Freeport, Bahamas - FLIFF On Location: Grand Bahama Island is pleased to announce that Ian Strachan, writer, producer and director of the television series, “Gippie’s Kingdom" will be offering a workshop during FLIFF for aspiring filmmakers called, "Stories That Matter" on 10:00am at the Pelican Bay Canal House on Saturday, November 2nd. All participating local film makers in the three competition categories (high school, college and open) and anyone interested in film making are invited to attend (admittance by purchase of a $7 Day Pass or with an All Movies or All Access pass).
"I’m very excited about this opportunity to share
with aspiring artists," said Strachan who hosts
the current affairs
television porgramme, “The Exchange,” on
ZNS TV13. "Our world is getting smaller and smaller and
we in The Bahamas are discovering that the world has many centres.
We’re discovering that where you stand can be the world’s centre
if you want it to be. I am happy to be a part of FLIFF in Freeport
and happy to share my experiences. I really do believe The Bahamas is
undergoing an artist revolution and that the world will
want to hear and see our stories.
The
Stories That Matter workshop is geared toward preparing writers to
bring engaging stories to the small and big screens. "Drama is
about conflict. The more difficult circumstances become for your
characters the more interested your audience is in your story.
And your characters ought to be people your audience can relate to;
people they can root for or can dislike passionately. 'Real'
characters, and 'real' problems equal real good drama," said Strachan.
More about the instructor:
IAN GREGORY STRACHAN
is Associate Professor of English at
The College of The Bahamas. He received a BA in
English from Morehouse College (1990) and an MA (1993) and PhD (1995)
in English from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former Research
Fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia
(1998-1999) and a former Assistant Professor of English at the University
of Massachusetts Dartmouth (1999-2001). He served as Chair of the School
of English Studies at COB from 2004-2007.
His book,
Paradise and Plantation: Tourism and Culture in the
Anglophone Caribbean
,
was published in 2002 and discusses the politics of tourism in the region.
He is a poet, playwright, novelist and filmmaker. His first novel
,
God’s Angry Babies was published
in 1997.
He has written and directed a number of plays that
have been performed nationally and internationally, including
No Seeds in Babylon (1991)
,
which appears in the anthology
Contemporary
Drama for the Caribbean (2001) and
Diary of Souls (1999). In 1996 he founded the Track Road Theatre
Foundation and served as its Director until 2006. In 2007 his poetry
was included in the anthology
New
Caribbean Poetry (Carcanet 2007). He wrote and directed his
first film,
Show Me Your Motion: The Ringplay Games of The Bahamas
in 2006. In 2007 this documentary was featured in the UNESCO Caribbean
Traveling Film Showcase.
He is the author of the popular newspaper column “East
Street Blues” which has appeared each week in
The Nassau Guardian between 2006 and 2011. He was
the host of the daily public affairs talk show, “The Nation Today”
in 2009 on GEMS 105.9FM in Nassau. He is also a founder and member of
the civil society advocacy group, the
1962 Foundation.
Visitors
and residents alike will be encouraged to come out and enjoy
the films and events on offer during the four-day festival. More
information about screenings, special events, parties and seminars can
be found on TheBahamasWeekly.com or the festival's Facebook page:
"Ft. Lauderdale Int'l
Film Festival On Location: Grand Bahama Island" for photos and
further information.
Hosted
at
the Canal House, Pelican Bay Hotel,
from
October 31st to November 3rd
,
FLIFF on Location will also feature
international films, outdoor screenings, an annual honour
ee
(previously Dennis Haysbert and Giancarlo Esposito),
film specialist workshops, an island locations familiarization tour for
visiting filmmakers, and an awards and wrap party at the Canal House, Pelican Bay Hotel.
Ticket
prices are Day Pass $7.00; All Movies $10.00 and All Access Pass (movies, workshops, wrap party),
$20.00 and can be purchased at the Pelican Bay Hotel. All films will be screened at Canal House, Pelican Bay except
for the opening night films which are free of charge.
FLIFF On Location: Grand Bahama Island
is a collaboration between the Fort Lauderdale International Film
Festival, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Grand Bahama Island
Tourism Board. The event has been made possible through the generous
support of the following sponsors: Pelican Bay Hotel;
TheBahamasWeekly.com; Mackey Media Ltd; Bahamas Celebration Cruises; The Grand Bahama Port Authority
Limited; Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board; FLIFF; and the Grand Bahama Ministry
of Tourism.