Virtual GATFFEST June 28 to July 2

GATFFEST, the Caribbean’s largest community film festival, will have its first virtual staging this year and is scheduled to run from June 28 to July 2.

The festival, which was launched last Thursday, will host two international film nights on June 28 and 29, and two local film nights on June 30 and July 1. The awards ceremony will be held on July 2.

The organisers say that submissions have come from across the globe, including from countries such as Italy, Argentina, Austria, Japan, Iran, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Turks & Caicos and, of course, Jamaica. A total of 61 submissions were received, from which 28 films were selected.

This year’s virtual festival is being staged in partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Social Services Department, Digicel and its PlayGo app.

Festival Director, Savannah Peridot, explained that the partnership sprang from an initial interest on the part of Digicel in 2020 to acquire content from the festival for the streaming app. “From that discussion, we suggested a partnership to host the upcoming GATFFEST on their app,” she said, adding that it was quickly realised that such an arrangement would be mutually beneficial.

Originating from the Greater August Town Film Project (since rebranded as the UWI Community Film Project), GATFFEST has grown into one of the most significant and anticipated events on the film calendar, attracting global submissions and a wide range of attendees.

It provides a vital opportunity to showcase new and emerging film-makers, telling stories via short films and documentaries. The festival includes premieres, community film nights, panel discussions, workshops and other events bringing together stakeholders in tourism, academia and the film and creative industries.