Trinidad and Tobago is rich in folklore storytelling, from tales of Papa Boi to Soucyants and Douens. Some may say the artform is dying as our young ones drown themselves in the internet and are bombarded with American culture.
However, the organisers of the Film and Folklore Festival (FFF) are using this platform to steer the narrative back to our roots.
The 3rd edition of the Film and Folklore Festival officially kicked off last night and it is being virtually brought to you with the help of Digicel, as we entertain ourselves in the comfort of our own homes as a result of the pandemic.
Digicel, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in April, is facilitating the streaming of the films, updates and events via different platforms, including of the Digicel PlayGo App, BiP Messenger and Digicel+ On Demand.
The annual festival invites people to experience a unique and interactive experience in folklore storytelling through music, spoken word, art, language, food, and film. Although covid19 may have stopped the in-person events, the FFF, thanks to the partnership with Digicel, is presenting more than 100 tales from truly creative filmmakers around the world, including Argentina, Belgium, France, India and TT, all focused on this year’s theme, Our Stories, said a media release.
The festival also includes a series of exciting virtual events such as the Folk Fiesta Comedy Show, Streetlight Stories, and traditional cooking.
Digicel CEO Abraham Smith said “Through our partnership with the FFF, Digicel is giving everyone in the country free 24/7 access to this year’s featured films on the PlayGo app. Both Digicel and non-Digicel customers can enjoy streaming the films via PlayGo and view behind the scenes updates and schedules pushed out on BiP Messenger. Additionally, over 100,000 Digicel+ customers and their households will enjoy free access to the FFF content via our Digicel+ Video on Demand feature.
“Trinidad and Tobago has an amazing wealth of world-class creative talents and Digicel is excited to help them reach their full potential. As a Digital operator, we have invested significantly in bringing the best apps and digital experiences to TT, and we are truly happy to work with the FFF team to help take these stories to the wider world.”
Commenting on the collaboration with Digicel, festival manager Donelle Wills said, “This partnership was born out of the mutual passion for TT’s culture, folklore and traditions. We are happy to be working with Digicel to ensure that everyone has access to all the exciting content that the festival has to offer, and it has a lot to offer!
“The FFF family has been working intensely to share Our Stories as well as the stories of various filmmakers around the world. We are grateful to Digicel for providing the support and the avenue to disseminate festival content to the public in a safe, reliable and easy way.
“We encourage everyone to download the PlayGo App, check out On Demand on Digicel+ and subscribe to our channel on BiP Messenger for access to festival information and film content.”
The festival runs from May 27-31.
For more info:
www.filmfolklorefestival.com
@filmfolklorefestival and subscribe to the channel on BiP Messenger: https://channels.bip.ai/join/filmfolklorefestival.
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