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| T&T film maker Michael Mooleedhar |
Armed with a Film Degree from the University of the West Indies (U.W.I), and
having done his break through documentary film “Queens of Curepe” (2008),
Michael Mooleedhar has collaborated with the likes of Patricia Mohammed on
“Coolie Pink and Green” (winning people’s choice award TTFF 2009) and
“Seventeen Colours and a Sitar” (2010), Kim Johnson on “The Audacity of The
Creole Imagination” (2010) and countless other productions.
Often described as a ‘boy wonder’ by many of his contemporaries, Michael is
currently stepping up his game by pursuing a M.A. in Creative Design
Entrepreneurship at U.W.I and is due to finish in December 2012. He shared,
“I’m presently enrolled in this revolutionary program that deals with design
and the business of creative products. I wanted to go back to school to learn
about the business side of my industry as I realized how much of an artist I
was becoming and how much of the business aspects and needs for my chosen craft
I had been overlooking”.
Michael affirms that the film industry in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean
is a wide open field of opportunity for the innovative and creative willing to
take on the challenge of an industry in its early stages of development. “I
would really like to see The Caribbean producing more feature films especially
now as technology allows for cheaper production costs and I believe a country
as culturally rich as T&T should be producing at least 2 feature films a
year.
In addition to touring and having his previous film projects screened and sold
around the world in countries such as India and Canada, Michael recently
directed a TV cooking series for CNC 3 entitled ‘Christmas Cooking with Khalid’
which featured renowned chef Khalid Mohammed.
However, he admits that his latest undertaking ‘The Cool Boys’ was his greatest
test and learning experience to date. “It was my first time directing actors on
such a large set and with a budget. I took on the challenge and believe it was
a critical experience in my career to get me to the next level of filmmaking”.
The Cool Boys which was written for a Production Call that was put on by the
Trinidad and Tobago Film Company reflects many real experiences and characters
from Mooleedhar’s own life. Mooleedhar shared, “Film is the genius art form;
the universe has to conspire with you to create the film you want to make. When
sound and visuals work perfectly together magic takes place”.
He views the working relationship between Patricia Mohammed and himself as one
that has contributed immensely to building the regional film industry. He
divulged that they both presently are at work on future projects and have plans
to make feature films and to form a formal brand to represent all of their
productions.
He further stated, “As a film maker my team and I are truly thankful for the
support from The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company who funded The Cool Boys. We
fully appreciate the cooperation of family, friends, corporate entities as well
as the encouragement fellow practitioners, critiques and fans.
As an artiste, a visionary and a young entrepreneur, Michael Mooleedhar has big
dreams for himself and the industry and is working hard towards making them
become a reality.
The Cool Boys will show during the 2012 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival on
the following dates:
- Fri 21 Sept, 6.15pm, MovieTowne POS, Q&A
- Mon 24 Sept, 3.30pm, UWI, Centre for Language Learning
- Mon 01 Oct, 6.30pm, MovieTowne POS
- Mon 01 Oct, 6.00pm, MovieTowne Tobago
Follow Michael Mooleedhar on Twitter via @Mooleedhar and follow “The Cool Boys”
on Facebook
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