Address by:

Nneka Luke, General Manager, FilmTT

Opening Night | Animae Caribe Animation and Digital Media Festival

Tuesday 25th October, 2016

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Good evening to you all.

It is indeed a pleasure to be here this evening as we celebrate

the 15th anniversary of the Animae Caribe Animation and

Digital Media Festival in Trinidad and Tobago. This is truly an

amazing accomplishment, not only for animators and

filmmakers but for the country as a whole, and FilmTT is proud

to have been a sponsor of this Festival for several years.

At the beginning of our support, the film company was a small

department within the Tourism and Industrial Development

Company Limited (TIDCO). As recently-appointed General

Manager, I am pleased that the company’s leadership at that

time had the foresight and understanding to recognise the

value of the animation sector as an integral component of a

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successful film industry. This Festival is a cornerstone in the

sector’s development, and we at CreativeTT and FilmTT are

honoured to recognise and participate in this event today; we

congratulate the team at Animae Caribe on their perseverance

and dedication over the years.

In our role as the state company responsible for the strategic

development of the audio-visual and film industry, setting a

firm foundation is critical to drive success for all. In that vein,

FilmTT’s focus on industry development meant that we

directed our support to the Animated Ideas Bootcamp, which

took place yesterday. This was a type of creative incubator

where aspiring and established animators had the opportunity

to be mentored by leading, international animators in the

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areas of idea creation, story construction, environment and

design, and to pitch their projects for further feedback.

Programmes such as the Bootcamp not only add to the ever-

increasing bank of local film content, but also equip aspiring

animation entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools and

techniques to create world-class productions that could

potentially invite both local and foreign investment AND

penetrate international markets, both essential to long-term

economic sustainability.

As you know, diversification continues to be crucial to the

evolution of our national economy, and for us at CreativeTT,

the creative genius of our citizens in the areas of film, fashion

and music, is at the heart of our efforts.

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Today I attended the media launch of Youth Business

Trinidad and Tobago’s hosting of Global Entrepreneurship

Week, taking place November 14-20. Global

Entrepreneurship Week is an annual event that takes place in

160 countries, intended to inspire millions to engage in

entrepreneurial activity, while connecting them to potential

collaborators, mentors and even investors. For the 6th year,

Youth Business T&T has taken up the challenge to host the

event here, exploring and encouraging entrepreneurship in

ICT, agri-business, and more. The organisers indicate that for

their symposium on November 18 focused on Creative

Industries, the interest and excitement from potential

attendees around this field is quite high. This speaks to the

potential for more content creators and creative

administrators to enter the market, and the continued need

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for us to work together to strategically build viable sectors

with strong foundations so that the content can find

audiences, and create income.

In the coming year, FilmTT will continue to facilitate the

development of the local film industry through a tight

programme of activities. This includes the creation of a 5 – 10-

year strategic action plan for the industry that will assess

where we are now, set a vision for where we want it to go, and

establish action plans for how to get there.

Key to our work will also be rebuilding Trinidad and Tobago’s

regional and international film industry network as a means of

facilitating new opportunities and access for local content

creators. Through these and other plans, FilmTT’s goal is to

ensure that Trinidad and Tobago’s audio-visual and film

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industry becomes a commercially viable, long-term

contributor to national wealth.

So on behalf of CreativeTT and FilmTT, congratulations once

again to Animae Caribe for spearheading the growth of the

animation sector in Trinidad and Tobago, and best wishes for

a successful Festival.

Thank you.