A glimpse inside the powerful and emotional films showcased at the 2019 TBFF

BY LEANNE BENN

This year marked the 7^th edition of the Toronto Black Film Festival gracing the streets of Toronto. From February 13^th-18^th around 70 different film screenings took place with films from over 26 different countries. It was a time for excitement, diversity, culture, and enjoyment, as many Torontonians came together to watch these various movies from all over the world by talented filmmakers.

The Fabienne Colas Foundation is the founding and organizing body behind the festival. Colas herself emigrated from Haiti and first started the festival out in her present hometown of Montreal, Quebec, which is celebrating its 15^th year of the Montreal Haitian Film Festival. With Global News as the official media partner behind the festival, a lot of buzz was generated beforehand.

The opening night of the festival held at the Isabel Bader Theater in Toronto provided a packed auditorium filled with curious and intrigued filmgoers. The premiere film was Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story by Daryne Joshua from South Africa. The movie is based on true events and Ellen Pakkies’ troubled relationship with her drug-addicted son. The film was emotional and raw as it portrayed a very realistic problem that still takes place in South Africa according to Joshua. The 2007 event caused a worldwide interest as Pakkies’ son was eventually murdered by Ellen herself. The story covered the real emotion felt by Ellen Pakkies and follows her journey. The team working on the film spent countless months interviewing and talking with Pakkies so that the story could be retold through the most accurate lens.

The film was even South Africa’s 2019 selection for the Golden Globes. The dynamic portrayal in the film exposed the audience to the rougher side of South African society as well as justice, politics, and race. The society, as well as drug usage in society, was showcased as being rampant in the less fortunate communities near Cape Town. The majority of the film was also done in Afrikaans, which is the West Germanic language spoke in South Africa.

This powerful and emotional opening of the festival set the tone of many great movies that would be screened throughout the time. One of the major highlights of the festival was the Change Makers event held on February 16^th, which featured an intimate discussion and Q&A with Tarana Burke. Burke is an activist and most importantly a women’s rights activist and she is the face behind the #MeToo movement tackling sexual abuse and women’s issues. Burke offered the insight and perspectives on women empowerment and her advice to many of the young girls growing up in today’s society. As the #MeToo founder Burke sparked the largest movement in recent years encouraging many people to speak out about sexual abuse and harassment no matter your status in society or job standing. She is passionate about women’s rights and brought this energy to the stage as she held a discussion with Fabienne Colas and was presented with the 2019 TBFF Social Impact Award for her extensive work and contribution to women’s rights.

There were kid’s films, there were documentaries and many feature films that were shown throughout the festival but the closing film of the festival, Dead Women Walking by Hager Ben-Asher from the USA presented high levels of emotion. Dead Women Walking had its Ontario premiere at TBFF 2019 and it features the stories told in the final days of women that are on death row.The film was told through nine moving vignettes which added to the overwhelming performance. The time range of the stories told ranged from two weeks before one inmate’s execution to just a few minutes before another. The narrative of the film speaks heavily about the death penalty but still focuses on these women who were all convicted of violent crimes and how they manage their emotions as well as their families and their interactions with ministers and counselors that they have access to in the days leading up to their death. There is no happy ending to this story, but it is more of a reflective look at these women who committed these violent crimes and overall how society deals with women’s violence.

As one can tell the films featured in the TBFF are emotional and gripping and present to us stories that need to be told and shared in our society. Stay tuned for more of what TBFF has to offer in the upcoming years and visit TorontoBlackFilm.com for more information on the films presented.