The Present, Farah Nabulsi, 2021
The Present
“Starring Saleh Bakri as a father looking to cross the border from one Palestinian territory into another via a checkpoint set on an Israeli road that dissects the two locations in order to buy a new refrigerator for his wife on the day of their wedding anniversary, The Present is initially by the numbers in terms of traditional short form storytelling. A prologue of a night time border cross from work is followed by multiple scenes filled almost exclusively with exposition, out of place camera movements making the piece feel somewhat like a soap opera in its early moments. The subject is, however, much more interesting. Through the film’s early exposition, we find out that Bakri’s Yusuf has sleep issues and back issues, but that he adores his family. His wife and young daughter clearly love him back, but in their home of relative modern convenience, his refrigerator door seems to swing open at will, and as such Yusuf and his daughter Yasmine (Mariam Kanj) must travel to Israel to buy a new one.” The Film Magazine, Apr 10, 2021.
Freda, Gessica Généus, 2021.
“Tiré des expériences de la réalisatrice, Gessica Généus, ce film suit Freda, étudiante en anthropologie, qui se demande si elle devrait accompagner son petit ami, Yeshua, victime d’une attaque de gang, à la République dominicaine. “Freda” est situé à Port-au-Prince, capitale d’Haïti, en 2018 lorsque débutent des manifestations contre le gouvernement accusé d’avoir détourné des fonds destinés à des programmes sociaux. A l’université, Freda et ses camarades de classe débattent de l’utilité des manifestations et de l’héritage du colonialisme.” –Widlore Mérancourt and Amanda Coletta, “Homegrown Film on Haiti’s Challenges,” Washington Post, 8 December 2021.
“Drawn in part from Geneus’s own experiences growing up in an impoverished Port-au-Prince neighborhood, the film follows Freda, an anthropology student, as she grapples with whether to accompany boyfriend Yeshua, who was the unwitting victim in a gang attack, to the neighboring Dominican Republic. … “Freda” is set in the Haitian capital in 2018, when protests began amid allegations that government officials had embezzled Venezuelan oil money that was supposed to be spent on social programs. At university, Freda and her classmates debate the utility of protests and legacies of colonialism.” –Widlore Mérancourt and Amanda Coletta, “Homegrown Film on Haiti’s Challenges,” Washington Post, 8 December 2021.
(In)Visible Portraits, Oge Egbuonu, 2020.
“Centered around the experience of Black women — particularly ones living in America since its inception — “(In)Visible Portraits” functions as both a necessary corrective to American history and an intimate exploration of what it means to be a Black woman.” From a review by Kate Erbland for IndieWire.
Bulado, directed by Eché Janga, 2020.
Awarded Best Narrative Feature at the 17th Montreal International Black Cinema Festival, 2021.
This film, set in Curaçao, is in Papiemento, a creole language spoken by those first enslaved on the island. The movie follows Kenza, a rebellious 11 year-old schoolgirl, as she learns about the spiritual world of the ancestors from her grandfather, a ritual specialist who still practices the ways of their forefathers.
Lauréat du Prix pour Meilleur Long-métrage fiction au 17è Festival international du film Black de Montréal 2021.
Situé à Curaçao, ce film est en Papiemento, une langue créole parlée par les premiers descendants d’africains en état d’esclavage du 16è au 19è siècle. C’est l’histoire d’une écolière de 11 ans qui découvre, à travers son grandpère, spiritualiste, le monde des ancêtres.
Becoming Black Lawyers, directed by Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Ed.M, 2021.
“A documentary about five Black lawyers who set out on their journeys to receive a professional legal education, not realizing that they would have to struggle against additional daily battles even more challenging than the rigors of learning the law in a hypercompetitive environment. They discover the contradictions of studying in an institution that idealistically represents “justice” for all.” Text adapted from the Vimeo trailer.
The Skin We’re In: Pulling Back the Curtain on Racism in Canada, by Desmond Cole, 2017.
The Skin We’re In marks a distinctly Canadian contribution to the “Black Lives Matter” movement which originated in the US, but which describes a set of systemic injustices and disadvantages faced by all black people living in white-dominated societies. Cole asserts that anti-black racism is so all-encompassing in Canada that black people and their allies, far from congratulating themselves that they do not live in America, should be following the American example and dismantling the structures that continue to hold them back.
The Skin We’re In invites viewers into the mind of an emerging intellectual and firebrand. Boasting intimate access to one of Canada’s most intriguing voices, it profiles Desmond Cole as his most exciting chapter unfolds.
This is his journey from journalist to activist, unfolding in real time. We follow Cole as he travels across Canada in pursuit of stories, examples, and knowledge about black identities and experiences. –CBC Docs