Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF)

Overview

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF) is the Anglophone Caribbean's primary competitive film festival. Founded in 2006 by film historian and producer Bruce Paddington, the festival is held annually in September in Port of Spain. The 2025 edition (TTFF/25) ran September 24 to 30. The 2026 edition (TTFF/26) marks the festival's 20th anniversary and runs September 23 to 29, 2026. TTFF screens feature-length narrative and documentary films, short and mid-length films, experimental works, and student films with a focus on the Caribbean and its diaspora.

TTFF is one of the few competitive film festivals in the Caribbean. Festival director Mariel Brown has stated that winning awards at TTFF brings Caribbean filmmakers "much-needed visibility as they build their careers." The festival describes itself as "a festival of discovery and new talent," programming emerging voices alongside established regional filmmakers. The 2025 awards recognized films from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and the broader Caribbean diaspora.

For Caribbean filmmakers, TTFF is the most important regional platform for reaching audiences, press, and industry professionals with interest in Caribbean content. The festival also accepts films from West Africa and South Asia through its non-competitive Origins program, reflecting the historical and cultural connections between the Caribbean and these regions. Submissions are via FilmFreeway, with early bird, regular, and late deadlines. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate whether the submission cost makes sense for your project.

Key Sections

• Caribbean Programme (competitive) - feature-length films (60 minutes and over) from the Caribbean, the diaspora, and films by international filmmakers made in and about the region
• Short and Mid-Length Films (competitive) - films under 30 minutes (shorts) and 30 to 59 minutes (mid-length) from the Caribbean and its diaspora
• Origins Programme (curated, non-competitive) - short and feature-length films from South Asia and West Africa, reflecting the historical and cultural connections between the Caribbean and these regions
• New Media Programme (curated, non-competitive) - avant-garde and experimental film and video works from artists and filmmakers in the Caribbean and its diaspora
• Student Films Programme (competitive) - narrative and documentary films with a Caribbean focus made by student filmmakers (secondary or tertiary) in the Caribbean
• Industry Programme - networking, professional development, and co-production opportunities connecting Caribbean filmmakers with broadcasters, distributors, and international partners

Submission Details

Submissions for TTFF/26 (the 20th anniversary edition) opened January 11, 2026. All submissions must be made online via FilmFreeway.

2026 Submission Deadlines:

Submitting early saves on submission fees. Check the FilmFreeway page for the current fee schedule, as fees may vary by deadline and category.

Eligibility requirements:

• Films must have been completed after January 1, 2023
• Open to Caribbean filmmakers in the region and the diaspora, and international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora
• Films from West Africa and South Asia are accepted for the non-competitive Origins programme
• Films must be Caribbean or Trinidad and Tobago Premieres (preference given to Caribbean premieres)
• The festival may occasionally consider films that have already been shown publicly in Trinidad and Tobago. Contact hello@ttfilmfestival.com if your film falls into this category
• All submissions must be made online via FilmFreeway

What Filmmakers Should Know

Who should submit: Caribbean filmmakers living in the region or diaspora, international filmmakers with films about or set in the Caribbean, and filmmakers from West Africa and South Asia (for the Origins programme). If your film does not have a Caribbean connection, it is not eligible unless it is from West Africa or South Asia.

Competitive structure: TTFF is one of the few competitive film festivals in the Caribbean. Films screened in competition are eligible for jury prizes across fiction, documentary, and student categories, with separate awards for feature-length, mid-length, and short films. The festival also awards a Best Film Made in Trinidad and Tobago prize and an Audience Award for best T and T film.

2025 award winners: The TTFF/25 jury awarded Best Feature-Length Fiction Film to Kanaval, directed by Haitian-Canadian filmmaker Henri Pardo, a story exploring identity, migration, and memory through the lens of Carnival. An honourable mention went to Olivia + the Clouds by Tomas Pichardo Espailat. Best Feature-Length Documentary went to L'Homme Verigage: Tales of a City by Malaury Eloi Paisley. Best Mid-Length Documentary went to Zone by Simon Shim-Sutcliffe. Best Short Documentary went to Bubbling Baby by Sharine Rijsenburg. Best Short Fiction Film went to Blue Heart by Samuel Suffren (Haiti). Best Film Made in Trinidad and Tobago went to Charlotteville Tails by Elspeth Duncan, with an honourable mention to Peko: Today for Tomorrow by Jovan Lalla. The Paddington Prize for Best Student Film went to Depeyize by Pamela Bencosme.

