Vincentian filmmaker praises Barbados film fest
BY NELSON A. KING
The Jamaica Tourist Board
(JTB) says the island captured
three gold awards at the 2020
Travvy Awards in New York
City including Best Culinary
Destination, Caribbean/Bahamas;
Best Tourism Board
Overall; and Best Tourism
Board, Caribbean/Bahamas.
JTB said on Friday that the
destination also walked away
with three silver awards: Best
Destination Overall, Best Honeymoon
Destination, Caribbean/
Bahamas and Best Wedding
Destination, Caribbean/
Bahamas.
On hand to collect the
awards were JTB’s Philip Rose,
Regional Director, Northeast
USA, and Marcia Sinclair, District
Sales Manager, Northeast
USA.
“With unceasingly strong
arrival fi gures, Jamaica continues
to be a premier Caribbean
destination, praised by visitors
around the globe,” said JTB in
a statement, stating that the
awards were presented in the
presence of hundreds of travel
industry leaders, infl uencers
and media at Gotham Hall.
JTB said the annual Travvy
Awards recognize the highest
standards of excellence in
the travel industry and honor
travel companies, travel products,
travel agencie and destinations
Caribbean Life, F 38 ebruary 21-27, 2020
for their outstanding
achievements.
Over 39,000 agents, who sell
the vast majority of these trips
to tens of millions of consumers
yearly, vote and award the very
best in the travel industry, JTB
said.
“The Travvy Awards’ recognition
continues to reaffi rm
Jamaica’s powerful and lasting
impact on the world and all who
visit the island,” JTB said.
BY NELSON A. KING
Brooklyn-based Vincentian
fi lmmaker Ronissha Marksman
has heaped high praise
on the recently-held Barbados
International Film Festival
(BIFF).
“BIFF is by far one of the
best fi lm festivals I’ve ever
had the pleasure of attending,”
Markman, whose fi lm “The Republican,”
was screened at the
Walled Garden Theatre in Barbados,
on Jan. 21, told Caribbean
Life.
“The organizer went above
and beyond to ensure fi lmmakers
had opportunities to
network with fellow fi lmmakers/
artists to see the beautiful
island, as well as attend
workshops to help improve our
craft,” added Marksman, an associate
story producer for Black
Ink Crew Chicago S6 and an associate
professor at Brooklyn’s
Long Island University (LIU)
Media Arts.
She said BIFF, which ran
from Jan. 14 to19, held its opening
gala at the Walled Garden
Theatre.
“It was a red carpet event
with the premiere of the fi lm,
‘Joseph,’ directed and produced
by local fi lmmaker Marica
Weeks,” said Marksman, stating
that “Joseph” is a fi lm about
a successful doctor, played by
Jamaican actor Kevoy Burton,
who is searching for his African
roots, despite apprehension
from his family.
“This fi lm was shot in Barbados,
Jamaica and Ghana,
with notable stars such as Ghana’s
Mawuli Kavor, and Barbadians
Alison Hinds and Shontelle
Layne,” she added.
Prior to the opening night
gala, Marksman said fi lmmakers
were given the opportunity
to show support for the “One
Tree for Every Bajan” program
by planting a tree in Walkers
Reserve, St. Andrew.
She said the screenings
were held in several locations,
such as the Walled Garden Theatre,
the Copacabana and Limegrove
Cinemas.
Marksman said BIFF also
scheduled workshops on producing,
screenwriting and editing
for current and future fi lmmakers.
The Awards Night and closing
fi lms were held on Jan. 19
on the beach at the Southern
Palms Hotel.
According to Marksman,
the BIFF 2020 Best of Festival
Award went to Icelander
Benedikt Erlingsson for the comedic
tale, “Woman at War.”
The Best Feature Length
Narrative Film was “Blinded
by the Light,” written and directed
by Gurinder Chadha,
who also took home the Sir
Trevor Carmichael and Jennifer
Smith Founders Award
“as an icon in the performing
arts.”
Marksman said “The Kid
from Coney Island,” directed by
American fi lmmakers, “the dynamic
duo Coodie and Chike,”
was recognized as Best Documentary
Feature Film.
Among other award recipients,
Marksman said Barbadian
fi lmmaker and former
BIFF volunteer Aerin Prescod
received the Best Local Filmmaker
Award for her “shortbut
oh-so-sweet ‘Queen of De
Band’”.
Marksman said festival cofounders
presented musicians
Roger Gittens and Andre Woodvine
with the honorary award
for Artistic Excellence for their
contribution to music and fi lm.
