Film festival more than a fun experience

THE Barbados Independent Film Festival (BIFF) is more than just fun – it is a cultural, developmental and educational experience.

So said Co-Director of the festival, Dr. Sir Trevor Carmichael, as he spoke about the upcoming January 14 to 19 event, during a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate.

“My point is that we are not only just showing movies or screening movies, we are also transferring skills, technology and experiences from the first world of cinema to Barbadians and Caribbean people. So this is a fun experience, but it is also an educational experience, it is a cultural experience, it is a developmental experience, it is a multifaceted experience,” Sir Trevor said.

He was pleased to report that the festival had grown tremendously since its launch in 2017, stating that when he looked at the festival’s film brochure, it matched the best in the world, adding that he had been to quite a few film festivals. His comments came as he revealed that there will be three master classes from which up-and-coming and aspiring film directors, actors and scriptwriters will be able to benefit.

Sir Trevor revealed that Ed Neumeier, creator, writer and producer of the science fiction blockbusters, will share his experiences with aspiring scriptwriters in Barbados and he will help them to understand more about the filmmaking process; Sloane Scherfig, who received BIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, will be giving a two-hour lecture targeted to directors and producers on scriptwriting; and Susanne Rostock, is going to share a lot of her secrets during her master class.

“The important thing about the Film Festival as far as Barbados is concerned, is that Barbadians get an opportunity to see a wide variety of films. They get to personally experience a wide spectrum of visiting film professionals coming here and they also get to benefit too from the master classes, which a lot of these filmmakers provide,” he said.

He was delighted to report that this year, they received double the amount of entries for film submissions, noting that this was something that he and fellow Co-Director of BIFF, Jennifer Smith-Bent, were pleased about.