The halls of Imax cinema at One Woodbrook Place buzzed like a beehive on Friday as the Animae Caribe Animation Festival ushered in its third day of festivities.
Friday’s youth expo was a vibrant hub of local talent as young entrepreneurs, vendors, and students all came together to be immersed in the world of storytelling through a digital expo.
Spotlighting the creative genius of local storytellers through animation, Programme Coordinator and Creative Executive Producer of Animae Caribe, Camille Selvon, encouraged the youngsters to become entrepreneurs in a sector that is underdeveloped.
“The amount of companies that are doing animation and gaming is limited, and it’s only limited because of course there’s funding to make these things happen, but what we do with our programme at the university is encourage students to be entrepreneurs so they don’t have to wait to be employed.”
Ms. Selvon said one newly-produced film is expected to be the leading local animation that puts Trinidad and Tobago on the map. She called for investors to aid in the success of these films.
“We are talking to local investors here in Trinidad, and we are also talking to the government about supporting projects like that. So ‘Champions of the Galaxy’ will do several things. One, it will put the Caribbean, and Trinidad and Tobago especially, on the map to say we are doing high-level, good-quality productions that could be shown all over the world, and two, it will create a portfolio of Trinidad and Tobago so whenever we out there we could say, this is what we did.”
Ms. Selvon is encouraging more students to step into the digital animation arena so that our creative voices can echo across the globe.
“Especially as we enter into an AI world where things are going to be easier to do, we have to step out first. We have to make sure we are a part of that and have our Caribbean stories on the global platform, so the intention is to do that now and push local and Caribbean IP out there.”
Amber d’Ornellas, a student animator and co-creator of the animated short film ‘Grains of Sand,’ said this opportunity afforded her hands-on experience in creating an animated film.
She explained the deeper meaning behind the film: “Well, everybody has something that they’re dealing with and that they running away from, so the film is an analogy based on coming face to face with your trauma and then running away from it.”
As the Animation Festival winds down, the last day, carded for Saturday November 29th, is set to end with workshops and lectures all housed within the scope of artificial intelligence and the creation of digital animation.
Animae Caribe 2025 is being celebrated under the theme “Art, Content and the Future” as it aims to reroute our stories, connect our past, and build our future of storytelling in the Caribbean.