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2022 TCIFF Poster Gets International Recognition

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#TurksandCaicos, January 23, 2023 – The 2022 Turks and Caicos International Film Festival (TCIFF) Poster, designed by 10-year-old Janiya Harris of the Oseta Jolly Primary School, was recently named one of the world’s best film festival posters by FestivalinLA.com.

The international platform created by film critic José Alberto Hermosillo promotes the talent of the most prestigious festivals worldwide, and the organization selects the most creative, colorful, and inventive film festival posters each year.

This is the platform’s second year recognizing a TCIFF poster. In 2021, Janella Forbes’ masterpiece “Mother Earth” marked the debut of the festival and its supporting art on the site.

Karen Whitt, Chairman of TCIFF, said that this is truly a win not just for the young artists but also for the film festival and the Turks and Caicos Islands as a whole.

“We are so proud of this accomplishment and so proud of the work that both Janella and Janiya have done to put this beautiful country on the international film festival stage among so many other creatives.”

She continued, “Turks and Caicos is home to some incredible talent, and year after year we are raising the bar on the poster designs for the festival, and we are happy that these designs are being featured among the best in the world.”

According to the FestivalinLA website, the organization curated every featured piece based on concept, originality, and supporting components, all conjoined to their respective festival’s theme and harmonious style. The final line-up is a collection of wonderful gems that help the public recognize the cultural identity and beauty of each festival and its designated city or country.

Patrina Pollard-Harris, mother of Janiya Harris, said that she was excited when she saw the feature on her daughter’s work and that it doesn’t matter how young you are, there is always an opportunity to make a difference, you just have to be ready to apply yourself when that opportunity comes.

“We are all so proud of our Janiya, and we are even more excited to see that her design was included with so many international posters,” she said. “It’s been non-stop excitement for her. This goes to show that you are never too young to make a difference, and no matter the age, a dream can still come true.”

Young Harris was one of over 40 children from the Edward Gartland Youth Centre who participated in the 2022 poster competition. The 2022 competition focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and allowed children with artistic vision to bring their designs to life with the aid of a finely tuned computer program. The event was curated with the help of London-based creative company Once Upon A Time. Their Creative Director, Jolyon Meldrum, commented,

“I was so impressed with Janiya’s final result, and how easily she took to using generative AI. The beauty of what we are seeing here, is that technology has removed a barrier. This now allows a younger generation to express themselves in a completely different and unique way”

Harris created her poster by describing the picture in her mind to the AI program with phrases such as kids playing, flamingos, seashells, blue fish, crystal clear waters, flowers, and a clean beach. After fine tuning her descriptive phrases and tweaking the program’s results, she arrived at the final winning piece that has risen to international acclaim.

Her winning piece was a playful and inviting take on the beaches that the Turks and Caicos Islands are known for. It features crystal-clear waters, sand, shells, and a flamingo, all created in a style reminiscent of an afternoon arts-and-craft session.

“From featuring the art of world-renowned local artist Bradley Theodore for our inaugural poster to highlighting the incredibly talented youth of these islands in subsequent years, our posters not only represent the festival to the world, but also this incredible country,” said Whitt. Speaking on the upcoming poster competition for the 2023 festival, she continued, “For 2023, we will once again host a competition for the country’s youth, and we encourage all our amazing, young local creatives to get involved. This year, we invite our youth interested in photography to join in on the fun. As always, the theme of the festival, ‘oceans and environment’, should be the central focus of any entry, but how that is demonstrated through photography is entirely up to the artists submitting their work.”

Festival organizers are asking that all interested parties visit their social media pages and website, www.tciff.org, for more information.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Turks and Caicos International Film Festival, and the organizers will be making some exciting announcements soon about this year’s festivities. The main event is scheduled for November, and it will once again be a multi-day event that combines the glitz and glamor of Hollywood with impact and purpose. The festival will also celebrate the best of filmmaking with a focus on safeguarding our oceans and environmental conservation.

For more information on the Turks and Caicos International Film Festival, and the upcoming poster competition, interested persons are encouraged to visit their website at www.tciff.org or the social media pages.

 

Photo Captions:

Header: Janiya Harris and Country Music Star Jimmie Allen.

