Guyana enters 11 short films at CARIFESTA

A preview of a documentary highlighting the life achievements of St Lucian Noble Prize Winner Derek Walcott was the first to be shown at the Film Festival on Sunday, part of the events at CARIFESTA XI, being held in Suriname.
That film is scheduled to be shown in its entirety, next month in Trinidad and Tobago. This was followed by the old Surinamese film “One People”. Film coordinator for the Guyanese delegation, Richard Pitman noted that Guyana has entered 11 films into the festivals.
“Most of them are ‘Cineguyana’ films which the president sponsored two years ago and under the present film endowment project,” he said.
These films include “To the Night” and “Beached” by Kojo McPherson; “You Are Not Alone” by Stanley Bennett Clay and Antoine B Craigwell; “Luck Beat Handsome” by Errol Chan; “Hope” by Shaundel Philips; “Three Cards” by Michael James; “Tradition” by Margaret Lawrence; “The Encounter” by Bonny Alves; “The Bottle” by Smolana Varswyk; “The Back Yard” by Denise Harris and “Look In A Different Way” and “Flambeau” by Errol Brewster.
There are several workshops which touch on low-budget filmmaking, animation, challenges of filmmaking and stop motion, and sessions that target children who are interested in animation. Pitman explained that the festival presents a good opportunity for local filmmakers to gain exposure in light of the growing Guyanese film industry.
He stressed that being able to view the films from other countries, and the networking, are also very important for the Guyanese filmmakers. Surinamese Foreign Minister Winston Lackin emphasised that the concept behind CARIFESTA is exactly what his country is addressing due to its geographic location and regional integration.
“CARIFESTA is one of the most important vehicles to improve and ensure that we reach the objectives set for integration,” he said. The minister illustrated that the name of the Surinamese film “One People” is a reflection of Caribbean and South American integration.
Organiser of the Film Festival, Hennah Draaibaar in her remarks highlighted that there are many reasons why filmmakers do what they do.
“One of the reasons is filmmakers love to share, and making a movie means sharing because it is a gateway to countries and cultures through the lives of those who live far way,” she said.
Draaibaar emphasised that such is the purpose of the CARIFESTA XI Film Festival which will see the sharing of the celebrations of cultures and the passion and determination of filmmakers.
Patrons will be able to view short films, music videos, animations and documentaries. The festival also includes productions from Chile, Indonesia and the Netherlands, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said in a release.