American filmmakers Geoffrey Dunn and Michael Horne have pledged a two-tiered contribution to next week's Back in Time Kaiso Dance. Speaking on Monday from Los Angeles, Dunn said after reading of Eddy Grant's
donation in Monday's Express, he and his partner immediately decided to make a contribution to the event. Dunn and Horne are producers of the soon-to-be-released movie Calypso Dreams, which was shot entirely on
location in Trinidad and Tobago and is narrated by David Rudder, Brother Resistance and Chalkdust. "The charity dance sounds like such a great event and goes to such an important cause, that we wanted to make a
contribution," said Dunn. "It also reminds people how important the aging calypso stalwarts are to Trinidad culture and, really, to the world. I tip my hat to the folks organising this important event." Dunn has dispatched
"an advance" cheque of US$1,000 to Dear Friends & Gentle People, producers of the charity dance which takes place at the Queen's Park Oval on June 18. He said another and larger donation would come from proceeds from a gala premiere when the film opens here.

Calypso Dreams, a rough cut of which was adjudged Best Caribbean Film at last October's Jamerican Film Festival, is nearing completion. "After three years in production, we do not want to compromise the artistic integrity of the film by rushing it to completion," Dunn said. Calypso Dreams will premiere in Toronto and Montreal by late August, Dunn said. "From there we will come back to Trinidad to host a benefit screening in Port of Spain and out of those proceeds we will make a more substantial contribution to the retired calypsonians medical fund," he added. The producers are hoping to make arrangements with TV-6 to eventually broaden the film's audience.

Following in the cinematic footsteps of Cuban benchmark film, The Buena Vista Social Club, the movie Calypso Dreams captures acoustic performances by a host of legendary calypso performers, including the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Bro Superior, Duke, Black Stalin, Bomber, Warlord Blakie, Bro Valentino, Relator, Gypsy, Regeneration Now, Mystic Prowler, Singing Sandra, Mighty Terror, Striker, Power, Poser, Explainer and Sugar Aloes. Bro Superior and composer Alvin Daniell served as co-producers of the project in Port of Spain. "Our intention from the beginning was to promote and benefit the old time kaisonians," Dunn said, "so it ties in perfectly with the Back in Time Kaiso Dance."

EDDY GRANT DONATES $10,000 TO KAISO DANCE
Trinidad Express 6/9/03

Guyana-born and now Barbados-based superstar, Eddy Grant has donated $10,000 to Dear Friends & Gentle People, to help defray production costs of next week’s Back in Time Kaiso Dance.

The dance, which features calypso music exclusively, will be held on June 18 at the Queen’s Park Oval. It is being staged to raised funds for The Foundation for the Arts and expressly to assist ailing veteran calypsonians in meeting contemporary medical expenses.
Now in its third year, the Back in Time Kaiso Dance publicly contributed $15,000 (via the Telethon for the Arts) from its 2002 edition, topping the $12,000 donated from proceeds of its inaugural event; those sums by far the largest single contribution at each telethon and matched dollar-for-dollar by The Culture Ministry.

Grant has not only donated cash to the previous events but in 2001 sponsored transportation and tickets for 20 visually-impaired persons, saying they were not hearing-impaired and should not be left out. Grant has again articulated his commitment to the furtherance of calypso music and renewed the call for development of a template to deal with artistes who, in the winter of their years, find themselves unable to cope with today’s living expenses.
Next week’s dance features calypsonians Shadow, Scrunter, Skatie, Singing Sandra and Shortshirt, with music by Roy Cape & the Kaiso All Stars, Exodus Steel Orchestra, Djs Crosby Sounds and Hurricane George, St James Tripolians and The Laventille Rhythm Section. Tickets are available at Crosby’s Music (north and south), Rhyner’s Music Store, Cleve’s One-Stop, Martin’s on the Boulevard, Harvard Club, Foodmasters in Tunapuna and in San Fernando, Atherly’s by the Park and Belle Bagai.