Industry connections: TTFF's industry programme connects Caribbean filmmakers with broadcasters, distributors, and co-production partners interested in the region. The festival has historically partnered with organizations including the Tribeca Film Institute, WorldView (an initiative of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association), and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries (ACP) on film funds and co-production initiatives. The festival's network provides pathways from Caribbean cinema to international markets.

20th anniversary in 2026: Festival director Mariel Brown has stated that the 2026 edition will honor filmmakers whose careers have been shaped by TTFF while continuing to champion new and emerging voices. The milestone edition is expected to feature alumni retrospectives alongside the regular competitive program.

Cultural context: Trinidad and Tobago is the birthplace of steelpan, calypso, and one of the world's great carnival traditions. The festival's programming reflects the energy and diversity of Caribbean life and storytelling, with a particular strength in films that engage with diaspora identity, migration, and cultural hybridity.

Major Awards

• Best Feature-Length Fiction Film - jury prize for the best Caribbean or diaspora narrative feature
• Best Mid-Length Fiction Film - jury prize for narrative films 30 to 59 minutes
• Best Short Fiction Film - jury prize for narrative films under 30 minutes
• Best Feature-Length Documentary Film - jury prize for the best Caribbean or diaspora documentary feature
• Best Mid-Length Documentary Film - jury prize for documentary films 30 to 59 minutes
• Best Short Documentary Film - jury prize for documentary films under 30 minutes
• Best Film Made in Trinidad and Tobago - jury prize for the best film by a Trinidad and Tobago filmmaker
• Paddington Prize for Best Student Film - jury prize for the best student film with a Caribbean focus
• Audience Award for Best T and T Film - audience-voted prize for the best Trinidad and Tobago film

Festival History

TTFF has its origins in the Kairi Film Festival, a one-off event that took place over three days in November 2002 in Port of Spain. The festival was formally conceived in 2005 by Bruce Paddington with the intention of showing only Caribbean films. The first Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival took place in 2006, supported by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, a state enterprise. Films screened at the inaugural edition included Sistagod, directed by Trinidadian filmmaker Yao Ramesar, and the documentary Calypso Dreams.

In 2008, the cable television provider Flow became the festival's presenting sponsor, and TTFF expanded to include technical workshops and a partnership with the University of the West Indies. The third edition screened 67 films including shorts and prize-winning features. Guests included British artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien.

The 2009 festival opened with Rain, written and directed by Maria Govan of the Bahamas, and introduced jury prizes for the first time. Guests included Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas and Hilton Als, theatre critic for The New Yorker. In 2010, the festival held a retrospective of Brazilian filmmaker Daniela Thomas and entered a partnership with the Zanzibar International Film Festival.

In 2011, TTFF hosted the first Focus: Filmmakers' Immersion, a three-day workshop for emerging Caribbean filmmakers, in association with RBC Royal Bank. The festival opened with the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Chico and Rita and presented its first lifetime achievement award to Harry Belafonte. Screenings were held at the historic Little Carib Theatre for the first time.

The 2012 edition screened more than 120 films, with nearly one-third from Trinidad and Tobago. The industry section included the launch of a Caribbean Film Fund by the Tribeca Film Institute and WorldView, and a presentation by the ACP on their film fund. The opening night film was the documentary Marley, with director Kevin Macdonald in attendance. The 2013 edition screened more than 140 films and opened with Half of a Yellow Sun, starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The festival has operated continuously since 2006, building the infrastructure for a Caribbean film industry that had no comparable platform before its establishment. In 2025, the festival reported strong attendance and a competitive slate that drew coverage from Caribbean and international media. The 2026 edition will celebrate 20 years of programming Caribbean cinema.

Past Winners (Best Narrative Feature / Best Trinidad and Tobago Film)

Recent TTFF winners and where the films landed:

• 2023: *Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project*, dirs. Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson. Won Best Documentary Feature. Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2023. Oscar-shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature. Distributed by HBO.

