Netflix stars for DEF5

DEF5 (Decibel Entertainment Festival fifth edition) scheduled for May 3 - 6 at Queen’s Hall in St Ann’s is expected to be a rip-roaring festival weekend where anything can happen.

The festival will comprise theme park attractions, live performances, cosplay, celebrity appearances, food stations and art displays, will feature Avan Jogia who acted in Nickelodeon’s hit series Victorious and Netflix’s Ghost Wars and Alisha Boe from Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.

The announcement was made last week Tuesday at the Decibel 2018 launch at Queen’s Hall.

Included in the four-day event too, are the entertainment exposition which creates a social hub for both established and up and coming creative artists, while the conference features a panel of keynote speakers within the music, dance, film and fashion industries.

The exposition also features attractions such as bmobile’s Zombie Island and Republic Bank’s Gamers Republic — a virtual reality gaming centre.

This year’s Decibel Cosplay competition prizes include an internship at The Lost Tribe under the tutelage of creative director Valmiki Maharaj.

Speaking at the launch, Maharaj said this year’s competition is themed Heroes vs Villains and has over US$40,000 in prizes.

The winner of that internship will get to be a part of the day-to-day activities of Carnival, understanding the business of it and all other variables of the festival, and at the end of it all, their costume will be displayed on the road for Carnival 2019.

Another feature is the Kaitlin Hutcheon pieces of art that will be on display in the arts village at the festival. They were highlighted at the launch.

Simon Baptiste, festival director said they are pushing for creativity and excellence. He said: “The event is not about celebrities. It represents so much more — a talent factory, a job creator and incubator.

And expect surprises on stage.”

He also indicated that a number of people from a recent LA event wants to support DEF 5, by taking TT’s young talent and providing a forum for movement.

Among those at the LA event Baptiste said, were Caribbean people who are working in the industry, in business, arts, sciences, entertainment and Americans who run Fortune500 companies, and others who love the islands, know carnival and the culture and want that connection.

Karen Mc Sween, manager customer engagement, group marketing and communications of Republic Bank, title sponsor, said the fifth edition of the festival reminded her why her company decided to sponsor such a monumental initiative.

“Our goal is to remain present and relevant in the spaces where our young adults exist so that we can build relationships that go beyond banking,” she said.

Knowing that DEF always brings a well-known world celebrity to surprise attendees, asked if Winston Duke was that person Baptiste answered: “I would have loved if it was him but no. But we are always good at surprises and we are gonna wait till it gets closer to the time.”