Left to right: Co-Director of Barbados Independent Film Festival, Jennifer Smith-Bent; Director of the Barbados Independent Film Festival, Sir Trevor Carmichael; CEO Interim First Citizens Bank Barbados Ltd, Carole Eleuthere Jn Marie and Deputy Director of the Museum, Kevin Farmer.
The newly restored Walled Garden Theatre.
By:
Peta Rowe-Forde
Barbados is welcoming yet another festival that will capture the attention of locals and visitors alike. The newest festival to launch on the island, the inaugural Barbados Independent Film Festival, promises to be quite a treat, featuring local and international persons in the film industry.
Speaking during the launch of the festival at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Co-Director, Jennifer Smith-Bent gave an oversight of the festival.
“The festival is committed to highlighting film makers, producers and actors – identifying champions for a better world. We are providing a platform for films, that embrace the power of story-telling and in part inspire and entertain...The festival will be featuring, films, documentaries as well as shorts, in particular they are looking to have shorts that really talk about the environment, why it is loved and why it needs to be protected.”
International actors, directors and individuals working within the film industry such as Stephen Lang and Yared Zeleke will be in attendance. Also, coming out will be local upcoming stars such as Kota, Jewel Forde Cumberbatch and Jamal Weekes. Moreover, the highlight of the opening night of the festival will be a presentation of an honorary award to Machel Montano along with the screening of Beyond Glory.
Nevertheless, this launch comes in conjunction with the opening of the refurbished Walled Garden Theatre. The theatre, which will be used for some of the activities, is said by Deputy Director of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Kevin Farmer, to commemorate the place where theatre first started in Barbados, at the Garrison.
Thus, he expressed his desire to see the public at the various events, spread across the various venues for the fantastic film event. Noting that the festival is the vehicle and avenue by which local work can be known, he encouraged everyone to come out.
The festival runs from January 11th-15th. Information about the schedule of the events can be found at www.BarbadosFilmFest.org and proceeds will go to restoration and continuation of the Museum and World Heritage site.
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