The 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival (1261GFF) launched its 1261 International Film Series in Brooklyn New York with the 1261 Caribbean Film Night pop-up showcase on 12 September 2019 at the Stuart Cinema & Cafe in Brooklyn, NY.
The second installment will be held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts at the Berkshire Museum in October 2019.
The 1261 International Film Series is an integral extension of the annual 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival in Grenada, the leading independent film event showcasing filmmakers of colour. The international showcase aims to promote Grenadian filmmakers and other filmmakers of colour from within the region and beyond that are focused on producing work that represents the multiculturalism within the Caribbean.
The sold-out event received raving reviews from the audience in attendance in New York. The kickoff 1261 Caribbean Film Night showcase featured a full catalog of award-winning films from Caribbean filmmakers representing Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Trinidad, and Tobago, collectively exploring the Caribbean cultural landscape through cinema providing a suitable backdrop to the New York launch and shaping the underlining importance of the 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival. The showcase was followed by post-screening conversations with filmmakers Zoé Salicrup Junco, Nadhege Ptah, Danae Grandison, Leslie Ann Wills-Caton and Meschida Philip.
The 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival founder and Director, Meschida Philip, expressed during the panel discussion that, “12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival provides a unique platform for Grenadian filmmakers and content creators to share their work and forge new alliances with other filmmakers internationally. We opt to present components of the festival internationally in order to cultivate synergies and opportunities which can help inform the diaspora as a whole what we are doing in Grenada.”
1261 International Film Series Caribbean Film Night NYC
The impressive line-up featured a special screening of Crystal, directed by Meschida Philip starring an all Grenadian cast, Rose Bhagwan, Earl McLeish, Lexington Wilks, and Amilio Degale. The event line-up included Marisol directed by Zoé Salicrup Junco staring Emma Ramos; Do Do Ti Ti by Nadhege Ptah; Unspoken directed by Danae Grandison staring Katrina Spencer, Kimberly Patterson, and Hector Lincoln; Kinto by Josuha Paul staring Sekai Smart-Macaulay and Justin Hadeed Awn; Scars of Our Mothers’ Dreams documentary, directed by Meschida Philip; and Jab Jab by Thomas Harrad.
There was a preview screening of the Trinidadian feature thriller “The Hike,” directed by Annisia Cadogan and Leslie Ann Wills-Caton, starring Jiselle Huggins and “Red” Frederick, presented by FilmTT.
1261 International Film Series is a global screening series and, an extension of the 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival (1261GFF), the premier event launched in the United States showcasing the work of content creators of Caribbean descent or produced in the Caribbean.
The series mission is to promote the global market content from Grenada and the Caribbean region and beyond, while expanding distribution opportunities for Grenadian content internationally. We are aiming to encourage collaboration between content creators throughout the Diaspora while promoting work by and about people of colour. The 1261 International Film Series will visit several cultural hubs in North America, England, and Africa in 2019-2020.
The 1261 Caribbean Film Night NYC was supported by Mprojekts Creative Group; Stuart Cinema & Cafe; FIXERfilm Studios; and Ark Belie Wine.
About the 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival:
The 12°N61°W Grenadian Film Festival (1261GFF), is an annual event dedicated to empowering black artists and showcasing quality films and creative content by and about people of Caribbean descent. The 1261GFF Founder & Director Meschida Philip created the festival in 2018 as a vehicle to strengthen the Grenadian filmmaking community by encouraging resource sharing, education, and artistic collaboration. Since its inception, the 1261GFF serves as a platform for Grenadian filmmakers and other diverse artists working in the Caribbean and beyond to showcase their work.
Submissions for the 2020 season is currently open.
For more information, please visit https://www.1261filmfestival.com/.
1261 Grenadian Film Festival
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