COURAGE
Saturday, October 15 @ 7 PM
QUAI 5160 – Verdun Cultural Centre
| Montreal non-profit collective Yellow Pad Sessions (YPS) has announced that Courage – the first instalment of its latest cultural event, OPTIMISTA – is to be co-presented by Montreal International Black Film Festival and Fondu Au Noir. |
| “The Fabienne Colas Foundation, Montreal International Black Film Festival is honoured to partner with OPTIMISTA in the film screening of The Black Cop. Platforms like these are necessary and created to give those who too often remain invisible, the opportunities to tell and share their stories and experiences with the world. The message in the film speaks on the realization of one’s identity, self-worth, self-love, and the importance of accepting oneself and rising above hate.” – Andrea Este, Fabienne Colas Foundation |
| Bearing in mind today’s current economic instability and increasing cost of living, and to ensure that OPTIMISTA’s programming is accessible to all, the organizers have recalibrated the pricing of the events. YPS‘ mandate to service a wide range of people with diversity, equity and inclusivity is part and parcel of their ethos, and this new pricing structure should ensure the doors to OPTIMISTA are open to as many people as possible. Full box office information is available in the ‘In Brief’ section below and online here. |
| On Saturday, October 15 (7 PM) at QUAI 5160 – Maison de la Culture Verdun, Courage will feature a screening of two thought-provoking films (the multiple award-winning documentaries The Black Cop and Writing with Fire), an inspiring word by keynote speaker Gamal ‘G’ Turawa, a moving photo exhibition by Agustina Pedrocca, and a heartfelt dance performance by Diana León. The event will be followed by a cocktail party featuring live DJ sets by the Webbed Feet radio crew with special guest DJ Rafalinio and signature OPTIMISTA cocktails & mocktails. |
| “OPTIMISTA stems from a response to the hardship and isolation of the pandemic and so the exploration of Courage is the perfect way to jump-start the series. Art as a powerful tool for commentary and social change is the mirror we can hold up to ourselves. Through our moving films, our inspiring keynote speaker, the exhibition, and performance, OPTIMISTA aims to elicit courage, hope, and joy with a place to gather once again.” – Grace Sebeh Byrne (Cofounder / Executive Director, Yellow Pad Sessions) |
| The evening’s keynote speaker and the protagonist of the BAFTA Award-winning short documentary The Black Cop, Gamal ‘G’ Turawa, will be coming in from London, UK to talk about courage and what it takes to make a difference in our views on resilience, race, equity, and harmony in the world. |
| The documentary follows the life story of ‘G’ – as he likes to be named – who during his time in the Metropolitan Police admitted to racially profiling and harassing black people in the early days of his 26-year career. The first black MET police officer to come out as openly gay, ‘G’recalls spending his childhood in a small village in Kent in the foster care of a white family before going on to join the MET Police in his early twenties, where he used his position as a “get-out-of-jail free card” from his reality as a black gay man. |
| “I’m so humbled to have my short film, The Black Cop, chosen to be screened at OPTIMISTA and to have been invited to speak in person. It shows the universality of its message—that we are all in some ways exploring our place in an ever-changing world and that some of those changes are challenging our sense of belonging and/or our identities. I feel privileged to have had global feedback in that the film is giving people permission to have those courageous conversations both with themselves and with others. As such, some are finding deeper levels of compassion that they never realized they had. My hope is that all those who attend OPTIMISTA and see the film are also touched enough to have such conversations. To be a catalyst for such interactions makes me proud not only of the film but also of the fact that I have found a meaning and a purpose for the experiences life has blessed me with.” – Gamal ‘G’ Turawa |
The Black Cop and keynote speech will be followed by the screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary, Writing with Fire. From a cluttered news landscape dominated by men emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women (women who are part of India’s lowest caste). Armed with smartphones, chief reporter Meera and her team of journalists break traditions, be it on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues or within the confines of their homes, redefining what it means to be powerful. The debut feature documentary from the directing, writing, and producing team of Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, Writing with Fire won two awards at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival – an Audience Award (World Cinema – Documentary) and a World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award (Impact and Change) – and was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Documentary Feature) in 2022, among many other awards & nominations.
The visual art element of the evening will be the intimate giant photograph series Happy and Beautiful out of Spite, by Agustina Pedrocca. Emulating the work of Nan Goldin, Pedrocca presents a moving series of portraits which document the loves, pleasures, hardships, and heartaches of Montreal’s queer community.
Courage‘s performance piece will be presented by contemporary dancer and choreographer, Diana León, titled On this path, you are sure to get lost. This work is a powerful expression of self-love that breaks with the game of complacency and our integrity as human beings.
www.optimistamtl.com/event-details/optimista-courage
COURAGE
DATE – October 15, 2022
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Coming in from London, England, Gamal “G” Turawa (protagonist of the BAFTA-winning film, The Black Cop) is the first black MET police officer to come out as openly gay. His personal and professional trials and tribulations as a true testament to courage!
FILM SCREENINGS – The Black Cop, and the Oscar-nominated documentary, Writing with Fire – a poignant story of the courage of young emerging Dalit (so-called, untouchables) journalists caught in the cluttered landscape of news dominated by men.
PERFORMANCE – Diana León, presenting a solo performance that was born as a response to a personal urgency and is an expression of self-love, titled On this path, you are sure to get lost.
EXHIBITION – A moving series of giant portraits entitled Happy and Beautiful out of Spite by photographer Agustina Pedrocca, which document the loves, pleasures, hardships, and heartaches of Montréal’s queer community.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER – Andrea Este, Montreal International Black Film Festival
COCKTAIL PARTY – Live DJ sets by the Webbed Feet radio crew and special guest DJ Rafalinio, with signature OPTIMISTA cocktails & mocktails.
| IN BRIEF |
| OPTIMISTA Cinéconferences for a Hopeful Tomorrow Oct. 15, 2022 – Courage Nov. 19, 2022 – Compassion Feb. 11, 2023 – Love Mar. 04, 2023 – Community Doors at 7 PM / Events at 8 PM QUAI 5160 – Maison de la Culture Verdun 5160 LaSalle Boulevard, Montreal, QC H4H 1N8 Tickets $15 → Regular (1 evening) $13 → Students & 65+ (1 evening) $55 → Season Pass – Regular (4 evenings + 2 cocktails) $48 → Season Pass – Students & 65+ (4 evenings + 2 cocktails) Special considerations for those in need with a ‘pay it forward’ program Details & Box Office |
