The 12°N,61°W Film Festival Partners with Pavillon Afriques at Cannes Film Festival 21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
By Curlan Campbell
1261 Film Festival to host "Film Festival From the West" at the 74th Season of the Festival de Cannes Virtual Platform on July 11, 2021.
ST. GEORGE, GRENADA (July 9, 2021) -- The 12°N61°W (1261) Film Festival, based in Grenada, West Indies, expands globally through its partnership with Pavillon Afriques at the Festival de Cannes. "The uptick of this unprecedented time has opened up fantastic professional networking opportunities for creative growth potential for Grenada and our region with other film industries globally," said Meschida Philip, the Executive Director and Founder of the 1261Film Festival. Pavillon Afriques is the first dedicated tent since 2019 dedicated to the Business of Film in the African continent and among its diaspora within the Marché du Film Market section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Ms. Philip, a Grenadian-born filmmaker, will host the "Film Festivals from the West" virtual mixer at the Marché du Film during the Festival de Cannes, one of the leading international film industry markets. She is optimistic about the event and encourages Grenadian content creators and filmmakers to register for the "Festival From The West" mixer on Sunday, July 11th, 9 a.m. (AST).
The aim of the Film Festival from the West mixer is to make connections, share exciting insights about the works coming from the Western Hemisphere and discuss ways to integrate film and other new media into existing opportunities from the Caribbean and America with the African diaspora. Ms. Philip indicated she pitched to host the meet-up for film festivals from the Caribbean region, and Pavillion Afriques approved it. She then invited several of her colleagues from The Hip Hop Film Festival (NY-based), The Haiti International Film Festival (LA-based), and the Film and Folklore Film Festival (T&T) to be part of the "Festival From the West'' virtual mixer." The Pavilion Afriques runs from July 6 to 15, 2021, with free film screenings at 7:30 p.m. (Paris Time) and over 30 industry-focused workshops, masterclasses, and other events.
This opportunity provides the 1261 Film Festival visibility as a de facto cultural tourism attraction for Grenada in a global film marketplace, further strengthening an international pathway to foster relationships for resource sharing and artistic collaboration to support our local creative community. She shares that "In my capacity as the Director of 1261 Film Festival, I've witnessed firsthand the shift in opportunities for creatives in Grenada and the wider Caribbean. Availability to more promotional markets, like 1261 Film Festival are there; resources for funding and training programs are becoming more available from regional and international organisations, including CARICOM, CaribExports, UNESCO, OECS". Ms. Philip echoes that even with the accessibility of modern technology, like cell phones, digital cameras, drones, and YouTube (training), filmmakers from Grenada need access to more professional development and funding resources from the Government and broader business & art community to produce higher quality productions for international exports.
The task of developing our film and creative industry in Grenada does not come without its challenges and requires "a collective effort from Government to the private sector, content creators to investors, to art lovers," stated Ms. Philip. She credits all of the 1261 Film Festival partners over the past two years, including Grenada Tourism Authority, Caribbean Exports, Grenada Co-op Bank, MNR Events, and most recently UNESCO, for supporting the festival and other local initiatives aiding in developing a solid, sustainable film and creative industry in Grenada.
Meanwhile, planning is ongoing for the third annual 1261 Film Festival scheduled for October 30-November 7, 2021. Call for submission of films, animation, and music videos are currently open until August 31. If you are interested in supporting the festival, visit 1261filmfestival.com.
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About 12°N, 61°W Film Festival
The 12°N61°W Film Festival (1261 Film Festival) is an annual event dedicated to recognising Grenadian talent and showing quality films by diverse storytellers about people from the Caribbean and African Diaspora. The aim is to amplify Grenadian filmmakers, women filmmakers, people of color, and people with disabilities in entertainment and media. Our platform serves as a vehicle to strengthen the Grenadian Film and Creative community by fostering resource sharing, education, and artistic collaboration. Meschida Philip, a Grenadian born filmmaker and Managing Director of Mprojekts Creative Group, Gnd founded and produces the 1261 Film Festival in Grenada.
Follow the 1261 Film Festival | LinkedIn: 1261 Film Festival, Facebook: 1261FilmFestival, Instagram: 1261filmfestival, Twitter: 1261filmfest www.1261filmfestival.com
About Pavillon Afriques
Pavillon Afriques is the first dedicated tent within the Film Market section of the Cannes Film Festival dedicated to the Business of Film in the African continent and among its diaspora. The inaugural edition took place in 2019, May 14-25.
Follow Pavillon Afriques: Facebook: pafriquesofficiel; Twitter: pafriqofficiel; Instagram: pavillonafriques www.pavillonafriques.com
About Marché du Film
The Marché du Film during the Festival de Cannes is the world's biggest gathering of international film industry professionals who come to sell the rights to films, find partners and expand their professional network. It offers exceptional visibility through a host of events and activities. The Marché du Film represents:12,000 professionals, 3,200 producers, 1,750 buyers, 800 festival programmers.
Media Contact:
473-421-3798 (Grenada)
914-265-1289 (U.S.)
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