 Good day and welcome to an episode of Issues and Answers, a production of the Government Information Service. My name is Marvin St. Louis. Today's discussion will be centered around Caribbean Youth Film Festival, established in 2012 in St. Lucia. It has also extended its reach to neighboring islands, including St. Vincent and Jamaica, in terms of submission of films to the festival. With that, I'd like to acknowledge the presence of Mr. Colin Wicks, who is the founder and director of the festival. Also present is Mr. Imran Sembrice, participant and winner of Best Director at the 2017 Caribbean Youth Film Festival, and Mr. Lance George, who participated and got third place in the 2016 festival with the film, sorry, Why I Run. Gentlemen, welcome to the studios of the Government Information Service. Nice, thank you. Now before we start, and that area I made on the word film, Colin knows that very well. At one point in my life, I could not pronounce the word film, and it was something I had to practice and work on. So I've come a long way from pronunciations, but so has Mr. Wicks, in terms of his contribution to the arts and media, along with his contributions to youth through the festival. So Mr. Wicks, what have you been up to lately? Well, what I've been up to lately, it's really an evolution of, when you need arts, it's always an evolution. You never kind of act still. You know, there's always the next step, the next one, the next one. So really and truly, the film festival I would like to say is my baby. That's what I think of throughout the whole year, the 12 months. But in terms of owning and living, I do the run-of-the-mill productions in terms of commercials, documentaries, music videos, and so forth. So in terms of what I'm up to, I do multiple things. And as you know, when you're in the Caribbean, you kind of also have to wear many hats in terms of production. So I script, I direct, I edit, I shoot. So it is always a continued growth. It's always continued movement. So yeah, so up to is a lot of things. The Caribbean Youth Film Festival empowers youth. I'm sorry, the Caribbean Youth Film Festival empowers young artists to express their creativity, entertain audiences, and share their visions with a more just and sustainable world. The festival is a model for Caribbean communities, engagement, a celebration of youth culture, and a showcase of richness and diversity of a new generation of filmmakers. So Mr. Weeks, why the name the Caribbean Youth Film Festival and not the Colin Weeks Youth Film Festival or St. Lucia Youth Film Festival? Well, Colin Weeks Youth Film Festival will hold so much weight to begin with. Who wants to submit to the Colin Weeks Youth Film Festival? But on a serious note, the festival was actually called the Rise Film Festival when we started off because for the first two years, I did it with Rise and Lucia. And then we graduated from there really and truly, it was an incubation stage where we needed that support. And I was working with Rise. I did a number of voluntary projects with Rise. And so it was only natural for me to do that youth project with them. But the festival in itself had to go. And in order to do that, we wanted to have a bigger reach and a wider audience. And the wider audience for us now is the Caribbean. So it became the Caribbean Youth Film Festival. And yeah, so as simple as that, we just want to engage youth all over the Caribbean to be part of this festival and which we have been doing in recent years. As you mentioned, we've been getting submissions from St. Vincent, France, Jamaica. I would even say that we missed out Barbados because in the first couple of years, we worked closely with the university there, UWI. And they had a film project and they were submitting films through there. So yeah, so it's very extensive in terms of where we want to reach. Hopefully it will become an international film festival. Obviously we will still keep the brand as Caribbean, but we're hoping that we engage, especially young filmmakers in the diaspora. So a young filmmaker from Canada, from England, whoever, that feel a natural place to submit to this festival and show their Caribbean as their heritage to be part of their heritage and not feel apart because they're living in a distant land. So do you think you've attained that expansion? Obviously you initially set out for and had in mind. And if so, by what means you think you achieve that? Well, as I said, I wouldn't say we totally have achieved it, but we get in there. The aim is to engage all young people in the Caribbean to be part of this. I should even say that we got submissions from Trinidad, from Solution-based young Trinidadians there. So we've also gotten from Trinidad. So yes, in the Italian truth, it is becoming what we set it off to be. And it's a matter of growth again. It's a matter of expanding it as much as possible. It's a matter of marketing as much as possible. We've been doing a lot more marketing on social media and in terms of reaching out to a lot more young filmmakers across the Caribbean. And we've been getting feedback from Antigua, from Dominica, from Grenada. And as I said, we've been having participation from the other islands. We even had a film from Guadalupe last year. However, but it was not a shot because again, the film festival is basically for shots. So that film is still, is basically with us and we want to screen it as part of when we do our screenings. But you know, just to show you the reach and it's a well-known film. She's actually based in France, but she has born in Guadalupe. So we, she sent it in as a Caribbean film. So yes, we're reaching out as much as possible and we continue to do our marketing. We continue to do our reaching out and merge with as many agencies as possible so to get that reach, you know. In terms of reaching out, gentlemen, Imran and Lance, how did you guys hear about the