Story To Screen

Happy end of September everyone! As we in my part of the world transition from a long hot summer to cooler Fall temperatures, this month Church Hat is fortunate to have had screenings in not one but two film festivals. In it's Colorado premier at the 46th Annual it was screened as part of the selection of animation shorts, and played to a sold out theatre.

As you know, Church Hat has its Toronto premier at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival International Film Festival with an in person screening on September 9th. The full 7min film is currently available for online viewing as part of the ongoing Caribbean Tales Screen Share initiative.

From now until October 18th you can watch Church Hat at this link below ⬇️ that you can also access via my Linktree link on my banner. https://tv.festhome.com/ff/screenshare-x-caribbeantales-festival/6146/370161

This is an opportunity for you to see Church Hat from anywhere and everywhere and I sincerely appreciate the partnership that provides this opportunity.

There will be more to share about upcoming film festival screenings so keep checking in for exciting updates.

Animated by Miceal O'Donnell, produced by Eric R Cotten and starring the voices of Sheryl Lee Ralph and Maximus Turner , the journey of a simple story about a child's questioning leading to acceptance and joy continues 👒

➡️ The children's book Church Hat, beautifully illustrated by Janine , is available at A Different Booklist Laura S bookshop in Toronto, and on Amazon.

📖 ✍️🏽 Follow my writing journey at My Best Life Books

Thank you Carol Charles and CTV News for the wonderful interview about Church Hat, the children's book and animated short film screening today, Sept 9th, at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival International Film Festival in Toronto.

It was a pleasure talking with you about the inspiration for the children's book it is based on, also titled Church Hat, and the evolution of the story to an animated short film.

The Canadian debut screening this evening will be hosted at Dundas West Studio at 837 Dundas Street West, in downtown Toronto.

Church Hat was produced by Eric R Cotten , animated by Miceal O'Donnell and stars the voices of Sheryl Lee Ralph and Maximus Turner

The journey of a simple story about a child's questioning leading to acceptance and joy continues 👒

➡️ The children's book Church Hat, beautifully illustrated by Janine , is available at A Different Booklist in Toronto, and on Amazon

Happy September! Update on Church Hat screening on Wed. Sept 9th at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival International Film Festival.

Today, on the 8th, It's the first day of the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival International Film Festival in Toronto. The next six days of specially curated cinema will have themes about multicultural Caribbean and Black stories, special guests, conversations, music and the value of communities.

This year, The CaribbeanTales International Film Festival and the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Film Festival are collaborating, presenting a special joint film experience called Screen Share to amplify artistic voices on the global stage.

📍Screenings will be hosted at Dundas West Studio at 837 Dundas Street West, in downtown Toronto.

🗓 Today the Opening Night theme is Roots of Resilience. From 6:00PM-8:30PM at the studio the films scheduled for this evening will explore the courage and care that surfaces when individuals and their communities face uncertainty. There is an after party as well 🥳

Wednesday, Sept 9th starting at 6:00 pm
The theme is The Power of Knowledge with selected documentaries about the power to preserve culture, challenge injustice, and explore the methods used to carry wisdom, including the pursuit of education against systemic barriers. These films focus on the many ways knowledge is shared, and the importanct of protecting, and passing culturally significant expertise from one generation to the next.

Also on Wednesday starting at 9pm the theme is We Reach!

▶️ I'm so excited that Church Hat will screen as a part of this group of selected films that have stories about finding the strength to persevere, and live authentic lives. This includes journeys of self-discovery, healing, belonging and confronting family expectations, cultural stigma, grief, faith, and mental health with honesty, courage and vulnerability.

🗣I will participate in the Q&A after the screening and look forward to audience feedback and questions.

If you are in Toronto, there is still time to get tickets to the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival. Hope to see you there.

Thank you sidewalkfilm festival for a wonderful experience. Church Hat was screened 4 times with Q&A interactions engaging the audience following each one. The curation of films was remarkable. I met so many other filmmakers and creators while in beautiful Birmingham, Alabama. The programming team including Andrew W really outdid themselves this year. It was great to interview with Motivator Joshua Raby and introduce him to the simple story about a child's questioning leading to acceptance and joy.

I hope to return again to The Magic City with another Film.

➡️ The children's book, Church Hat, that the animated short film is based on is available on Amazon.
🎬 Please find a clip of the short film on my YouTube channel, also StoryToScreen.

Today from the sidewalkfilm festival I'm sharing an experience with a rejection letter from another Film Festival. It's a daunting process to apply to festivals for consideration and I wanted to read one letter in particular from the New Orleans Film Society | Film Festival + Filmmaker Development that I thought was really well done. Thanks to all the festival programming teams for their dedication to curating the best experiences for artists/creators and audiences 🌹

Having a great time in Baltimore, the Magic City, with excellent films being shown and making great connections.

Church Hat screens twice this Saturday.
The journey of a simple story about a child's questioning leading to acceptance and joy continues. 👒

➡️ The children's book Church Hat is available on Amazon.