 6 Jacques van de Veerdonk
Jacques was born on November 12th 1949 in Schiedam, Netherlands. He is a musician/ composer and composes music for ensembles. In addition he teaches at the Rotterdams Conservatorium Codarts: Music and Media, Composition department.
Besides his daily teacher’s job, Jacques is also the Director of “Watch That Sound”an educational workshop where youngsters learn to make their own film soundtrack guided by a musician and music producer
His education at the Conservatorium Rotterdam in Composition has enabled him to work on various projects. Projects he has worked on include: Sound editing project at the International Film Festival Rotterdam Codarts Willem de Kooning Academie; Composition and sound edit projects and he organized the Sound Track Festival live Rotterdam. Furthermore Jacques has executed various Media Projects for children in Suriname, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Jacques is the initiator of composition software tool for children and students and also initiated the Sound Lab International Film Festival Rotterdam and Producer of short movies.
