Montreal black film festival highlights five personal stories of being black in the city

MONTREAL — Documentary shorts from five young filmmakers graced the screen of the annual Montreal International Black Film Festival, representing five different takes on what it means to be black in the city.

These are “new stories, stories that we don’t hear, personal stories that go beyond racial problems,” said Henri Pardo, the artistic director of the five documentary project.

Pardo supervised the directors, who were chosen from a group of 35 applicants. He encouraged them “just to dig in deep, to be really personal.”

“It’s like a classroom, usually in a classroom the doors are closed, and we can take risks and make mistakes.”

Annick Maugile-Flavien’s parents came to Montreal from Haiti. While she grew up speaking Creole at home, many of the families she grew up around quickly forsook the language for Canada’s other two tongues, a theme she explores in her film Carrefour Creole.

“Haitians from Haiti come here and they don’t want to pass on Creole to their children,” she said. “There’s an embarrassment… there’s a feeling like, ‘What I have to offer isn’t important to you in this new world.’ And Montrealers don’t have to deal with that on a day-to-day basis.”

Another filmmaker, Jeff Figaro, delved into themes of redemption in his film ‘Le diamante retrouve.’

“There are some rough things that happen, especially in Montreal-Nord,” he said, referring to the neighbourhood where he grew up. “By the same token, there are some good things that come out of there too.”

His film follows a woman who became a community pillar after being the victim of violence and turning to drugs and prostitution earlier in life.

The five films are between 10 and 15 minutes in length. The festival runs through Sunday.