T&T High Commission & Consulate honour filmaker Ian Harnarine

L-R: Filmmaker Ian Harnarine, Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution, Dr Vidhya Gyan Tota-Maharaj and Christopher Laird, Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company

Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commission in Canada together with the Consulate General in Toronto began the celebration of the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations over the weekend at the Caribbean Tales Youth Film Festival (TIFF), which was held at the Toronto International Film Festival Auditorium.

One of the highlights of the festival was the Trinidad & Tobago Diplomatic Mission's honoring of Ian Harnarine for his short film Doubles with Slight Pepper, which won ‘Short Best Film’ at TIFF in September 2011 and which has been nominated for a Gemini, Canada’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Delivering the feature address, Consul General Dr Vidhya Gyan Tota-Maharaj alluded to the growing film Industry in Trinidad and Tobago and commented on her Government’s commitment to developing the industry.

Dr Tota-Maharaj spoke of incentives being offered in Trinidad and Tobago such as a Production Expenditure Rebate Programme, which seeks to attract international film producers by providing general cash rebates and incentives for expenditures accrued while filming there as well as the Revolving Investment Agreement (RIA) which provides financial assistance of up to 70% for entertainment practitioners with major projects related to the entertainment industry.

The Consul General also made mention of Trinidad and Tobago’s film industry, which in 2010, consisted of approximately 20 production companies, 57 companies offering production support services and 11 television stations. The industry current employs a core staff of 200 plus full time employees, while the television stations employ over 1500 persons.

Also addressing the Festival was Christopher Laird, Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival Company.