Curated by Alanna Stuart of Polaris Prize-nominated duo Bonjay, this evening is an ode to Jamaica’s bass-heavy dancehall music culture with screenings of Dancehall Queen, Everblessed, and Who Am I? Go beyond the music you hear booming out of cars to experience the fullness of a scene whose sound, style, and tongue are intimately interwoven with Toronto’s own!
Dancehall Queen is a 90’s classic of the Caribbean cinema canon. Directed by The Clash documentarian Don Letts with Rick Elgood, the film balances the true life strife that birthed dancehall with the new sensation of freedom that emerged out of it. In an attempt to build a better life for herself and her two daughters, fruit vendor Marcia Green (Audrey Reid) secretly aspires to win the dancehall queen dance competition. As we watch her transition from side-a-road to centre stage, we witness peak dancehall: bashment fashion, skin out choreography, and classic riddims. Like the 90’s dancehall sound, this film features a raw aesthetic that’s unapologetically “slack”. With an iconic score by Wally Badarou and a soundtrack featuring Bounty Killer to Grace Jones to Chaka Demus & Pliers and more, Dancehall Queen is the perfect primer for dancehall novices and mandatory repeat viewing for aficionados.
In a contemplative drift of video and photo collage, Everblessed explores the mutual elements of performance, escape, and expression shared by the church and the dancehall. Through the lens of New Yorker conflict reporter Jeremy Relph and Jamaican director Nile Saulter the seemingly antithetical worlds parallel.
Offering a view from the diaspora, Who Am I? is a visually stunning personal reflection by Alanna Stuart. Stuart immerses herself in Jamaica—the country of her recently estranged father’s birth—to study and produce with dancehall reggae luminaries. Following her desire for belonging, her journey tours us through Jamaica, from sound system yards to the sea.
This screening is guest curated by Alanna Stuart (Bonjay) & Sou Sou
Dancehall queen
Don Letts and Rick Elgood, Jamaica, 1997
With short films Who Am I?, directed by Alanna Stuart & May Truong, 2017, and Everblessed, directed by Jeremy Relph and Nile Saulter, 2016
Friday, August 6, 2021
Admission: Same-day tickets available 12 PM on August 6
There will be no admission without an advance ticket
Donations make our programming possible
Venue: "Walled Fort" of Fort York National Historic Site - entry at west gates of 100 Garrison Road
Event details:
Gates open @ 7 pm / Showtime @ sundown (~8:45 PM)
COVID-19 on-site protocols - please read before attending
Event & ticket terms and conditions
Snacks and alcoholic beverages for sale (no outside alcohol permitted)
BYOBlanket & Chairs
Please see the accessibility features of Fort York
Not all films are screened with captioning
Content advisory: This programme includes some content that is potentially disturbing to some viewers (including violence and sexual assault). Though these disturbances are alluded to and not directly shown, the curator would like to make mention of it.
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