Contributed
Zoë Welsh, programmes production specialist at Scotiabank, gives the acceptance speech at the United States International Film and Video Festival in Hollywood.

Scotiabank Jamaica's Teller Production team, led by Zoë Welsh, won a Silver Screen Award and Certificate for Creative Excellence at the recent United States International Film and Video Festival in Hollywood.

The team was rewarded for its docu-feature titled Speak Up! Speak Out! The Grand Final, which focused on capturing the spectacle of the 2007 debate final won by Hydel Preparatory School over Retreat Primary School.

The debating competition, going into its third year, is organised by Scotiabank and targets primary and preparatory schools across the island. The production captured the culmination of months of hard work from the teams and illustrates the energy, commitment and talent of the young debaters. The overall event seeks to boost awareness of HIV and AIDS.

The programme was produced and directed by Welsh, programme production specialist at Scotiabank. It captured the atmosphere of the event, even featuring behind-the-scenes footage and comments from competitors, organisers and the general public. The show also took debating out of the studio setting and into the community.

Creative Excellence certificate

Last year, the bank also won a Creative Excellence certificate for the dramatised story A Letter to Pearl, which was also produced and directed by Welsh. It featured internationally acclaimed storyteller Amina Blackwood Meeks, and is a creative take on the age-old Jamaican tradition of storytelling and a simple presentation of a childhood pleasure - the bedtime story.

President and CEO of Scotiabank William Clarke noted that Scotiabank is proud to organise the debating programme and explained, "It is the most intensive and rewarding educational initiative that Scotiabank has undertaken. We are very pleased that we were able to initiate discussions among students, teachers and parents on a most sensitive and taboo topic."