A cinema as multicultural as its country
It was in 1900 that the first cinema screenings probably took place on Trinidad, in Port of Spain. Now destroyed, this establishment welcomed the curious before the first views of the region. It wasn't until the 1910s that the first cinemas dedicated to the seventh art saw the light of day on the island. The very first, according to the newspapers of the time, was the London Electric Theatre, in the Woodbrook district. It was through this theatre that Trinidadians first discovered cinematographic newsreels. By the 1930s, film buffs in the region could boast of at least one theatre in every town. However, the screen market, whether in San Fernando, Port of Spain or elsewhere, was dominated by American and European films, to the detriment of an almost non-existent local cinema. In 1935, a new type of production arrived on the scene: Bollywood cinema. Bala Joban (1934), shown for the first time at the Global Cinema in Port of Spain on the initiative of a young Indian engineer, was a hit with the island's large Indian community. This new range of films will help to swell the Trinidadian audience, and further increase the number of cinemas in the country. Without, however, giving local filmmakers more means. From this period, we can nevertheless remember the figure of Horace Ové, born in Belmont before emigrating to London to train, and become one of the most influential black filmmakers of his generation. His documentaries with James Baldwin, and fictions such as Pressure (1975) are now part of the pantheon of British cinema. In Trinidad & Tobago, it was not until the 1970s that the first local productions saw the light of day, a period that unfortunately coincided with the decline of movie theaters. Two filmmakers, Harbance Kumar and Hugh A. Robertson, contributed most to this production. Harbance Kumar's films were a blend of Bollywood tradition and resolutely Trinidadian history, while Robertson turned to historical and genre fiction. Discover Bim (1974) or Girl From India (1982) to immerse yourself in the Trinidad & Tobago of the period. The country's next big break came on television, with the soap opera Westwood Park (1997-2004). The drama pits two rival families, the Gunn-Munroe and the Dusoleil, against each other in the idyllic Caribbean setting.
Since 2006, a new wind has been blowing through Trinidad and Tobago's creative industry. Launched on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission TT offers national and international productions a wide range of grants and subsidies. This is in addition to events showcasing local filmmakers and artisans, both in well-established genres and in new media, such as a competition dedicated solely to smartphone films. There's no doubt that new start-ups will soon emerge in this booming industry, as international film shoots increase on the island. Even if, as you can read below, these are not new.
A long history of film sets
Close in language and geography to the American film industry, Trinidad & Tobago has been welcoming Hollywood filmmakers to its shores for almost a century. It was in the 1950s, after the Second World War, that film shoots were most numerous and prestigious. In 1955, Clark Gable set foot on the island, for the film Le rendez-vous de Hong-Kong, starring Susan Hayward. Two years later, three feature films were made on the island, in three completely different settings. John Huston, well known for his westerns, shot The Flesh and the Spirit (1957), with Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. That same year, Mitchum also starred in Fire Down Below, a romance with Rita Hayworth as a seductive, friendship-breaking star. Finally, in another register, American filmmaker Robert Rossen made Island of the Sun, a much more committed film depicting the difficulties of life on a Caribbean island colonized by the British. Filmed in Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad, the film was ahead of its time, and earned the director numerous racist threats.
In the 1960s, a British spy made the first stop of his career on the island. James Bond, in Dr No (1962), which was partly filmed on Trinidad. Perfect for completing your tour of the Caribbean, following in 007's footsteps. And to complete your sixties-style tour of the country, why not immerse yourself in the adventure of Robinsons des mers du Sud? Released in 1960, this Disney Studios family film was shot largely on the island of Tobago. It features idyllic Bacolet Bay, Craig Hall Falls and many other wonders. Take the time to watch this film before your stay, and set off on a treasure hunt with your little ones, following in the footsteps of this family of adventurers in spite of themselves. Or, if you're more interested in discovering the country's landscapes and wildlife than well-written fiction, immerse yourself in David Attenborough's documentaries. An actor fascinated by the island's birds in Life of Birds (1998), or simply by its endemic life in Life (2009).
Seeing movies in Trinidad and Tobago
Although the number of cinemas has dwindled to a trickle, the country still boasts state-of-the-art complexes. The Digicel IMAX is one of the only IMAX cinemas in the Caribbean, and will welcome you in Port of Spain. In San Fernando, you can discover the latest American or Bollywood films at the Empire Cinema or MovieTowne, in keeping with the island's almost century-old traditions. Finally, thanks to FilmTT, the Trinidad+Tobago festival is now in its eighteenth year (2023). A multi-faceted event, combining cinema and new technologies, reflecting the dynamism of this country, which now has a bright future ahead of it in the seventh art.
