In celebration of Black History Month, the Community Arts Program co-offered by York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and Faculty of Fine Arts will host a free screening of A Winter Tale, the latest film from acclaimed director Frances-Anne Solomon. Following the film, Solomon and actor Michael Miller will answer questions and lead the audience in an anti-violence discussion called "Talk It Out". The event will be held on Feb 21 at 12:30pm in the Nat Taylor Cinema on the Keele Campus.
A Winter Tale is set against the backdrop of a multicultural community’s unrealized hopes and dreams. Bitter and tragic, funny and hopeful, the film tells a uniquely Canadian story that features Toronto as a central character. The film traces the events that follow the accidental shooting of a young boy in Toronto’s Parkdale community. Reeling from the tragedy, six black men struggle to deal with the suspicion and grief that hangs over their neighbourhood and decide to form a support group in the hopes of salvaging their spirits and their community.
While the film depicts the roots of gun violence, the discussion that follows strives to address the issues through audience participation. "Talk It Out" is a Canada-wide youth and anti-violence project that use the film as a springboard for in-depth community discussion about street violence. The "Talk It Out" discussion follows almost every screening of the film and often includes members of the cast and crew.
Solomon is a director, producer and writer in film, television, radio, theatre and new media. Born in England of Trinidadian parents, she was raised and educated in the Caribbean and Canada, lived and worked in the UK for several years, and has been based in Toronto since 1999. She is also the founder of Caribbean Tales, a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing the heritage of Caribbean traditional and contemporary storytelling, in digital and analogue forms both at home and across the diaspora. Caribbean Tales played an important role in developing the early foundations of the film.
“About 5 years ago, I began work on a project that would explore the inner worlds of black men living in Toronto, in light of all the media reports of escalating ‘black on black violence’ in the city,” writes Solomon on the film’s Web site.
“I met with and interviewed men – across generations, differing in class, income and age, with and without jobs, etc, and built up a collection of about 15 to 20 personal stories of their life experiences,” says Solomon. “The result is, I believe, a strong film with compelling characters.”
For more information about A Winter Tale and "Talk It Out", visit the film’s Web site at www.awintertale.ca. For information about the York screening contact Community Arts Program Co-Coordinator Honor Ford-Smith at hoperoad@yorku.ca.