screening new T&T film "Happy Sad:

OPENING NIGHT FILM ADFF Summer Film Series

NY PREMIERE
Happy Sad (2008/Trinidad & Tobago/105mins.)
Dir: Dianah Wynter

After her mother is sent to prison, profound changes occur in the lives of several people when 17-year-old Mandy Graham goes to live with her father’s dysfunctional family who she never knew. Soon passions are unleashed, laying bare souls and revealing long hidden secrets.

A feature film made entirely in Trinidad with local cast and crew, “Happy Sad” is an absorbing family drama that follows seamlessly the daily life of several members of a middle class family in Trinidad & Tobago. The title “Happy Sad,” which refers to the various events that happen in the film, is a reflection of life itself; some events hare happy and some are sad. One can easily identify with the struggles, insecurities, and successes of the various characters in the story, as the issues presented are human issues that we all face everyday. It is a beautiful film that will remind people of home.

The film was directed by Dianah Wynter who directed several TV episodes of "Soul Food " as well as "Daddy’s Girl" -- ABC daytime special with Elise Neal and featuring singer Lauryn Hill -- that won the Artios Award for Best Ensemble cast from the Casting Society of America, as well as an Emmy nomination for Best Director. To make "Happy Sad," she worked with Trinidadian screenwriter and producer Horace Wilson, American veteran actor Bill Cobbs, and a group of up-and- coming Caribbean talent including 22-year-old model and actress Angel Ross in her breakthrough leading role on this feature film. Q&A with director and lead actress after the screening.

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