Carribean Tales Film Festival - Toronto (10th-13th July)

The 3rd Annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival presents "Fokus Jamaica", and announces an exciting lineup of Jamaican films, special guests and workshops

The CaribbeanTales Film Festival is set to hit Toronto again this summer!

Created by award-winning filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, the event is Canada's one and only forum showcasing the best of Caribbean cinema, at home and abroad, classical and creole, digital and celluloid. And this year's focus is on the internationally recognised film and television productions of Jamaica.

Produced in assocation with the Jamaican Consulate, Toronto and Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO), the 4-day celebration will showcase the rich and vibrant cultural traditions that have made "Brand Jamaica" synonymous with world class cultural innovation, and timeless iconic images of spirited rebellion.

"I never doubted that Caribbean culture had international appeal, because I grew up with the huge impact of Bob Marley on the world’s imagination,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, Artistic Director of CaribbeanTales and Founder of the film festival. “This is why we have chosen to spotlight the importance of Jamaican cinema on the world stage.”

Opening night features the Canadian premiere of AFRICA UNITE. Made to commemorate the late Bob Marley’s 60th birthday the film is a compelling music documentary centered around the Marley’s first family trip to Ethiopia. Following the screening there will be a Talk Back session on African unity

Other highlights will include screenings, Talk Back sessions, and educational workshops aimed at youth and community groups.

CaribbeanTales pays tribute to talents such as: famed music video director Ras Kassa (Welcome to Jamrock), Jamaican-Canadian actor and director Clement Virgo (Poor Boy's Game), cinematographer Franklyn "Chappy" St.Juste (The Harder They Come) Jamaican-Canadian film and television stars Leonie Forbes (Lord Have Mercy, A Winter Tale), and Peter Williams (A Winter Tale, Chronicles of Riddick) and many more..

CaribbeanTales is proud to present a "Perry Henzell Evening", in honor of the late iconic director who created the Caribbean's cult cinematic materpiece "The Harder They Come".

The festival will also include work by new and emerging directors from Jamaica and the Jamaican diaspora. These will be announced shortly and we are also still accepting submissions for this.

The festival will run from July 10-13, 2008 at the Revue Cinema, and at Innis Town Hall.

(Above article taken from Leda Serene Films Website)

Update....

Jamaican Music Video producer Ras Kassa was recently interviewed on Jamaican TV and spoke of a new documentary he is working on titled 'Rastafari', no explanations on the content needed, i think the title says it all. He also has another film project he's working on but has yet to let out any info on this 2nd film.



New documentary titled 'Living Reggae' is now available on dvd, the film from Spanish film maker Sergio Monleon will be released as 2xDVD and 1x CD set), with concert, documentary and album(+ booklet) the documentary features reggae greats like Dave barker, Winston'Mr.Fixit'Francis, A.J. Franklin, Alton Ellis, Bunny Lee, BB Seaton, Earl Appleton+more.. and is a very informative documentary, also featured is a section on the well established Peckings Reggae Record Store and gives some info on the history of the store, and a surprise appearance from Bunny Lie Lie!
The film is 90mins long and we will have some more info on the film comming soon.


Bob Marley - Get Up, Stand Up - some of you may have come across this dvd put out in France, i'm seeing alot of these Bob Marley dvds which are simply copies of already released dvds, this one is the well known 'Live' dvd which has been around for some time, so don't be duped into buying this thinking it's something new. The only thing on the dvd which i didn't recognise from the original LIVE dvd is the last track titled: Reggae Adventure - Curley David, i've yet to check what this is but it's only 3mins long so i'm not expecting much.

Firefly Films Calls For Actors....

Actor auditions open for new Jamaican film
Jamaica's premier film production company Firefly Films is holding open auditions to cast actors in a new film – Blood, Gold and Green – by director Paul Bucknor, founder of Firefly Films, and acclaimed director of Goathead and The Full Monty.

The film will explore the world of Kingston gunmen, fringe players, petty thieves and corrupt politics in a highly stylized manner, according to Bucknor. As far as the actors are concerned, considerable screen time will be devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal the characters' senses of humor and perspectives on life.

"Blood Gold and Green is a neo-noir comedy that explores modern Jamaican pop culture. The film joins intersecting story lines that revolve around the exploits of Sekada, a third generation expert gunman who returns to Trench Town ten years after having fled as a child, and refuses to shoot anybody," said Bucknor, who is casting male and female actors of all ages.

The film is expected to premier at Flashpoint Film Festival in 2009. Flashpoint has become the principal forum for film and television production in the Caribbean, featuring award winning film makers such as Trinidadian Yao Ramesar, who produced Sista God.

This year the festival is moving from its home at The Caves, Negril for the past three years, to its new base in Port Royal at the Old Naval Hospital from June 5 – 8. Firefly Films will premier three completed feature length films this year, which is a first for the festival. The three features are Better Mus' Come, The Candy Shop and Pothole.

Auditions are being held and the company office on 10a West Kings House Road from 4-6pm.

http://www.flashpointfestival.com/

Scorsese pulls out of Marley documentary project...

The authorised documentary film on Bob Marley – due for release on 6 February 2010 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the singer's birth – has a new director. Oscar winning director (Silence of the Lambs) Jonathan Demme is taking over from Martin Scorsese, who cited scheduling conflicts as the reason he needed to withdraw from the project.

Marley's son Ziggy, who is executive producer for the film, endorsed the new director's participation: "[Demme's] empathy with my father's body of work and his unique understanding of the musical documentary form makes me confident that this film will be the ultimate celebration of my father's life."



Demme has a long history of music-related pics, chronicling the Talking Heads in "Stop Making Sense," Robyn Hitchcock in "Storefront Hitchcock" and Neil Young in "Heart of Gold." He is editing a concert film, "Neil Young Trunk Show."

"I am thrilled and humbled by this extraordinary opportunity to participate in fashioning a motion picture that can serve as a worthy vessel for the spiritual and musical brilliance of Bob Marley," Demme said in a statement.