The 18th edition of the Montreal BlackFilmFestival created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, is currently running from the 20th to the 25th of September at various venues across the city including the Cinematheque Quebecoise and the Imperial cinema !
With over 95 films from over 25 different countries, guests can find contentment by participating in a wide array of workshops, visiting the black film market and attend exclusive meet and greets with film stars and directors!
Last Tuesday, September 20th, the MIBFF rolled out the red carpet at Montreal’s Imperial Cinema for the international premiere of the poignant documentary and factual film Lovely Jackson, by Matt Waldeck.
Summary
America’s longest wrongfully held exonerated prisoner, Rickey Jackson, returns to the prison where his 39-year journey of survival began and guides his younger self from death row to freedom.
The MIBFF returns for a meaningful 18th edition that promises to inspire through a strong, diverse, and bold programming, accessible in-person and entirely ONLINE across Canada and around the World.
The festival line-up highlights important topics such as the Environment, Immigration, Music, Human Rights, Women’s Rights, Systemic Racism, LGBTQ identity and Black Lives Matter. The Festival also spotlights comedies and family films.
2022 Trailer
All Access Passes and Tickets are available here:
BACKSTAGE at CARNEGIE HALL : An impactful, new contemporary opera to discover !
The year is December 1939, twenty-three years old Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian is backstage at Carnegie Hall.
History is about to be made, as he would be the first man of color to share the stage with another white music legend Benny Goodman, however Charlie’s palms are shaking and sweat is drenching his brow…. And the minutes pass , his mounting anxiety turns into a full scale panic attack.
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Bradyworks, in co-presentation with Chants libres and Le Vivier, is happy to present the world premiere of “BACKSTAGE AT CARNEGIE HALL“
In a nutshell , the show is a new chamber opera about the impact of racism …and the history of the electric guitar,”
With syncopated music by Tim Brady and a Libretto by Audrey Dwyer, the opera is currently running at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre with English & French surtitles this September 23rd and 24th 2022
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The entire history of the electric guitar is carefully woven into the score as we follow the events that occured in December1939 through the eyes , words and music of legendary black jazz guitarist Charlie Christian ( 1916- 1942) who joined white clarinetist Benny Goodman’s sextet band for a landmark concert at Carnegie Hall – an audacious and radical artistic and social statement for both men as it was the first time two artists of different skin color shared the same stage .
The minutes that precede his performance, Charlie suffers a panic attack that brings the audience on a whirlwind journey back in time , revisiting key moments of his career : meeting VIPS and other prominent historical figures such as opera singer Marian Anderson, electric guitar maker Orville Gibson and iconic Montreal club owner Rufus Rockhead.
“This opera is part of an ambitious 4-part cycle of chamber operas that hope to tackle critical social issues such as racism, information control, abortion rights, the colonisation of space, climate change and artificial intelligence”, says Tim Brady, artistic director of Bradyworks.
The four pieces will premiere between 2022 and 2026.
The work was developed in collaboration with Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop and features five outstanding Canadian singers: Ruben Brutus, Frédéricka Petit-Homme, Christopher Parker, Alicia Ault and Clayton Kennedy.
BACKSTAGE AT CARNEGIE HALL runs Sept 23rd and 24th 7:30 pm at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre
For more information on the opera and for tickets please visit : HERE