Asha Lovelace creates space for Caribbean films

Creativity runs in her family, and Asha Lovelace continues to build on what comes naturally to her.

Founder and festival director of the Africa Film TT festival, launched over a decade ago, Lovelace is now giving people in the regional film industry an opportunity to showcase their creativity with the launch of the Caribbean Film Festival (CFF).

On February 13, Lovelace and her team, including director Melanie Powell Jones, welcomed scores of guests to the Calabash Garden, a hideaway on Tragarete Road, Port of Spain. Among the guests were her father and brother Earl and Che Lovelace, calypsonian David Rudder, artist Fitzroy Hoyte, fashion designer Claudia Pegus, Tobago-based Healing with Horses Foundation's Veronika Danzer-La Fortune, and actor Michael Cherrie.

"We launched Africa Film TT to create a space where Caribbean filmmakers could find inspiration from African and diaspora cinema," Lovelace told WMN.

"It became a platform for learning and building a future for local and regional filmmakers. As we solidify our presence in the festival arena, we are proud to introduce the Caribbean Film Festival, a natural evolution of our mission.

"This festival isn’t just a continuation of our work – it’s a bold step forward,” she said, to loud applause.

Lovelace said over the past ten years AFTT was built into a beautiful festival that had an impact on where she and her team are now.

"With CFF, we are expanding our vision – creating a collective regional effort to ignite film production, advocate for industry support, and ensure that our stories are represented on the screens we watch every day. We will be supporting emerging talent, engage in training, as well as developing and advancing film projects."

As a filmmaker, she said, she has witnessed the ability of the Caribbean people to tell stories – stories that need to be told.

"We need to be in command of how we are presented, not just for ourselves but for the world.

“In a time when audiences are craving fresh stories, this festival is our opportunity to drive the production of Caribbean content. We have a whole heap of untold stories and it is about time we get serious about representing ourselves and our realities through our own lens.

"It is through this lens, with filmmakers at the centre, that we have designed a festival that will not only spotlight our creative power but provide solutions for our regions creatives."

Lovelace said the CFF offers initiatives for everyone – from students to seasoned professionals.

"We want to ensure that anyone interested in film and content creation has access to training, development, and opportunities to take their projects from idea to completion."

The festival will take place from June 11-15 in Port of Spain, but the work has already begun in earnest.

"With women in mind, we have a film training programme with the St Jude's Home for girls, in collaboration with Chosen Hands, offering vulnerable girls another career option and ensuring that they have an opportunity to access quality training.

"Our girls will be producing a film to be premiered at CFF," she beamed with pride.

But the festival's reach will not be limited to the Caribbean. Lovelace said the CFF will connect Caribbean filmmakers with global industry change agents.

"At CFF we have a special interest in advancing women in film, and so we are pleased to announce a collaboration with the Queen Collective, an initiative pioneered by Queen Latifah to empower women filmmakers through mentorship, project development and distribution."

Additionally, she said, filmmaker and reggae artist Marvin "Mr King" King will lead the CFF Grassroots Cinema Project – a movement using film as a tool for crime reduction and youth development.

"He brought the idea to us and it's something that was aligned with what we wanted to do, so we decided to join forces and execute at CFF."

The film training programme, she said, will give the youth something constructive to occupy their time.

"Our vision is big, and we will use our partnerships and collaborations to bring it to life."

The vision of the CFF, Jones Powell said, is to create a world-class destination film festival that serves as the central hub of Caribbean cinema.

"We are shining a spotlight on the talent and creativity that define the region, bringing Caribbean stories to the forefront of global cinema.”

The CFF includes initiatives and programmes that are focused on advancing film projects, talent development, education and knowledge exchange. Among those initiatives are the Young, Gifted and Caribbean, aimed at inspiring learning outside the classroom and offering quality education and training to the vulnerable, indigenous peoples, the differently abled, and children in vulnerable situations. Powell Jones said it will include the Young Cinema Society and the Caribbean Film Club, in which film screenings, workshops and competitions will play a big part. Another initiative, Discovery Stage, will provide a platform for emerging artists in all genres of Caribbean music.

"Creativity, collaboration, and service are at the heart of everything we do at CFF, and this spirit will extend across the region.

"While rooted in Trinidad and Tobago, the festival will travel throughout the Caribbean, establishing itself as the ultimate destination festival," she said.

For more information email filmfestcaribbean@gmail.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram @caribbeanfilmfest.