• Submitted by: admin
• Arts and Culture
• Caribbean
• Cinema
• Culture and Traditions
• Destinations
• Entertainment
• international
• Society
• Personalities
• 11 / 26 / 2009

---

This is an acknowledgment to the important contribution and achievements of the Cuban cinema, whose film industry is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

One of the main objectives set by this entity is to seek technical training and financial assistance for its members, support for copyright protection.

The Traveling Caribbean Cinema Showcase, main exponent of the area’s audiovisuals, was elected to the Steering Board of the recently established Caribbean Audiovisual Network (CAN), which is an organization that focuses on the support and promotion of business development in the audiovisual sector of the region.

The Caribbean Audiovisual Network was incorporated as a non-profit entity, according to a press release issued by this group.

It is the result of a series of meetings carried out in Fort de France, Martinique, with the participation of representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Granada, Guadalupe, Guyana, Haiti,
Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba.

In a statement to Cubanow, the Cuban filmmaker Rigoberto López, president of the Traveling Caribbean Cinema Showcase, assured that the election to the Board is nothing but an acknowledgment to the important contribution and achievements of the Cuban cinema, whose film industry is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

López said that “the effective support to the main activities of the Traveling Caribbean Cinema Showcase was included in the contents and projects of this association.”

One of the main objectives set by this entity is to seek technical training and financial assistance for its members, support for copyright protection, incentives to co-productions, increase of exhibition venues and of distribution of the Caribbean
audiovisual product, and the creation of a database of the region’s professionals.

The very origin of the foundation of this network could be found in March of 2009 in Santo Domingo, when several key players of the audiovisuals were invited by Caribbean Export to develop this concept. Further on, with the support of Caribbean
Export, CARICOM, and the European Union, the process was successfully articulated at the meeting organized by the Regional Council of Martinique, with the attendance of 40 professionals of the audiovisual sector of the Caribbean.

The acting chairmen of CAN’s Board, who will steer the network until elections are held at the next general assembly of this regional organization, are Claude Mancuso from Haiti, Tony Coco-Violoin from Guadalupe, and Howard Allen from Antigua and
Barbuda. Ava-Gail Gardiner, from Jamaica, is the acting secretary and legal advisor.

Source: Cubanow.net