Article in the Trinidad Daily Express newspaper about writer director Faisal Lutchmedial, and his film, Mr. Crab. Text below:

RISING STAR writer-director Faisal Lutchmedial will be visiting for the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, presenting his Trini-themed short film Mr. Crab. The Gondry-esque short follows Rishi, a ten-year-old boy that idolizes and fears his imposing father, who tells him stories about the crystal clear waters of T&T.

Lutchmedial recently was interviewed on the Canadian television show Short Film Face Off, where he was able to present Mr. Crab to a national audience. On the show film critic Mohit Rajhans complimented Mr. Crab, “I love the authenticity of the immigrant household, the beaded drapes, and even the way they spoke made me feel like they were definitely a West Indian family… I do give (Lutchmedial) credit for taking on a story I’ve never seen in a short film before.”

Lutchmedial said about his upcoming trip for the TTFF, “My father is from T&T and most of my work is connected to my South Asian and West Indian heritage so I’m incredibly excited about showing Mr. Crab to a Trinidadian audience. I also have two feature films in development that are Trini themed, so I am hoping to meet people to collaborate with while I am there.”

Lutchmedial was just awarded the top prize of the Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program, which was a training program / competition designed to help emerging and mid-level film and television writers develop prime-time television series concepts. The television project Lutchmedial is developing is entitled Welcome to Trinidad. The series is a 1-hour television drama-thriller about half-brothers who fight for control over the family business, a rum distillery that neither of them realize is haunted by dark, murderous spirits. Though winning the competition doesn’t mean the series will be made, it does award Lutchmedial the opportunity to work in the writing room of two existing Canadian series for three months.

Lutchmedial’s previous directing credits include the feature My Cultural Divide, a gripping documentary about sweatshop and child labour in the developing world. His last short film, Useless Things won the Writers Guild of Canada English script prize at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, and aired on the CBC Anthology program Canadian Reflections last year.