festival? Anyone is welcome to go first. Well, I basically heard about the film festival through social media. It was on Facebook. Our groupings is of about 17 young persons and you know, I really work with young persons trying to keep them off the streets, you know, get them engaged. And this group is a jovial group and one day I just decided to just pull a camera that I had then just go outside and just record some stuff. And the guys were just doing nonsense. Honestly, it was nonsense. You know, and I sat down and I put it together and you know, just really just looked at it and laughed about it. And then somebody in the neighborhood, Mr. Brown, said, you know, you guys could really go some place with this. I'm wondering what avenue is there? And there's another film festival that we tried to get involved in and that was costing us some money, you know. And for young people who do not work in it, it was a little bit disappointing for them. Until I was just on Facebook just browsing and then I saw the youth film festival and I was like, hey, is this St. Lucia? And then you know, I contacted Colin directly and he said, yeah, you could submit. I think it was a few days before, you know, the deadline for submissions. And I just grabbed one of the videos, the Byron video, spoke to the group about it. Everybody was like, no, the quality is not good and all that and still we just sent it through, right there through Facebook. And the next thing I know, Colin has been on my back to come to this and find myself there, you know, a shocker that we actually came third place. So it's all through social media, the powers I tell you. Mr. Imran, before you answer that, we have to take a break now. You've been watching issues and answers of production of the government information service. When we come back, I will re-engage with Mr. Imran and we will speak about his past and present projects, including Lance and continue speaking to Mr. Colin Weeks on the festival and future and benefits, including prizes that one may acquire participating. We'll see you in a while. Oi, you ever realize you step on my toe? We'll do something about it. Gasai bussindaman, ho-lan! If somebody tried to cross you, ho-lan! And a marting start to take you, ho-lan! No need for all your violins because the police there to help you, ho-lan! If I trouble start in this session, all right! No need for aggressions, ho-lan! We the one of violins. Children of temper, respect each other, behave yourself! Don't let no trouble escalate because you know... Children of temper, a message from Mission Boys Studio 758, Acid Creations and the Royals and Lucia Police Force. Welcome back. In studio with me is Mr Colin Weeks, founder of the Caribbean Youth Film Festival, Mr Imran Sembrais, winner of Best Director for his film Secure at the 2017 Caribbean Youth Film Festival and also Mr Lance George. Imran, tell us quickly, how did you hear about the festival? Well, I heard about it actually at the beginning of 2017. The festival hosted a few workshops at the Mosa Jouindo facility with a few British producers who are more experienced in that field. And it was around the time that I decided to start getting into filmmaking so I attended those workshops and it was from there that I learned about what the festival is doing on a whole and not just in that one workshop at a time. So it was just through, I guess, word of mouth to be honest. Someone telling me about this and that and then me and then up there and just taking it from there. Mr Weeks, as part of the festival, additionally you have the benefits of workshops for the youth, as Imran mentioned. Tell us about them. Well, I must say the workshops started off as a secondary component to the festival. Obviously, the whole aspect of the festival is to educate. But the emphasis was really to showcase what has been shown or what has been produced. But throughout the years that we found out there was so much interest in the educational aspect of it, actually building the capacity of the young filmmakers. I would say now that this is the forefront of the festival where the emphasis now is really on the workshops and we take it, I guess, a little more seriously than we did at the beginning. So yes, we engage as much as possible. What we have done again is collaborated with a number of agencies on the island, including the public libraries, the probation unit, department of the creative industries, where we provide workshops during the summer. So again, what we want to do is engage as many youth as possible during the summer for them to tap into their creative abilities. And we're not saying necessarily that you become a filmmaker, but because film is so wide in terms of the scope of things or the elements that are put into film, so it could be from your technical abilities to your vocational abilities that you could harness it through filmmaking. So the workshops are not just on a technical basis, but it gives you such a wide variety of skills including live skills that we teach during those workshops. So it is really a good avenue for young people to explore and express themselves. And so the workshops are really taken on a different level. As I said, we go island-wide, we've done across the island from the north to the south east-west in terms of the workshops. And we do it through the public libraries, we do it through the probation unit. We do it with whoever that we could work with. We also work with the SSDF in terms of bringing on some of the collaborated agencies and then in terms of voice training centers and those organizations. So yeah, the film festival is really about empowering and I would use our slogan, empowering youth. That's basically what it is to empower youth in all aspects. So how many persons have you accommodated in those workshops? I would, last year, we accommodated over 300 youth as part of the workshops. And not taking