Film & Folklore Festival to focus on Our Stories

THE Film & Folklore Festival (FFF) has returned for its third annual edition with the 2021 theme, Our Stories. The theme plays into the nostalgia of the Caribbean childhood through outdoor play, activities, traditional foods and storytelling. The festival will run from May 27-31.

This year, due to the covid19 pandemic, the festival will adopt a hybrid format of both online and in-person events that will combine film, folklore, music, storytelling and exciting traditional games. This immersive design is a new interactive, cultural experience whereby each day of the festival will carry a unique sub-theme celebrating the ecosystem, First Peoples, childhood and folklore stories based on TT's rich cultural heritage, said a media release.

The in-person events will also include various family-friendly activities such as the Hyarima Treasure Hunt, a one-day treasure hunt in collaboration with the First People community in Arima; Camp Folklore; cinema screenings for all ages; a Red Carpet film screening and other activities. All covid protocols will be observed.

The online aspect will ensure that the international audience and Caribbean diaspora will also be able to access festival content, contributing to the festival’s focus on expanding cultural tourism and digital export.

Those attending the festival would also be giving back to the film community as the FFF will ensure that local filmmakers who screen their content at the festival will earn revenue from the ticket sales, the release said.

Submissions are now open to local filmmakers whose content fit the theme or the essence of the festival (material that is culturally grounded in folklore, folktales or superstitious narratives in terms of themes, concepts, storylines and imagery) and would like to see it featured.

For this edition, FFF is also inviting TT storytellers to enter its One Minute Challenge based on the Our Stories theme. The FFF wants those submitting a film or entering the challenge to tell “our stories” so it can be shared with the world. Deadline dates are April 30 for submissions and May 13 for the challenge.

Challenge entrants are asked to create a piece of fiction that focuses on the day-to-day TT experience. This can focus on culture, traditions and beliefs based on entrant's childhood. Films can be animated or live-action, funny or serious. The challenge is free and open to all TT residents.

To submit a film or for more details on the Our Stories Challenge: www.filmfolklorefestival.com

Follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram pages via @filmfolklorefestival.