Miami, Florida – October 28, 2021 – Rising Curacaoan filmmaker Rovendley Welvaart has been recently awarded by the prestigious PlayGo Emerge Film Competition 2021 for his latest short film “Tahit”. The film has won both the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award at the competition in the Drama category.
“Tahit” has been directed by Rovendley Welvaart and produced by Michenou Paz from Curacao-based rising film production company, Impact Creative Agency.
In an exclusive interview, the award-winning 25-year-old filmmaker shared that the competition was tough and they are more than excited to win the PlayGo Emerge Film Competition.
“It was a surreal feeling that the judges chose our film, which was made on the small island of Curaçao, for the PlayGo Emerge grand prize. I’m so proud of the team that made this film possible, and for me, it’s an honor to represent Curaçao on a global scale”, said Rovendley.
Based in Curacao, “Tahit” tells the heartwarming and inspiring story of a young kid whose mother (adopted mother) is facing hardships in making ends meet. But the little boy is not ready to give up and he is ready to go to any extent to improve the life of his mother.
In the words of the filmmaker, “Tahit” is all about keeping the flame of hope alive even amid dire adversity.
“When life throws balls at you, you can’t just take the beating and lay low. Life might not always be fair but you should be prepared to deal with the challenges with a positive mindset. If we are determined to make things better and proactively work towards overcoming challenges, we can hope to find ourselves in a better place. And, it’s the ‘hope’ that will keep you going. We are passing through a rocky phase lately and ‘Tahit’ aims to bring to us that flicker of hope by inspiring us not to give up- no matter how dire the times are.”
Based in Curaçao, Rovendley Welvaart is a 25-year-old entrepreneur, fashion designer, and fast-rising filmmaker. Since his childhood, he has always been fascinated by the art of storytelling through the medium of videos or photos and he realized very early on that his true calling lies in filmmaking. The passion for telling stories led him to create short videos as a hobby during his teens which, over time, became the foundation stone of Rovendley’s evolution as a professional filmmaker in later years.
The talented filmmaker has always shown promise ever since his initial days as a filmmaker. He won the award for “Best Short Documentary” at the Curaçao International Film Festival 2015, Rotterdam, for his short documentary, “Press on Marelly”. In 2016, he came runner-up for his short film “Layo” at the Curaçao International Film Festival, Curaçao. Ast year, in 2020, Rovendley was the 3rd Assistant director for the Netflix film “Bulado” that received the “Best Film Award” at the Netherlands International Film Festival.
Added to the entertainment quotient, Rovendley’s movies stand out with a strong inspiring message for the viewers. Speaking on, the filmmaker said his unique background also helps to render a distinct edge to his films and filmmaking.
“I was born in the Caribbean but was raised in Curacao which exposed me to the Dutch culture. Also, I grew up watching American shows on TV. Such a melting pot of influence has helped to enrich my understanding, knowledge, and ethos, which is often reflected in my films.”
Rovendley has acted as a main actor in the much loved short film “E ta bini wela!” and also dons the hat of fashion designer and entrepreneur with his fashion label Extra Wavy. He believes in giving back to the community and his philanthropic activities earned him the honor of Youth prospect of his neighborhood, conferred upon by Curacao Neighborhood Foundation.
While asked if there is any message he would like to pass on to his fans, the award-winning dynamic filmmaker said –
“Your geographical location does not need to be a huge deal if you have talent, passion and the spirit to work hard to achieve your goals. You can still make it to big stages even if you are originally based in a little island like Curacao.”
For further information, please check @rodywel, tahitfilm.com, and @tahitfilm on Instagram and Facebook.
Media ContactCompany Name: Impact Creative AgencyContact Person: Alvin LeinEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: tahitfilm.com
