NIFCA Film Awards

Those who excelled in the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Film and Video competitions have been  formally presented with their official awards.

In an intimate ceremony Friday night at the Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre, the young filmmakers were recognised for their contribution to the blossoming industry.

Admittedly, COVID-19  has impacted on NCF activities and Chief Cultural Officer of the organisation Andrea Wells noted, “In response to this, this year’s NIFCA therefore took a hybrid approach, with only a few smaller competitions and all of them with shorter timelines  for participants. In most disciplines we held showcases and a few live events.”

She added, “NIFCA 2022 Film and Video did have its own programme and we are happy to say that the three key components were successfully completed.”

Wells indicated that their largest event was the showcase event. The movie night was a drive-in event in the NCF carpark, which featured the top competition entries. She closed her address by praising the creatives’ continued commitment to their craft.

The entrants were judged in three categories. In the documentary category, third place was presented to Andrina Alleyne for her work  Chronic Medical Conditions of a Cultural Practitioner. Second place was awarded to Charlette Thomas for They Thought I Was Mad. Winning  that category was Penelope Hynam for the aptly named Film Guru.

In the music video category Jomario Goddard took top honours for Open Ya Eyes and See and was again in the top running taking second place in the Narrative Fiction category. The eventual winner was Josiah Haynes for his Undressed Daydreams.

The Seven Day Film Challenge continues to be a highlight. This year the key elements which needed to be incorporated into each film were that one location had to be a doorway, one prop had to be a $50-bill, one character had to be an old woman and the scene had to be about becoming a republic. Jomario Goddard  of Dreaming Cloud Films once again featured in the front runners with a third-place award for  Begging for Change. In second place was Aaron Yearwood of Privic Media for Independent Dreams. Top honours went to Joseph Atherley of All Things for My Own Two Feet. The winning entry paralleled the break from colonial ties with the breakup of a relationship.

Thanks were extended on behalf of all the participants by awardee Josiah Haynes. He  stated, “Opportunities like this aren’t just a good opportunity for us to show our skills but what underpins this whole process is the developmental power that it has, so when we think about the film industry in Barbados and we think of the film aesthetic of the Caribbean, things like this are very important.”

Patrons of the event were also able to enjoy a visual arts exhibition called Progression. It featured 14  top artistes using  a range of styles. Those selected to be a part of the exhibition have all been recipients of top awards in NIFCA. The requirement for participation was that they display their award-winning  piece and then a contemporary piece which was indicative of their growth and development. Among   those who participated were  Juliana Inniss, Matthew Clarke, Gloria Chung, and Cy Hutchinson. (STT)