I warmly welcome you to the third annual Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. We are pleased to have been able to extend the 2008 Festival to two weeks at MovieTowne, and once again take it to San Fernando, Tobago and the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine. We have many more films of every genre, for all ages, and we are screening the leading films from the MovieTowne Secondary Schools Short Film Competition as well as films produced by students from the University of the West Indies. Animation will be especially highlighted as the Festival again includes Animae Caribe - offering local and regional animations and workshops throughout the country.

The mission of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival remains the same: to highlight the best films and videos from Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and the Caribbean Diaspora in North America and Europe. These films can be in French, Dutch, Spanish or English reflecting the diversity of the region. We are showing films from Latin America as Trinidad and Tobago is a growing hub to Central and South Americas. One of Venezuela's leading film directors is Michael New from Trinidad and Tobago and it is no accident that his film Florentino and the Devil is the opening film of the Festival, drawing as it does on two very similar creative impulses. We are also screening some films made about the Caribbean, produced by international filmmakers, once they are in the Caribbean spirit and add to our understanding of the region.

I particularly would like to welcome all the directors and producers who have accepted our invitation to introduce their films and participate in question and answer sessions after the screenings. Many of them will also be involved in film production workshops, thus passing on their skills to local practitioners.

The Festival would not be possible without our generous sponsors, many of whom have been with us from the beginning. The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company continues to provide indispensable support and makes this event a major focus of its activities, while this year we are very pleased to announce that FLOW has become our invaluable private sector presenting sponsor. I look forward to a long and fruitful working partnership with them too. Finally, I wish to thank you, the audience, who have been coming in greater numbers year by year. This September 2008 we promise to provide an even richer menu of diverse, enlightening and stimulating films. Enjoy.