Entertainment

Tents gearing up to face the judges

At the tent judging draw from left: Sharon Carew-White of C.O. Williams House of Soca, Juliana Sealy of Carter’s Shining Stars, Jerry Roberts of Stray Cats, Eleanor Rice of Payce Digital/COB Credit Union All Stars and Jennah Parris of First Citizen/Digicel De Big Show. Missing was a representative of Super Gladiators.

The road to the Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop Finals intensifies from next Saturday, July 9. That’s when the first of the six calypso tents will face the Pic-O-De-Crop judges for a chance to make it to the finals of the ultimate kaiso battle at Kensington Oval on Friday, July 29.

Seventeen finalists will compete with reigning 2019 Monarch Classic for a chance to walk away $100,000 or a fully-loaded Nissan Leaf thanks to Courtesy Garage.

At the tent judging draw from left: Sharon Carew-White of C.O. Williams House of Soca, Juliana Sealy of Carter’s Shining Stars, Jerry Roberts of Stray Cats, Eleanor Rice of Payce Digital/COB Credit Union All Stars and Jennah Parris of First Citizen/Digicel De Big Show. Missing was a representative of Super Gladiators.

The National Cultural Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts-Reifer thanked Courtesy Garage for coming on board again this year.

“We sincerely thank our corporate partner Courtesy Garage for again coming on board and investing in the Festival and by extension the kaiso art-form. It’s always a pleasure to work with the team at Courtesy. We encourage Barbadians to come out and support the tents and then take that same energy to Kensington Oval on July 29 for the Pic-O-De-Crop Finals” Roberts-Reifer said.

The first tent to face the judges will be Super Gladiators on Saturday, July 9 at the Barbados Museum, The Garrison, St Michael. They will be followed by Payce Digital/COB Credit Union All Stars on Sunday, July 10.

Next up is C.O. Williams House of Soca who will face the judges on Wednesday, July 13 while the following night, Thursday, July 14, will be Stray Cats’ turn. First Citizen/Digicel De Big Show will be judged on Friday, July 15.

On Sunday, July 17, Carter’s Shining Stars will be the last tent to judge. At that time, the names of the 17 Finalists, to face Classic, will be announced after the judges deliberate.

When the Pic O De Crop registration closed on Monday, June 6, there were 90-plus calypsonians who had registered.

Music Officer Kevin Moore stated that the NCF is looking forward to staging another exciting Finals.

“The National Cultural Foundation is elated to be able to produce the Pic-O-De-Crop Competition after a two-year hiatus, due to the global pandemic. This year’s competition promises to be yet another exciting one, with many artistes indicating their intention to compete through their various tents. We expect the same quality music that we have grown accustom to on Finals night,” he said.

Patrons desirous of taking in some tent action and any other event for this Crop Over Festival can log on to:

NCF Barbados on Facebook and Instagram
Lovecropvoer.bb on Instagram
Barbados Crop Over Festival on Facebook and;
www.ncf.bb

Entertainment

National Disability Unit’s First Movie Night Is March 8

As part of activities to celebrate the Month of the Disabled 2025, the National Disabilities Unit (NDU) will host its first Movie Night for the year, this Saturday, March 8, at its grounds at ‘Maxwelton’, Lower Collymore Rock, St. Michael.

Two movies, “Jungle Cruise” and “Inside Out 2”, will be featured under the stars, with the first expected to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Admission is free and persons are encouraged to bring their chairs and blankets. The movie night will end at 9:00 p.m.

One Community: United in Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future is the theme for the month. The aim is to encourage communities to actively include people with disabilities in all aspects of life and to actively ensure that they are fully integrated and considered in all aspects of building a sustainable society.

Entertainment

B’DOS INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS JANUARY 29TH

The 9th Barbados Independent Film Festival (BIFF) promises an unforgettable experience, showcasing 60 films from 20 countries over five days. Festival Director De Carla Applewhaite announced the theme, “Global Cinema,” during Monday’s media launch, highlighting the festival’s growth and its dedication to promoting Barbadian and international talent.

Applewhaite said, “”The Barbados Independent Film Festival this year has received over 350 entries. Ten from Barbados, 11 from Turkey, one from Estonia, ten from Canada, four from Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Suriname, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, France, Russian Federation, Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Bermuda and Curacao [have entered]. This year’s theme has defined itself as ‘Global Cinema’ as we feature work from literally around the world.”

She noted that this year’s festival was the largest yet since its inception, with 60 films scheduled to be shown over the course of five days from January 29th till February 2nd.
The festival will open on January 29 with a red carpet event at the Barbados Museum and wrap up on February 2 with the short-film showcase, Shorts On The Beach, at Southern Palms Hotel.
The festival will also spotlight The Roads We Travel, a short film by Barbados-born filmmaker Mary Cecilia Walker