Cuban fi lmmaker Gloria
Rolando, who fl ew to Barbados
to present “My Footsteps in Baraguá,
her 1996 documentary
about Barbadians who moved
to Cuba following the completion
of the Panama Canal, received
a Lifetime Achievement
Award, Marksman said.
She said Benedikt Erlingsson
also received the McNeel
Impact Award for his “interweaving
environmental consciousness
BIFF fi lmmakers planted trees
Photo courtesy Ronissha Marksman
into the captivating
and charming comedy feature,
‘Women at War’”.
According to the BIFF website,
“BIFF was created in 2016
to celebrate the opening of the
newly-built The Walled Garden
Theatre at the Barbados Museum
and Historical Society.”
Since then, BIFF said it has
expanded to venues across the
island and has introduced an
annual collaboration grant that
supports the making of a short
fi lm about Barbados by a local
and international fi lmmaker.
BIFF was co-founded by Sir
Trevor, president of the Barbados
Museum and Historical
Society, and Smith, executive
trustee of the Walled Garden
Barbados Film Festival Trust
and the Walled Garden Theatre
Trust.
Alsion Wilson-Roach, Consul
General of Jamaica to NY
(c), joins the award-winning
JTB team on the red carpet.
Photo courtesy of JTB
BY JESSICA PARKS
The Big Apple can party
like the Big Easy!
Carnival is next week, and
Brooklyn has plenty of spots
where you can gather your
krewe to splurge before the
long Lenten season begins.
So here are four of your best
opportunities to celebrate Fat
Tuesday!
Hold everything!
The expansive event
space Freehold will take on
the fl avor of N’awlins for its
“Bourbon Street” party tonight,
featuring fi re eaters,
stilt walkers, and cajun cuisine.
Happy hour starts at
5 pm, and the tunes of New
Orleans will start bumping
at 7 pm, with brass bands
and entertainers keeping it
going well into Ash Wednesday.
“Bourbon Street” at Freehold
(45 S. Third St. between
Kent and Wythe avenues in
Williamsburg, (718) 388–7591,
www.freeholdbrooklyn.com).
Feb. 25 at 5 pm. Free.
Party animals
Roll with a canine krewe
at Sean Casey Animal Rescue’s
Mardi Gras Party! This
action-packed night at Shenanigan’s
Pub will include a
tongue-blistering hot sauce
tasting contest, games, Big
Easy-style cocktails, live jazz
from singer Gina Healy, and a
raffl e to win a trip to New Orleans!
The all-inclusive ticket
will also score you a mask,
beads, a cajun buffet dinner,
and fi ve raffl e tickets.
Mardi Gras Party at Shenanigan’s
Pub (802 Caton
Ave. at E. Eighth Street in
Kensington, (718) 436–5163,
seancaseyanimalrescue.ticketleap.
com/mardigras). Feb.
25; 6–10 pm. $10 ($30 all-inclusive).
Fat Brewsday
Threes Brewing in Gowanus
is brewing up a Fat Tuesday
dance party with two full
rooms dedicated to boogiewoogie
and blues. Before hitting
the dance fl oor, you can
load up on King Cake and Sazeracs.
The event — with no
cover! — kicks off at 5 pm with
dishes and drinks from the
bayou; followed by disc jockeys
spinning at 8 pm, and the
band 3 Ring Bender at 9 pm.
Fat Tuesday at Threes
Brewing (333 Douglass Street
between Third and Fourth avenues
in Gowanus, (718) 522–
2110, www.threesbrewing.com).
Feb. 25; 5 pm–2 am. Free.
Bourbon treat
Pick up a sweet new recipe
for the next Carnival
season at Creme and Cocoa
Creamery’s “Beignet and
Bourbon Ice Cream Making
Class,” where you can learn
to make their own fried
doughnuts, bourbon-infused
chocolate, and bourbon ice
cream. Each amateur baker
will leave the two-hour class
with recipes they can use for
a lifetime, and two pints of
ice cream to gratify immediate
cravings.
“Beignet and Bourbon
Ice Cream Making Class” at
Creme and Cocoa Creamery
(1067 Nostrand Ave. between
Lincoln and Lefferts avenues
in Prospect Lefferts Gardens,
(718) 245–6286, www.cremeandcocoa.
com). Feb. 26 at 6:30
pm. $50.
Carnival krewes!
JTB sweeps Travvy’s
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/www.threesbrewing.com
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/www.freeholdbrooklyn.com
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