Being Black in Toronto are six short documentaries part of the Being Black in Canada program created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation and funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, produced by Zaza Production in collaboration OYA Media Group, the Toronto Black Film Festival and OYA Emerging Filmmakers Program (formerly Black Youth! Pathway 2 Industry).
Contributors
The Onyx Butterfly is a Poetic and Expository Documentary that seamlessly incorporates actuality with poetic elements of dance performance. The film is an exploration of the life of a black male ballet dancer.
DIRECTED BY YASMIN EVERING-KERR
The film follows Jordan as he grapples with the societal pressures of being a black male in a traditionally white feminine landscape while also struggling against the cultural gender expectations placed upon black men. The film aims to explore the psychological impact of stereotypes on a black male who is determined to redefine black masculinity.
Through vulnerability, healing and forgiveness, we see a Ghanaian family process the effects of alcoholism on their family, each person in their way.
DIRECTED BY VALERIE AMPONSAH
Initially a film about the filmmaker's parents' immigration journey from Ghana to Canada and how that impacted their life, the film takes a life of its own and becomes a story of forgiveness and healing of Joseph's substance abuse with his wife Margaret and daughter, Valerie.
Black Sun follows two women anguished by acts of gun violence as they use their experiences to take a personal stand and help their affected communities..
DIRECTED BY ADRIAN WALLACE
The film follows Sherri Bonnelli, a white woman who raised and lost her black son, as she looks to advocate for anti-gun violence through her community activism. We also follow Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, a black filmmaker, as she aims to shed emotional intelligence through the creation of her first feature, "Summer of the Gun" based on one of Toronto's deadliest summers.
YYZ reflects on the movements and migration of a Nigerian family to Toronto. In the year of 2007, migrating from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, and the first day they had in the city of Toronto.
DIRECTED BY OMOLOLA AJAO
The film YYZ is an intimate portrayal and discussion between that of a Nigerian-Canadian family and their last-born child. For Omolola and her family, their first night in Toronto was spent at Pearson airport - that night full of anticipation, expectation, and fear. Specifically looking back at her family's journey, as well as their present and future, this film focuses on the feelings of rootlessness and loss of identity that often accompany immigration.
Out of many, one neighbourhood.
DIRECTED BY SHARINE TAYLOR
Little Jamaica, a neighbourhood in Toronto’s west end, was a once-thriving hub for Black and Caribbean business owners until the ills of gentrification reared its ugly head. Vernal Small, the owner of the 47-year old business Jamall Caribbean Custom Tailor, is now tasked with confronting how the construction of the incoming light rail is shifting the dynamic of his community, changing their future and slowly erasing their presence in the process. Tallawah Abroad aims to discover how Small, residents and other business owners have been affected and are or have prepared themselves for the adjustments on the horizon.
This episode briefly analyzes how social media has disillusioned Canada’s black youth and offers a solution.
DIRECTED BY YVANO ANTONIO
Canada's black youth have a responsibility to lead the next generation, but social media are disillusioning them. They’ve made progress, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. It’s up to them to hold themselves accountable and use social media to their
Photos courtesy of Yvano Wickham-Edwards, Sonya Mwambu, Fonna-Tasha Seidu & Kristen Lambie