CTWD Highlights the Healing Power of Film at 2015 Caribbean Studies Conference
CTWD Highlights the Healing Power of Film at
2015 Caribbean Studies Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana – CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD) presented an important panel discussion on the unique role of film and new digital technologies in healing the historical hurts created by our colonial past, that have fueled divisions between Africa and the Creole cultures of the Caribbean and the Americas. The presentation took place during the 40th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Presenting on the panel were CTWD Chair, Dr. Keith Nurse; renowned filmmaker and Co-founder of Banyan Ltd., Christopher Laird; and filmmaker and ‘art-ivist’, Nicole Brooks. CTWD’s attendance at CSA was made possible by CTWD’s ‘3D Distribution Project’, financed by the ACP Cultures+ Program.
Caribbean Studies is growing in popularity among scholars and universities worldwide. This educational field is a core market for CTWD’s catalog of over 300 titles, many of which are used effectively as curriculum tools on a range of subjects, including history, cultural studies, immigration, sociology, economics, politics, and gender studies.
During the CSA Conference, CTWD also announced its landmark partnership with the Banyan Archives. This unparalleled Collection spans 4 decades and includes more than 3,000 high-quality documentary video recordings of Caribbean rituals, cultural festivals, and hundreds of interviews with celebrated Caribbean artists and icons. \
Christopher Laird said : “After two presentations at the CSA and the enthusiastic response from those who attended and who heard about the existence of this remarkable entrance into the resources available for Caribbean enquiry and research – which one person described as ‘epic’ – I think the use of video/film as a research tool in a context heavily invested in text is at last getting some traction. The excitement generated was palpable”
“Film records and documents our cultures, both past and living, and has the power to unite territories divided by distance, language and bodies of water. The synergies and similarities throughout the Diaspora are undeniable, haunting, resonant, and healing. Films on Caribbean subjects provide tools for education that did not exist before. They are invaluable for education, documentation and forward development, ” said Frances-Anne Solomon, Founder of CTWD.
