If you’ve ever visited the Caribbean, you know there’s a good vibe to the people, land, and water. That vibe extends to the region’s film, and the Studio Film Club from Trinidad recently came to New York City as part of nonprofit art fair, The X Initiative No Soul For Sale Festival of Independents.
Without a doubt, No Soul For Sale left a striking impression on New York’s artist and Caribbean communities alike, drawing together film fans and immigrants through movies and art.
The X Initiative is part of a year-long program — separated into four phases — embracing new approaches in contemporary art. So with Phase Two of the project having just kicked off (and running through September), it’s a perfect time to reflect on Phase One’s highlights, which included the showcase of Caribbean film.
The weekly club was started by celebrated artists Che Lovelace and Peter Doig, both from Trinidad, as an opportunity to show Caribbean, foreign language and independent films to a Trinidadian audience. The screenings, which began in 2003, have continued each week in the front foyer space of a contemporary arts building in Trinidad where both Lovelace and Doig have art studios.
During a recent trip to New York, Lovelace said, “There are a lot of films that aren’t in general release in Trinidad. We have an opportunity to show underground cinema because in the last ten years technology has expanded. You have voices coming from all over the world. Sometimes you find you’re actually akin to or closer to these stories which are outside of the main steam voices.”
The screenings are free and the reigning ethos of the gatherings are that they remain low-fi and informal. Some nights there are five in the audience while other nights host a packed house. The screen is a painted white wall and movies are selected not too far in advance. “We try to pick the films weekly, which leaves room for spontaneity. There is an informal rhythm which we actually celebrate in a way,” Lovelace adds. “We never sat down and said we want this to have X focus and Y factor.”
However, with so few films being made, past and present, about the Caribbean experience, the duo seeks out stories that originate from the area and reflect the Caribbean region.
Lovelace cites the Jonathan Demme documentary The Agronomist as a work that shows the realities of one of the Caribbean’s most complex and problematic countries: Haiti. Examined via the life and work of radio personality and political activist Jean Dominique who was assassinated in 2004.
“The film paints a picture of a particular kind of social commitment that individuals have engaged in. It indicates to the other countries in the region — who are in seemingly better shape than Haiti — that individuals spearhead social change,” said Lovelace. The 2004 documentary Carnival Roots, directed by Peter Chelkowski, was included in the SFC series with No Soul For Sale.
Lovelace added,”In terms of cultural identity, I would say that Carnival Roots is my recent favorite. It’s a great introduction into the cultural expressions of Trinidad and Tobago.”
For five nights SFC brought its no fuss vibe to the X Initiative Festival in Chelsea showing rooftop screenings of Caribbean films. “We didn’t want to be too obvious but we also thought at the same time, why not?”
The crew also screens music docs and period pieces that support the club’s purpose — classics like Sugar Cane Alley (Martinique, 1983), Black Narcissus (U.K., 1947), Scoundrel (Jamaica, 2008), and Touki Bouki (Senegal, 1973).
The No Soul For Sale Festival of Independents was a perfect fit for Studio Film Club’s first outpost. Organizers invited more than 30 of the most exciting not-for-profit art centers, alternative institutions, and artists collectives that are devoted to keeping art alive.
“This shows how the SFC can travel and spawn other satellites,” said Lovelace.
Doig and Lovelace hope to inspire young filmmakers and artists to think about film in a more expansive way. As Lovelace explained, the process has been an education for the painter. “I get to research films and read about them. Film is about composing images and creating images and framing things and painting is obviously has something to do with that. Mood and light. I’m sure filmmakers look a lot at painting and vise versa.”
Film education aside, it’s a great excuse to indulge in the long forgotten pleasure of a night at the movies under the stars … getting a dose of Caribbean cool while you’re at it.
Black and white photo from The Jazz Baroness.
Poster art by Peter Doig, co-founder of Studio Film Club.