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Fabienne Colas
President and Founder of the Fabienne Colas Foundation and TBFF
Happy TBFF 5th anniversary to all its festivalgoers, partners, volunteers & devoted staff!!!
It all started in 2005 with the Montreal Haitian Film Festival which expanded into the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF), Canada’s largest Black Film Festival. And in 2013, the Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) was born.
Both Festivals have been providing a platform for hundreds of creators who are willing to take a risk by making non commercial choices, which allows them to tell stories and convey realities that would otherwise not have made it to you. We have showcased exceptional work that did not always make it to the silver screen. By giving a voice to the marginalized and showing films that shatter taboos, our festival’s aim is to promote professional collaboration and foster the development of independent film – while celebrating diversity on screen.
But TBFF would not be where it is today without the vision of its board of directors, the audacity and perseverance of its team, the quality of the works selected, the creativity of the artists, the enthusiasm of the press, the conviction of our partners and, above all, the passion and the loyalty of our audiences. Special thanks to the Fabienne Colas Foundation for its tremendous support. I’m grateful for the amazing work of our great team – the very best a festival can hope for. My heart goes out particularly to our programming gurus Emile Castonguay and Joyce Fuerza – without them there would be no Festival – and to Alexe Louisa, our long time promotion and logistics coordinator working behind the scene to make all work.
All of this would not have been possible without our friends at Global News, TBFF’s official partner for the past 5 years, and TD Bank, TBFF co-presenter. We are proud to be part of TD’s 2017 Black History Month Series. We want to continue being the reflection of a cinema that’s in step with the current realities of a fast-changin world; a Festival that’s on the look-out for new trends, new encounters and top-notch original works. Let’s keep spreading powerful films and stories with impact; films that can move and inspire us to see the world differently and take action!
Enjoy YOUR Festival!!
Emile Castonguay Joyce Fuerza
Co-founder and Programming Director of TBFF // Head Coordinator & Programming Coordinator
We are so excited to share our line-up of the 5th edition of the Toronto Black Film Festival with you all!!!
We open with the Canadian premiere of the forthcoming
documentary Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities directed by Emmy Award Winner director Stanley Nelson. The documentary celebrates the impact historically black colleges and universities have had on American culture. Nelson also directed last year’s The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution documentary.
We are honoured to pay tribute to legendary, Oscar winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. with TBFF 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony will be followed by a Q&A and Master class with Mr. Gossett.
We also bring you once again over 40 of the very best films on black realities from 20 countries, most of which are Canadian Premieres, and a variety of breathtaking special events are part of this year’s program! From drama to comedy to classic opera musical, from inspiring documentaries to entertaining narrative/fiction films, from International to Canadian masterpieces, #TBFF17 has something for everyone!
We close the festival with the South African film The Lucky Specials, a North American Premiere, directed by Reg Rangaka. A film that entertains but also educates audiences while raising awareness about Tuberculosis. Besides the great films and the special events, festivalgoers and people from the film industry will also be able to enjoy FREE panel discussions (TBFF Community program) as well as FREE workshops (TBFF Black Market) at Carlton Cinema.
Complete program and line-up as well as passes and tickets are available at www.torontoblackfilm.com.
Enjoy the Festival!