Insert: Janiya Harris of the Oseta Jolly Primary School

Release: TCIFF

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Caribbean News

Millions to come from FSC 

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

 

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Revenue from the Turks and Caicos’ Financial Services Sector will more than double in the next few years, if E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister gets his way.  It ‘s one of the reasons the country is investing so much capital into getting off of the EU blacklist and becoming a secure trustworthy financial destination. 

“The FSC’s revenues for 2020/21 was $10.5M— the figures for 2021/22, would be about similar,” he said.  He further explained that $10.5 million from the FSC represented about 2.6 percent of the country’s 408.5-million-dollar revenue.  Though it increased to $14 million in the 2021/22 financial year, finance is still a small fry compared to tourism or even stamp duties but that will change, says Saunders. 

“My revenue goal for the Government by the year 2029 [or] the election after the next election – is $500M.  By that time, I want the financial sector (FSC) revenues to represent at least 5% ($25M).  So that’s my goal for the financial sector by 2029.” 

This goal, should it be met, would increase the Government’s revenue by 100 million dollars, a significant increase in spending power for local upgrades and improvements for Turks and Caicos residents and visitors. 

Saunders says it’s time for the TCI to diversify its sources of revenue to make sure that what happened in the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw residents out of a job for months, will not happen again.  Tourism now makes up around 80 percent of the country’s GDP.  The Minister of Finance wants to push that down to 60 or even 50 percent.  

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Debrief on Haiti Caribbean heads visit 

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

 

 

#Haiti, March 17, 2023 – When a CARICOM delegation visited Haiti earlier this month, conspicuously absent was the Turks and Caicos Islands despite being one of the nations most directly affected by the multi-dimensional crisis there.  There is no comment, as yet from the Premier, to say why this was the case.  

Still, from the expedition, CARICOM heads of Government have informed that there will be lobbying in Africa for assistance in Haiti.  They say they have decided that the best course of action for the Caribbean country is to bolster the Haitian National Police and act as intermediaries with Africa and the world.  The decision follows a one day visit on February 27th, and a March 5th meeting chaired by the Bahamas. 

CARICOM says during the trip delegates ‘met with a broad range of Haitian stakeholders to hear their views on the way forward to a Haitian-led solution’. With that in mind it has made a decision on how to proceed.

“The Heads of Government agreed to support the Haitian National Police in their efforts to address the security situation.  The focus of the Community will be the provision of training for the HNP and the provision of humanitarian assistance to HNP and the wider Haitian society, taking into account the challenging humanitarian and security situation”

It’s not clear yet where and how this training will take place.  Also distinctly absent from the report, no more mention of boots on the ground from other countries despite CARICOM Member States indicating they were ready and willing should it come to that.

In addition, recognizing ‘the common historical experiences and the strong African-Caribbean relationship’ CARICOM says,

“Heads of Government also agreed to seek support from African countries for Haiti.  They also agreed to work with the Governments of Canada and the United States as well as the UNDP”

Magnetic Media has reached out to the Premier’s Office to get a full debrief of the February 27th visit (led by Jamaica; including The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago) to learn of Turks and Caicos’ posture following the critical sessions.  

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New ASHLEY’S LEARNING CENTRE CONCERT

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

 

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Musicians from the New World Symphony will be in the Turks and Caicos in concert next month and residents are invited to attend in support of the future of Ashley’s Learning Center.

A fairly young orchestral academy based in Miami, the New World Symphony was launched in the 1980s by 1987, Michael Tilson Thomas and Ted Arison,Carnival Cruises founder.  From the 1500 applicants who vie for a spot each year, the symphony accepts around 35 music graduates annually for training fellowships. 

A select few of those graduates will be in country on April 8th headlining at the Ashley’s Learning Center concert ‘We’re all in this together’.  The concert which also feature local artistes will be held at Brayton Hall on Venetian Road from 6 pm to 8:30 pm

Tickets are available ON ISLEHELP  $75 PER GENERAL SEAT $125 PER PREMIUM SEAT $195 PER GALLERY SEAT – with /FREFRESHMENTS. 

For TICKET RESERVATIONs you can call: 649-341-2304 or email  EVENTS@ASHLEYSLEARNINGCENTER.ORG 

 

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