what, again, the other workshops and the other little avenues that we have done throughout the year, for example, when we do our Easter program and so forth. That's an additional set of workshops that we have done. So yes, we reach and we tend to reach many more young people as much as possible. So tell me quickly, so the festival runs. Give us the timelines. Well, we're starting off this year. Well, we usually start off with the workshops and that starts at the end of July. But our award ceremony is actually on the 18th of August. The deadline, we have different dates. The deadline for submission is on the 14th of August and we have a two week workshop that we try to accommodate for just persons who are interested in coming and learn from a, it runs from eight, sorry, from 10 to three every day. And that will be happening from the sixth to the 17th. And yeah, so it is really just to engage young people as much as possible through the summer. And in between that, we encourage persons like Glanson, Imran to submit and be part of the festival. One of the other elements that we're actually trying to put on this year is actually have some master classes. Again, for young professionals like yourself who are working during the day, but would like the extra activities after work. So what we're gonna do this year, try to put on some master classes for an afterward period for young professionals. And what is the criteria for the festival? Is there a specific genre of film that could be submitted and length and who can submit to the festival? Well, yeah, well, everybody, well, all youth could submit to the festival and youth is really anybody and the age of 45 or 45 and in terms of international standards. In terms of genre, we want again this to be open to everybody. So the genre could be anything. And when we say anything, we mean anything. In terms of even the music video, documentary, what have you that if whatever you feel that you want to submit short film that you want to submit is fine. Again, in terms of genre in horror, comedy, whatever you want. And what is the other question? In terms of who, who, well, again. Meaning locally, regionally? Yeah, yeah, again, as we said, it is open to everybody. So everybody is welcome. So if you're watching this video and you're in Russia. Yes, you can submit. You can submit. You entered the festival in 2017 with the film Secure and won Best Director. Was this your first time in the festival? And tell us about the film. We only have two minutes left, gentlemen. I'm so sorry. Yeah, it was my first time because I entered for the first time in 2017. Yes, that was also the same year that I got interested in filmmaking. So it's like I just got straight into it right away. Secure is basically it's a revenge story about a security guard who's trying to get revenge on his boss, on his boss man, pretty much. Yeah, that's a, that's a brief description I can give if you want what the film is about. What, how did you get an inspiration or what inspires you to produce a film like that? Everyday life, to be honest, because my place of work, when I walk in and I see the security guards just standing there looking around, bored. Like nothing interesting is going on in their life. I decided, okay, how can I take this very ordinary job, ordinary person and make it something dramatic, something that can entertain as a film. And so after a few weeks, I just started coming up with the ideas and really making it something very logical that I could put onto film for entertainment. Lance, tell us about your film, Why Run? Well, Why Run? I mean, it came from a cultural background because we as Hindus, we seem to have the idea once you see your partner run, you know, you had to run. You can't stay there because you're in a ward coming. And this story tells of one person or one individual who decided he's here running. He's not gonna run no matter the situation. So we just basically gave examples of things that could happen as a result of not running until in the end, he was the first one to actually run and leave the others behind. That's it basically. Okay, Mr. Weeks, final question. Quickly tell us about the prizes this year and even some of the previous years for persons interested. Right, well, let me first say because we have gotten this question from a number of young people in terms of prizes. But really and truly, a festival is there to expose your abilities, expose your work. So you don't really get prizes as a, when you enter a film festival internationally, there aren't really prizes. But what it is, it's to give you exposure. However, we have been given prizes, again, just to encourage persons to be part of it. So we've worked closely with Unicoma courts and a number of other places, computer world and a number of agencies who have organizations who have given us prizes to the filmmakers as part of the festival. Again, one of the things I just want to come back on in terms of what Lance said earlier on about the quality of the work, not even that we really judge you on as such in terms of the quality of the film, if you want to put it that way, in terms of if it's a lures or high res in that way. But what we judge is that the quality of production in terms of your script, your shooting, your technique and shooting, your acting and that. But if you have a, in other words, we want to encourage everybody to participate. So if you have a phone and you want to shoot off the phone, don't think boy, the quality of the phone might not be. We're really looking for what your story is. That's the emphasis of the quality that we're looking for the quality of the actual production and not the quality of the film. So, dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives. And so has the Caribbean Youth Film Festival. On behalf of the team at the Government Information Service, I'd like to thank you for having us. Have a good day.