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- Written by Meres J. Weche
- Category: Movies
An interview with filmmaker Jennifer Holness about her debut feature documentary, Subjects of Desire. The film explores the destructive societal narratives that Black women and girls often face—while being acutely aware of the cultural appropriation underpinned by a shift in beauty standards towards embracing Black aesthetics.
Jamaican-born and Canadian-bred veteran filmmaker Jennifer Holness runs Hungry Eyes Film & Television, alongside her husband and business partner, fellow filmmaker Sudz Sutherland. We spoke to Jennifer about her debut feature documentary film, Subjects of Desire, which premiered earlier this month on TVO Original and is currently available for viewing on TVO.org, YouTube and TVO streaming channels.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
- Category: Movies
An interview about the new docu-concert on the legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with the film's director Barry Avrich and Rosemary Sadlier, former president of the Ontario Black History Society.
The new Oscar Peterson documentary directed by Barry Avrich will have its world premiere today, September 12, 2021, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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An interview with Maya Annik Bedward — a Toronto-based filmmaker of Jamaican and French Canadian origin — on how her film company, Third Culture Media, explores the intersection of different cultures on screen.
Born in Ottawa to a Jamaican father and French-Canadian mother, Maya Annik Bedward is a Toronto-based filmmaker, director, and producer. Her films have been screened at festivals across North America and Europe and sold to Air Canada and the CBC.
In 2015, Maya launched Third Culture Media, with support from the Michaëlle Jean Foundation, alongside her producing partner, Kate Fraser.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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We recently lost a giant of the silver screen with the passing, at the age of 96, of famed Hollywood actress Cicely Tyson (Dec. 19, 1924 – Jan. 28, 2021). Her storied career, which spanned over seven decades, was particularly impactful through her steadfast commitment to breaking prevailing stereotypical representations of the black experience in film. She wanted to portray real people with emotions and heart.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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One of the highlights of the recently wrapped-up Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was the celebration of the Planet Africa series, which began 25 years ago and ran for ten years. Four films were chosen from this year's lineup to highlight Planet Africa's legacy, founded by Cameron Bailey.
From its first edition in 1995, through the program's 10-year-run (1995-2004), Planet Africa highlighted and celebrated cinema from Africa and the African diaspora as part of the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). “Planet Africa is one of the most significant events in Black film history and the Canadian cultural industry, yet much of its story and longstanding impact remains untold,” as Orla La-Wayne Garriques, cultural curator of PlanetAfricaLegacy.com said.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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Filmmaker Ava DuVernay speaks to TIFF's Cameron Bailey about social justice, the Black Lives Matter movement, and how she's using the medium of film to tell the important stories of our times.
“I always feel like we're in the presence of history, and I don't understand why people don't see that. But this year, people get it,” as Oscar-nominated producer, writer, director, and distributor Ava DuVernay told TIFF artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey recently as part of a streamed online conversation during this year's Toronto International Film Festival. “As a storyteller, I work a lot with historical narrative,” as she prefaces.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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Actress Halle Berry speaks to CBC's Amanda Parris as part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) about her distinguished career and her most recent film project and directorial debut, 'Bruised.'
I'm of the generation of black youth which came of age in my twenties during the 1990s — which arguably was the golden age of black storytelling on the small screen and big screen. Back in those days, before Netflix and the internet at scale, we eagerly clung to our sacred Wednesday and Thursday nights in front of the TV to catch the iconic 90s black sitcoms and series like A Different World, New York Undercover, and Living Single.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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A discussion with filmmakers Ngardy Conteh George (left) and Alison Duke from OYA Media Group on capturing the history of Canadian anti-black racism activism and their film, Mr. Jane and Finch
Toronto filmmakers Alison Duke and Ngardy Conteh George lead OYA media group. The production company is committed to the ongoing support, education and promotion of young black filmmakers.
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- Written by Meres J. Weche
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Each year, the Hot Docs documentary festival — the largest in North America — showcases over 200 engaging documentary films from Canadian and international storytellers for the enjoyment of more than 200,000 audience members in Toronto. But following the announcement of the annual festival's postponement, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a sample of films from the 2020 Festival Selections are being made available for viewing this week on CBC.
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- Written by Adele Ambrose
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The Last Black Man in San Francisco marks the feature-length directorial debut of Joe Talbot. Talbot is a fifth-generation San Franciscan who began developing "The Last Black Man" with childhood friend and star Jimmie Fails after leaving high school early to pursue film. It's a story that is both whimsical and realistic. Think "Planet of Junior Brown" meets "Boys in the Hood" — with dreamy montages intersecting with a bit of the hood.
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