After a year-long hiatus, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF), one of the Caribbean’s most influential platforms for regional cinema, is making a dynamic return in 2025 under new leadership – and it’s calling on Caribbean filmmakers to submit their work for this year’s showcase.
In a media release, award-winning filmmaker and new festival director, Mariel Brown says she is heartened by the response to the festival’s return from filmmakers, audience members and supporters of the TTFF. “It feels like there is genuine excitement and energy around this year’s festival,” she said, remarking that supporters have been reaching out to her and the TTFF Advisory Group to express their excitement at the festival’s presence.
[caption id="attachment_1154274" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mariel Brown, festival director of the TT Film Festival. -[/caption]
“We’ve had a phenomenal response so far. Submissions are up by 40 per cent compared to the last submission period in 2023,” Brown said. “We’re on track to receive over 340 submissions, a clear sign that Caribbean storytelling is burgeoning.”
Under the management of Savant Ltd, the revitalised TTFF is placing a bold emphasis on regional identity and diversity. A new programming team has been appointed, with a clear mandate to spotlight films from the English, Spanish, Dutch and French-speaking Caribbean, the release said.
“We are unapologetically Caribbean,” Brown affirmed. “It’s a declaration which underscores the chutzpah and dynamism of the developing Caribbean film scene over the last decade and a half and the festival’s role within it.”
Brown stressed the importance of representation and visibility for Caribbean people, noting that local audiences have long consumed international content without seeing themselves reflected on screen.
“There’s something deeply powerful about seeing – and hearing ourselves, our language, our music – our lives portrayed in authentic ways.
“That’s what TTFF has always championed: telling our stories to our community, for our community.”
This year’s festival, its 19th edition, will feature 80 films, each screened at least twice to maximise audience engagement and ensure filmmakers receive the exposure they deserve.
The festival will run from September 24-30 in Woodbrook, Port of Spain.
[caption id="attachment_1154273" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Director Damian Marcano take audience questions -[/caption]
In a move to deepen its regional and international impact, TTFF has also brought on an advisory group comprising leading creative and industry professionals, including: Melanie Archer – award-winning designer and curator (TT), Leslie Fields-Cruz – executive director of Black Public Media (USA), Kareem J Mortimer – executive producer and award-winning filmmaker (The Bahamas/ USA) Renee Robinson – international film industry expert and former film commissioner (Jamaica) and Donna N Thomas – senior business consultant (TT), the release said.
“These are people with deep roots in film, design, business, and
