Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Lovely Jackson
For 39 years, Rickey Jackson was imprisoned on death row for a murder he did not commit, based on false testimony given by a 12-year-old child. Lovely Jackson recounts what led to his conviction and then his release in 2014. Rickey Jackson testifies in this documentary, just like the now adult boy who belatedly returned to his false statement, made under pressure. For Fabienne Colas, general manager of the Montreal International Black Film Festival, it is one of the “pieces of resistance” of the event, in particular because it shows how one can be an ally of people who are treated unfairly. She also says she is impressed by the strength of character of Rickey Jackson who, although he has lost more than half of his life in prison, refuses to be bitter. “He says he’s wasted so much time that the life he has left, he doesn’t want to spend being bitter,” she said.
Tuesday, 7 p.m., at the Imperial Cinema
Kaepernick and America
Shaken by the deaths of several black men at the hands of the police, American football player Colin Kaepernick decided to take a knee at the start of each game at the time of the national anthem in 2016. It did not pass unnoticed. Kaepernick and America comes back to this gesture and what prompted the athlete to make it. “Behind that, there was a whole approach and also a strength of character at Colin Kaepernick”, underlines Fabienne Colas. The athlete paid dearly for wanting to draw attention to ethnic inequalities in the United States, says the film, which also evokes those who supported him, such as the company Nike.
Thursday, 7 p.m., at the Museum cinema
A Star Without A Star (Juanita)
“It’s a film about actress Juanita Moore, directed by her grandson,” says Joyce Fuerza, programming director. He talks about his trajectory at a time when black actresses just had roles as servants. Juanita had bigger roles and was the fifth black actress to be nominated for an Oscar. “Through interviews – with Sidney Poitier, in particular –, the documentary recounts the life and career of Juanita Moore and wonders why this pioneer has still not been entitled to her star in Hollywood.
Thursday, 9 p.m., at the Museum cinema
Perijil
In 1937, Dominican President Rafael Trujillo ordered the massacre of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic. A horror known as the Persil Massacre, as Dominican soldiers asked “suspects” to correctly pronounce the word “perejil” (parsley, in French) to determine whether or not their lives would be saved. Perijil is a fictional film based on historical facts that still resonate in the Dominican Republic, where Haitians still face discrimination (worker exploitation, citizenship issues, etc.). “It’s a bit hard to see, it’s a bit graphic,” warns Joyce Fuerza. In Spanish and Haitian Creole with English subtitles.
Friday, 5 p.m., at the Museum cinema
A daughter’s tribute to her father
“Souleymane is a darling of the festival. We paid tribute to him in 2011, it was the great Dany Laferrière who gave him his prize, recalls Fabienne Colas. It is important, I think, to keep this link with one of the fathers of contemporary African cinema. » A Daughter’s Tribute to her Father: Souleymane Cissé (A daughter’s tribute to her father), directed by his daughter Fatou, is an intimate portrait of the filmmaker through the eyes of his family, his collaborators and, of course, his daughter. The documentary was presented at the last Cannes Film Festival, where Souleymane Cissé received the Jury Prize in 1987 for his film Yeelen.
Friday, 9 p.m., at the Museum cinema