Friday, November 27, 2009

National Arts Festival Activities

Hey guys,
A quick reminder
NATIONAL ARTS & CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Opening Night
Saturday 28th November - 6:30 pm ($10.00)

Visual Arts Exhibition
Monday 30th November to Saturday 5th December
10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Book Fair
Monday 30th November to Saturday 5th December
10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Drama Nights
Monday 30th November - 8:00 pm ($20.00)
Tuesday 1st December - 8:00 pm ($20.00)

**Film & Audio-Visual Night [organised by PACE]
Wednesday 2nd December - 7:00 pm ($5.00)

Dance Nights
Thursday 3rd December - 8:00 pm ($20.00)
Friday 4th December - 8:00 pm ($20.00)

Folk & Traditional Night
Saturday 5th December - 7:00 pm ($20.00)


Festival of Carols
Sunday 6th December - 7:00 pm
St Peter’s Catholic Church in Dennery

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Big Week for PACE

Hey Guys,

Very important week for PACE next week

There are three major things happening next that we need members to support in a big way. Starting on Thursday, continuing on Friday and Saturday

Thurs Nov 19th at 9:00 a.m. at the Pastoral Centre

Workshop on a Strategic Plan for PACE

A draft plan was circulated earlier for your comments. It’s attached again so have a look at it. This is a crucial meeting as we will attempt to lay down a strategic plan for the CREATIVE SECTOR which includes fashion, music, film, visual and performing arts, arts and crafts, advertising, audio-visual and architecture.

This plan will guide the work of PACE for the next 2-3 years so please we need your involvement on Thursday November 19th at the Pastoral Centre from 9:00 a.m. Maxine Alleyne-Esprit of the Export Development Unit of the OECS Secretariat will be there as well, so please turn out in good numbers for this. We need to demonstrate that things are happening in St. Lucia – it’s the only way we can qualify for grants and other financial support. So be part of it.

Friday Nov 20th – Film Premier of ‘A Winter Tale’

Trinidadian Film Director Frances-Anne Solomon will be here on Friday next week for the St. Lucia premier of her film “A Winter Tale”. Ms. Solomon who now lives in Canada also puts on annual film festivals there featuring Caribbean and African film producers. Come support a Caribbean film producer. The Caribbean Cinemas as agreed to premier the film from 7:00p.m. on Friday Nov 20th so again we need the members of PACE to attend this event. Also feel free to invite other persons as well. It’s not a free movie, so walk with $15 to pay for your ticket. Ms. Solomon will meet with members of PACE after the film in the small party room at the Cinema. Please support this event.

Saturday Nov 21st – Meeting with Trinidad Film Producer

On Saturday November 21st at 3:00p.m. at Bay Gardens Inn [venue to be confirmed] we will be hosting a session with Frances-Anne Solomon to discuss a number of film related issues – she’ll talk about her experience as a film director/producer, the Caribbean Tales film festival in Canada and the possibilities for St. Lucian film producers in Canada. It’s a big deal, so be part of this as we move towards advancing a film industry in St. Lucia.

Support needed for One Love Charity Concert in Gros Islet

Members of PACE who have experience in stage management or want to be part of the ONE LOVE Charity concert, please read the attached from Michael St. Prix one of our members. You may have seen him on TALK last night promoting the event scheduled for December 4th at Gros Islet.

Monday, October 26, 2009

PACE meeting on Sat Oct 31st at Bay Gardens

Guys,
Quick update –
Thanks for the completed application forms
Thanks to those of you who have sent in the completed application forms. And if you haven’t and are getting put off by some of the questions – don’t worry too much about it. Send us the form with your contact info and whatever else you can volunteer currently and we will fill in the blanks as we get to know you better.

Meeting on Saturday 31st October at 3:00pm Bay Gardens Hotel
A meeting to update the general membership on what we’ve been up to is scheduled for this Saturday, October 31st at the Bay Gardens Hotel from 3:00p. We’d really want to see you there as we are nothing without a membership. In any case we have lots to discuss including some activities for the next few weeks. So please make an effort to be there and to bring along a colleague.

Upcoming events
We will discuss a strategic planning meeting for the creative arts which is slated for the middle of November – the exact date will be confirmed shortly. But this meeting is to discuss a 2-3 year plan for action for the development of the creative industries. Addressing that meeting with be an OECS Export Development Unit officer who will advise on a range of matters including grant support for your creative projects etc. So that meeting will be very critical. The date will be announced shortly.

PACE is not for film only!
There’s been some concern that PACE exists to promote only the film and audio visual sector. This is not correct. PACE was born out of an initiative to develop a film industry but that mandate is being broadened to include all sectors of the creative arts. Our mandate is to engage all sectors ranging from fashion to arts and craft, music, even architecture – any field where intellectual property is used to generate income. The idea is to get those sectors talking to each other, develop a strategic plan for advancing the creative industries, lobby for policy and legislative support, and network with regional and international agencies.

Meeting on Saturday October 31st at 3:00pm Bay Gardens Hotel
Please give us your support as we seek to develop the creative sector in St. Lucia. See u on Saturday at Bay Gardens from 3:00pm

Get updates on www.paceslu.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Caribbean Audio-Visual Network is established

Representatives of national film and audio‐visual associations, film commissions and film and audio‐visual training institutions in the Caribbean have established a regional organization focused on accelerating business development within the audio‐visual sector.
The Caribbean Audio‐Visual Network (C.A.N.) was recently registered as a non‐profit company.

