OBHS’s BIFF
(Black International Film Festival)
(1) Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011
OBHS’s BIFF preview
Black Mother Black Daughter 1989, 28 min 59 s (followed by panel presentation)
Black Mother Black Daughter explores the lives and experiences of black women in Nova Scotia, their contributions to the home, the church and the community and the strengths they passed on to their daughters. Some of the women appearing in the film are Edith Clayton, a basket maker; Pearleen Oliver, a historian; Dr. Marie Hamilton, an educator and community leader; and Daurene Lewis, a weaver and politician. Also appearing is the dynamic female a capella quartet Four the Moment.
4:00 p.m.
Harboufront Centre – Kuumba Festival
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON, M5J 2G8
(2) Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011
Launching event for OBHS’s BIFF
- The Making of a Judge (followed by Q & A with Linda Carter, producer)
George Carter, this country’s first Canadian-born Black judge, is the subject of the documentary The Making of a Judge produced by his daughter Linda Carter. She tells the story of man from a humble background, who served in Canada's military, worked as a porter, graduated from law school, and then served with distinction on the Bench in Ontario.
2:00 p.m.
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Toronto ON M5S 2C6
Feb 12, 2011 [Double Bill]
- AMANDLA (introduced by South African Consulate General)
2. AMANDLA - A Revolution in Four Part Harmony (108 mins) is a documentary that illustrates the role of music in the South African struggle against apartheid. It chronicles, through interviews, archival footage, and filmed performances the history of the South African liberation struggle….poignant examples of the way that music was used in the fight for freedom. Songs united those who were being oppressed and gave those fighting a way to express their plight. The music also consoled those in prison, and created an effective underground form of communication inside the prisons.
The film was directed by Lee Hirsch…his first/debut feature film. AMANDLA has sold worldwide with additional cinema releases in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom It was nominated (Emmy Awards) and has won the Audience and Freedom of Expression Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The cast includes historical figures such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Cronkite, Miriam Makeba, FW De Klerk (in footages) and many other South African musicians of note.
** Amandla means Power.
Rated PG-13 for some images of violence and language.
- Drum (94mins)
Drum is a thriller based on the life of a South African investigative journalist, who worked for the popular DRUM magazine, called "the first black lifestyle magazine in Africa."
The film deals with the issues of Apartheid and the forced removal of Black residents from Sophiatown.
The film premiered at the TIFF in September 2004, and proceeded to do the rounds of international film festivals before going on general release in South Africa in July 2006. It was also released in Europe [Cannes, Munich and London Film Festivals]. It was awarded Best South African Film at the Durban International Film Festiva, and director Maseko gained the top prize at the popular Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou [FEPASCO] in Mali.
The main American actors are Taye Diggs and Gabriel Mann, while most of the rest of the cast were South African actors
** SOPHIATOWN - a suburb of Johannesburg was established in 1904. Before 1913 Black South Africans had freehold rights, and they bought properties in the suburb. By the 1920s whites had moved out, leaving behind a vibrant community of Blacks, Mulattos, Indians, and Chinese. But on 9 February 1955, 2 000 policemen, armed with guns, rifles, and clubs forcefully moved the families of Sophiatown to Meadowlands, Soweto and Sophiatown was flattened and removed from the maps of Johannesburg to give way for a suburb for whites and the area was renamed, by the Aparthied government, Triomf – Afrikaans word for Triumph.
National Film Board
150 John St, Toronto ON M5V 3C3
(3) Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011
- Fezeka’s Voice (introduced by South African Consulate General)
The film tells the inspirational story of one man and his life's mission to instil confidence, pride and hope into the children of his South African township, through the transformative power of music. Featuring a stunning soundtrack, Fezeka's Voice follows the ups and downs and triumphs of the Fezeka High School choir as they go on the greatest journey of their lives - preparing to come to England to perform at the Salisbury International Arts Festival and the Cardiff Millennium Centre.
The film has already won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Film at the Tri-Continental Film Festival in South Africa and earned the following accolade from Desmond Tutu: "This film needs to be shared with as wide an audience as possible. The power of mentorship, as demonstrated in this film, is extraordinary. I support this project whole-heartedly."
2:00 p.m.
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Toronto ON M5S 2C6
(4) Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011
- Grace, Milly, Lucy...Child Soldiers
National Film Board Mediatheque
150 John St, Toronto ON M5V 3C3
7:00 p.m.
$6 for adults and $4 for students/seniors/Front Row passholders
Over the past twenty years, more than 30,000 Ugandan children have been abducted by rebel troops and forced into in armed conflict. Many of these child soldiers are girls. Grace, Milly, Lucy... Child Soldiers explores this little-known reality.
When they return from captivity, girls who were trained to kill and often forced to “marry” their captors must readjust to life within their community. Clinging to their dreams, Grace, Milly and Lucy are trying to restore meaning to their lives and break the silence surrounding the fate of a sacrificed generation.
Followed by a discussion with Dr. Opiyo Oloya, a weekly columnist in Uganda’s national newspaper, the New Vision, on issues of development, immigration, peace and education, in attendance.
(5) Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011
- Waiting for “Superman” (followed by roundtable discussion with educators)
For more information on the movie, please check the following link: http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/action/
8:00 p.m.
The George Ignatieff Theatre (located on the U of T Campus, steps from the St. George subway station, just south of Varsity Stadium.)
*Offered by Toronto Bathurst Lions Club (a fundraiser for TBLC)
Tickets $15.00 / advance sales only / contact Richard Blackman 416-656-1069
(6) Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 [ Double Bill]
- Resilience: stories of single Black mothers. [2010] (followed by presentation by Lana Lovell, director and producer)
Resilience is an intimate and detailed documentary from filmmaker Lana Lovell that confronts long-held stereotypes by stepping inside the lives of three women, Nancy, Simone and Gloria.
With honesty, intelligence and humour, the three women reflect on their experiences of balancing single parenthood, working life, relationships and the fulfillment of their own goals in the context of society. By interweaving these intimate stories, the documentary offers a deeper understanding of the challenges, practical strategies and dreams of three resilient mothers in Canada. See: http://resiliencedocumentary.com/
- Selwyn (followed by Q & A with Selwyn A. Pieters, B.A., LL.B, Lawyer & Notary Public)
Rejected from every Ontario law school twice, an ordinary man might throw in the towel. In 1997 Selwyn Pieters, a young African Canadian, sued instead, claiming that the LSAT, an exam taken to gain entrance into the profession of law, discriminates against Blacks. After three years of hard-fought litigation, the courts ruled against him. Impressed by Selwyn's legal acumen and tenacity, the prestigious Osgoode Hall Law School decided to accept him after all.
2005, 12 min 22 s
Directed by
Bryan Friedman
National Film Board Mediatheque
150 John St, Toronto ON M5V 3C3
FREE
