Audiovisual Pressroom

NEWS RELEASE

October 13, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARIBBEAN AUDIO‐VISUAL NETWORK (C.A.N.)

IS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED

Representatives of national film and audio‐visual associations, film commissions and

film and audio‐visual training institutions in the Caribbean have established a regional

organization focused on accelerating business development within the audio‐visual

sector.

The Caribbean Audio‐Visual Network (C.A.N.) was recently registered as a non‐profit

company. This was a major outcome of an Audio‐Visual Sector meeting held in Fort de

France, Martinique on September 23 with representation from Antigua and Barbuda,

Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada,

Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, Martinique, St. Kitts‐Nevis, Suriname and

Trinidad and Tobago.

The meeting established some key objectives for C.A.N. that will seek to improve the

status and productivity of the film and audio‐visual industry in the Caribbean:

1. to seek technical training and financial assistance to help its members;

2. to facilitate and support of the protection of the intellectual property rights;

3. to promote the development of co‐productions among the member countries;

4. to seek international sources of funding;

5. to raise the visibility of the members’ productions;

6. to assist in the creation of a Caribbean distribution mechanism and

7. to create a data‐base of the region’s practitioners.

Press Release: Caribbean Audio‐Visual Network (C.A.N.) Established (13 Oct. 2009) 2

The seed for this much needed network was planted in March of 2009 in Santo Domingo

when several players from the AV sector where invited by Caribbean Export to develop

the concept. This process continued with the support of Caribbean Export, Caricom and

the European Union, when over 40 music and film & audio‐visual professionals

participated in a meeting hosted by the Conseil Regional de Martinique, which created

respective networks to help unify and enhance their professions.

Senior Services Advisor of Caribbean Export, Tonika Sealy expressed the agency’s

satisfaction with the tangible and sector driven outcomes of the meeting. “Through the

hard work of the steering committee, the region finally has a body with a leadership and

membership structure representing diverse elements of the audio‐visual sector. It also

covers the four language areas of the Caribbean.” she said.

“Apart from the CARIFORUM countries that are served by Caribbean Export, we are

particularly pleased that the new association will embrace the French Territories and

Cuba, which are important centers for world cinema and co‐productions in the

Caribbean” Sealy added.

The C.A.N. interim co‐chairs who will steer the network until elections are held at the

next general assembly are Claude Mancuso of Haiti, Tony Coco‐Violoin of Guadeloupe

and Howard Allen of Antigua and Barbuda. Ava‐Gail Gardiner of Jamaica is the Interim

secretary and legal advisor.

For information contact:

Claude Mancuso: e‐mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Tel: 011 (509) 3719-1258