This was a major outcome of an Audio‐Visual Sector meeting held in Fort de
France, Martinique on September 23 with representation from Antigua and Barbuda,
Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada,
Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, Martinique, St. Kitts‐Nevis, Suriname and
Trinidad and Tobago.

The meeting established some key objectives for C.A.N. that will seek to improve the status and productivity of the film and audio‐visual industry in the Caribbean:
1. to seek technical training and financial assistance to help its members;
2. to facilitate and support of the protection of the intellectual property rights;
3. to promote the development of co‐productions among the member countries;
4. to seek international sources of funding;
5. to raise the visibility of the members’ productions;
6. to assist in the creation of a Caribbean distribution mechanism and
7. to create a data‐base of the region’s practitioners.

The seed for this much needed network was planted in March of 2009 in Santo Domingo when several players from the AV sector where invited by Caribbean Export to develop the concept. This process continued with the support of Caribbean Export, Caricom and the European Union, when over 40 music and film & audio‐visual professionals participated in a meeting hosted by the Conseil Regional de Martinique, which created respective networks to help unify and enhance their professions.

Senior Services Advisor of Caribbean Export, Tonika Sealy expressed the agency’s satisfaction with the tangible and sector driven outcomes of the meeting. “Through the hard work of the steering committee, the region finally has a body with a leadership and membership structure representing diverse elements of the audio‐visual sector. It also covers the four language areas of the Caribbean.” she said.

“Apart from the CARIFORUM countries that are served by Caribbean Export, we are particularly pleased that the new association will embrace the French Territories and
Cuba, which are important centers for world cinema and co‐productions in the
Caribbean” Sealy added.

The C.A.N. interim co‐chairs who will steer the network until elections are held at the next general assembly are Claude Mancuso of Haiti, Tony Coco‐Vilon of Guadeloupe and Howard Allen of Antigua and Barbuda. Ava‐Gail Gardiner of Jamaica is the Interim secretary and legal advisor.
For information contact:
Claude Mancuso: e‐mail: haitvnet@aol.com, Tel: 011 (509) 3719-1258

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

CALL FOR PROPOSALS. PLEASE NOTE

Hey guys,

There is no OCTOBER 15th Deadline.
There appears to be a little confusion about the Caribbean Export call to action. The call is being issued on October 15th [Thursday]. That is NOT the deadline for submission of proposals! The details will become available tomorrow [Thursday] and then you can prepare your proposals etc.

To ensure that you understand the procedures etc a session will be held on Tuesday October 20th to explain everything and by then we should know the deadline. Hope that sorts out the confusion. See details in a letter from Fercinta Louisy of the Ministry of Commerce below.

Critical PACE meeting on OCTOBER 31st!
We are scheduling a meeting for October 31st to update on PACE activities so far and our plans for the next 12 months. There are exciting projects for discussion. We are moving ahead!

PLEASE COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM AND RETURN TO ME
In the meantime, we need all persons interested in PACE to sign-up by filling out the form attached and emailing it back to me for entry into our database. There is a lot happening but we need to be organized to benefit!!!

And our blog is paceslu.blogspot.com
PACE will be sending invitations to members to sign up on FACEBOOK so we can be part of the online family.
We will communicate some more this week.

Letter from Fercinta

Dear All,
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) launched its 3rd Call for Proposals for the Regular Procedure on October 15, 2009. The Agency will also be accepting applications for the Accelerated Procedures grants from October 15, 2009. Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Guidelines to the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme are encouraged to submit their applications.

Caribbean Export will be hosting a one-day meeting to present information on the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme in St Lucia on October 20, 2009 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Attached is the flyer of the Direct Assistance Scheme. Please note that a representative will be on hand following the presentation to assist companies complete their application.
The presentation will be held at the Training Room, 1st Floor of the Stanislaus James Building (building which houses the Ministry of Agriculture), Waterfront, Castries.
Should you require any additional information regarding this meeting, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 468-4212 or 468-4238.
Kindest Regards
Fercinta Louisy

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Cuban and st Lucian movies

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA
SAINT LUCIA

The EMBASSY OF CUBA IN SAINT LUCIA has the pleasure to invite you to the Joint Presentation of the Cuban Film “Benny MorĂ©” and a Documentary Film [Hidden Treasures] made by a Saint Lucian Film Maker; on the occasion of the celebration of the Day of Cuban Culture and the Saint Lucian Cultural Month.

Date: 20th of October, 2009

Venue: City Hall, Castries

Time: 5:00 P.M.

EVERYONE IS INVITED. Support Local and Caribbean Film Producers.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Michelle Serieux, St. Lucian Film Producer

Follow the progress of St. Lucian Film Producer Michelle Series
Support the work of the PACE, St. Lucia, Professionals in Action for Creative Enterprise, a group dedicated to the promotion of the Creative Arts in St. Lucia.

Join the efforts to organise a film industry in St. Lucia

Sign up to become a member
PACE, Professionals in Action for Creative Enterprise is a group comprising persons from the creative/cultural industries in St. Lucia. Our mandate is to push for the development of the creative sector and in particular the establishment of a film industry in St. Lucia.
Join us in our efforts by registering with PACE. Its free. Email paceslu@gmail.com for an application form.