• 2023: *Fortune For All*, dir. Yao Ramesar. Won Best Trinidad and Tobago Film. A Trinidadian drama that demonstrates the festival's commitment to local cinema.

• 2022: Cette Maison (This House), dir. Miryam Charles. Won Best Narrative Feature. A Haitian-Canadian film about a family haunted by the past. Screened at TIFF and Berlin.

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

TTFF has launched Caribbean cinema. Selected premieres and their outcomes:

• Grace and Saleem (2019) - Won Best Feature People's Choice Award at TTFF. Won Best Feature at the 2020 CaribbeanTales International Film Festival. Selected for the 2021 NollywoodWeek Film Festival and the 2021 Pan African Film Festival. Distributed by Mbur Films via Amazon and Altavod.
• *The Cutlass* - Played to sold-out audiences at TTFF. Won the People's Choice Award and Best Trinidad and Tobago Feature Film. Headed to the Marche du Film at Cannes. Signed to Leomark Studios and Wild Eye Releasing for distribution.
• *Green Days by the River* - Premiered at TTFF. Won People's Choice Best Narrative Feature. Won the Carmichael Award for Exceptional Storytelling at the Barbados Independent Film Festival.
• Trinidad Remains (2023) - Won Best Narrative Short at TTFF 2023. Selected for the London Short Film Festival (1 of 500 from 5,000 submissions). Selected for the 32nd Pan African Film and Arts Festival in Los Angeles.
• My Maxi (2022) - Won Best Trinidad and Tobago Film People's Choice at TTFF 2022. Screened in Jamaica, St Vincent, the UK's Barbican Centre Snapshots festival, and the US's Essence Festival.

Submission Tips Specific to TTFF

1. Caribbean and diaspora focus. TTFF accepts submissions from Caribbean filmmakers in the region and diaspora, international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora, and filmmakers from West Africa and South Asia (for the non-competitive Origins programme). If your film has no Caribbean connection, it is not eligible.
2. Caribbean or Trinidad and Tobago premiere required. Preference is given to Caribbean premieres. Films must not be screened at other Caribbean-focused film festivals during June to September. This protects the festival's regional premiere status.
3. Submit via FilmFreeway. All submissions are via FilmFreeway. The final deadline is typically in May. Films must have been completed after January 1 of the current year.
4. Caribbean Film Mart. TTFF hosts the Caribbean Film Mart and Virtual Marketplace, the first of its kind in the region. It brings together 10 regional filmmakers with international film financiers, distributors, broadcasters, and sales agencies. If you have a project in development, consider applying to the Film Mart.
5. Multifaceted role. TTFF serves as historian, educator, entertainer, and entrepreneur building a sustainable film industry in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. The festival screens approximately 150 films with a New Media strand and a three-day academic film symposium.

Industry Reputation Notes

• World's foremost Caribbean-focused film festival. With 19-plus years of history, TTFF is the world's foremost Caribbean-focused film festival. It screens approximately 150 films and is the most significant regional festival for filmmakers in the Anglophone Caribbean, according to Jamaican filmmaker Storm Saulter.
• Caribbean Film Mart is unique. The Caribbean Film Mart and Virtual Marketplace is the first of its kind in the region. It brings together regional filmmakers with international financiers, distributors, broadcasters, and sales agencies, making TTFF the key industry platform for Caribbean cinema.
• Gateway festival for Caribbean cinema. TTFF is the primary gateway festival for Caribbean cinema, similar to how Durban International Film Festival serves South Africa, or Busan International Film Festival serves South Korea. It is the essential first stop for Caribbean filmmakers seeking international exposure.
• Comparison to Durban and Cartagena. Durban (South Africa) is the major African festival. Cartagena (Colombia) is the major Spanish-language Caribbean festival. TTFF is the major English-language Caribbean festival. All three serve as regional gateways but TTFF has the strongest English-language Caribbean focus.

See Also

For Caribbean and diaspora cinema, see International Film Markets. For festival submission strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate whether festival submission fees are worth it for your budget, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking.