Catholic News’ short film premieres at Film Festival

Published by CN Admin at September 14, 2018

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Work being done at the church last Tuesday. Photo: Lara Pickford-Gordon

It is in the pursuit of truth for 125 years the legacy of a faith and a people are told.

This is the story of the Catholic News—the second oldest newspaper in the Caribbean after the Jamaica Gleaner with uninterrupted circulation for 125 years—chronicled in the short film ‘The Pursuit of Truth @125’. The short film premieres this Saturday, September 22, 10.45 a.m. at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, MovieTowne, Port of Spain.

It traces the humble beginnings and vision for the paper in 1892 and early production at the compound of Holy Name Convent, 31 St Ann’s Road (later 2 Queen’s Park East) with the Dominican Sisters taking charge of the typography department with help from senior girls who left the Belmont Orphanage.

The documentary looks at the highs and lows of the Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago through the writings and stories of its many writers—the 1937 labour riots, the 1970 Black Power Movement, the 1990 attempted coup; the times we failed history and the times we made history.

Vicar for Communications Fr Robert Christo said ‘The Pursuit of Truth @125’ was part of the 125^th anniversary celebrations of the Catholic News which began May 6, 2017 led by then Vicar for Communications Msgr Cuthbert Alexander.

The observance included Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and presentation of awards on May 6; the launch of the Catholic News digital archives on the redesigned Catholic News website July 17; and a symposium The pursuit of Truth in the Age of Fake News on November 17. Feature articles on the history of and contributors to the paper were also carried simultaneously on catholictt.org.

Fr Christo said the production of a three-minute trailer and 15-minute teaser for the symposium and subsequently, the two-part, 30-minute documentary celebrating the journalistic, historical and religious value of Catholic News print for the past 125 years were outsourced to LRS productions. Fr Christo said the first of the two-part documentary, Part One: from 1892 to 1990 (the second is Part Two: 1990–2018), was accepted for the TT Film Festival 2018.

As Vicar for Communications, he is excited the documentary can be used as an evangelical tool proclaiming Christ in our Caribbean culture. – LPG