Synopsis

“SteelPan Now! Notes on Where Pan Gone” peers into the current world of the steelpan – its players, its innovators, and the music that reverberates from this versatile instrument – to find answers to the question that many in Trinidad often ask, “Where pan gone?” The documentary follows several steelpan pioneers, inventors, players, composers, arrangers, and pan makers across several cities in the United States to present both a musical experience and historical document that reveals the personal stories of these practitioners, sharing the determination, skill, and virtuosity of the pannist wherever the instrument is found.

Details

Feature (60mins) Documentary | United States of America

Production

Directors:

Ryan Saunders

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Ryan Saunders’ work includes short films and videos that explore his and others' experiences as Caribbean immigrants in North America. One such project, 'Look Ma Dese Streets Not Paved with Gold' screened at several festivals and galleries in the Baltimore/Washington region. In 2003, he released his feature-length documentary, “Bacchanal Time: The People’s Carnival”, which explored the initial history and spread of the Trinidad-styled Carnival to North America. The film won Best Caribbean Themed Film at the 5th Annual Jamerican Film Festival. For the past ten years, he has held the technical director position at Philadelphia Public Access Corporation.

Aaron Astillero

Aaron R. Astillero is an American writer, director, and producer. A native of Philadelphia, he graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in engineering. Astillero co-wrote, “Changing the Game” (2012), a film that was distributed by Barnholtz Entertainment and Lions Gate Entertainment. He wrote, directed, and produced “Skullz” (2014), a children’s television show that aired on the Comcast and Verizon networks, serving the Philadelphia area. Astillero also worked in production and camera crew roles for several local public access television shows.