By Jasminee Sahoye

The Who's Who of Caribbean producers and filmmakers will be participating in the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as well as a market development program organized by Caribbean Tales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), the first ever film distribution company of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Launched regionally in Barbados in May 2010 with the Vision Statement “Taking Caribbean Films to the World, CTWD aims to be the “go to” solution for Caribbean filmmakers seeking to penetrate the international marketplace, and international buyers looking for quality Caribbean-themed content.

“There is an explosion of content coming out of the Caribbean and a need for a focused distribution strategy to ensure that this gets the best deals on the international market.” said CEO and accomplished award-winning Canadian-Trinidadian filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon.

The company already boasts a distribution catalogue of over 50 films and television programs by some of the finest filmmakers from the Caribbean and its Diaspora. The classy inaugural catalogue will be unveiled in September when the company will host the market development program aimed at supporting the growth of a vibrant world-class Caribbean film and TV industry.

Solomon told the Camera that 25 top producers and filmmakers will be participating in a week of activities which will coincide with TIFF.

"Participants will hone their project proposals through intensive analyses and interventions with international consultants that will prepare them to participate in the Toronto International Film Festival, where they will take advantage of many networking opportunities with Canadian and international partners and buyers.”

More than fifty (50) producers applied to the market development program. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) will fund the participation of six established regional producers, all of whom are recipients of the 2009 UNIDO Cinematic and Entrepreneurship Motivation Awards (CEMA). Among them are well-known producer/director Allison Saunders (Hits for Six) from Barbados, filmmakers Che Rodriguez and Rubadiri Victor from Trinidad, Clement Richards from Dominica, St Lucian music video director Davina Lee, and L.A.-based Guyanese filmmaker and actor Marc Gomes.

UNIDO is also funding the participation of four outstanding producers selected for the exceptionally high quality of their submitted projects. They include celebrated Trinidadian writer /producer Tony Hall, accomplished Jamaican film and television director/producer Mary Wells and Kirk Buchanan, Deputy CEO of the Creative Production and Training Centre Ltd and CTV Cable Channel.Innovative Montreal-based Canadian animation company Toon Boom and UNIDO will jointly support the participation of award-winning animator Camille Selvon Abrahams from Trinidad and Tobago.

Invest Barbados is supporting five established Barbadian producers, Penelope Hynam from Caribbean Island Film, Mahmood Patel, Bridgetown Film Festival/the Film Group, Cabral Trotman, Skylarc Pictures, Rommel Hall, Jesus Army Productions and producer, Lisa Harewood.

The Canada Council for the Arts is supporting five accomplished independent Canadian filmmakers to participate in the CTWD Program: award-winning filmmaker Dawn Wilkinson, celebrity presenter and director/producer Sharon Lewis, NYU graduate Ian Harnaine, talented writer/director Louis Taylor, and prolific documentary maker Lana Lovell.