Sugar Sammy | Diversity on TV: still a long way to go

At this time in 2013, Sugar Sammy and Simon-Olivier Fecteau were preparing to shoot a bilingual series that would highlight a diversity rarely seen on the small screen in Quebec: these guys. Ten years later, has our TV progressed in terms of representativeness? Yes, but the game is far from over, respond players in the middle.

Despite a proposal that was off the beaten track, Simon-Olivier Fecteau and Sugar Sammy had not struggled too much to convince V to embark on the adventure these guysan urban comedy that depicted the friendship between two Montrealers in their thirties with opposite cultural backgrounds (a Canadian of Indian origin who spoke Punjabi and English, and a “pure wool” Quebecer with nationalist leanings). Auditioning with Simon had had a lot of success on ICI Tou.tv and Sugar Sammy had the crowds running with two one-man-shows in parallel.

“V bought Sam’s multicultural universe,” says Simon-Olivier Fecteau in an interview. We wanted her parents to be mainly English-speaking and Indian, and for the show to be partly bilingual. We said, “This is our reality. It would be nice if we could show it for real.” »

A “real will”

Although no production of the genre, housed in prime time, has emerged since, the situation in terms of diversity on the small screen has not regressed. In recent years, comedians from visible minorities have landed major roles in several fictional films, such as Frédéric Pierre (Alerts), Anglesh Major (STAT), Nour Belkhiria (Indefensible), Audrey Roger (The red wristbands), Naila Louidort (The flaw), Noé Lira (The emperor), Rachid Badouri (Without an appointment), Yanic Truesdale (Guys), Widemir Normil (Squad 99), Zeneb Blanchet (Lou and Sophie), Samantha Fins (STAT), Martin-David Peters (Indefensible), Iannicko N’Doua (Runaway). And overall, the distributions are less uniform than before.

At St Laurent TV, a web and television production company whose mission is to create content that “everyone can identify with”, we feel in the industry a “real desire” to offer television in the image of today’s Quebec. . President and co-founder of the company, Lou Bélanger salutes the initiatives of financial institutions to promote cultural diversity. “They did their job,” he says.

“The awareness is obvious, adds Marieme Ndiaye, executive producer and associate within the same group. I went on television to show that it was possible to make and live with this face. After 20 years in the industry, I can say that there is some improvement, but we still have a long way to go. »

On the broadcaster side, on the other hand, diversification efforts would vary depending on the scale of the project. “When we work on web series or on smaller projects, we are given a lot of latitude in terms of cast and film crews, but as soon as we get into bigger budgets, we are often asked for A’s, points out Lou Bélanger. However, the United States often presents series without big stars, like breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones And Succession. Then we get attached quickly anyway. »

Director and co-author of the adaptation of the novel by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette I would like to be eraseda web series from ICI Tou.tv articulated around the challenges of a group of young people from the Saint-Michel district, Eric Piccoli also notes an improvement, but he speaks of a diversity that is too often superficial.

“Diversity comes with different ways of reacting, different accents… That’s what I kind of regret: do people ultimately just want to have people of different colors on screen? It’s as if they wanted Blacks in the series, but without the style that comes with it. »

According to Mara Joly, author, director and producer ofafter the flooda series with a predominantly diverse cast that Noovo will air in the fall, the point raised by Eric Piccoli represents one of the many challenges that will test the television industry’s real desire for diversification in the coming years.

“For now, people light-skin [personnes noires au teint plus clair] who speak Joual are widely favored. Yes, putting them on screen is an inclusion, but for me it’s a baby step. In our series, it’s still very rare to see dark-skinned people who speak with an accent that isn’t joual. »

A voucher timing »

Mara Joly believes that the burning news of recent years has helped to accelerate the diversification of our television. Without all these tragic deaths (George Floyd, Joyce Echaquan…), would her series, which paints the portrait of a rebellious policewoman (camped by Penaude Estime) who takes under her wing four young people with a troubled past, would have found takers? ? She ignores him.

“Everyone told me that in Quebec, it would be impossible to sell this series, but fortunately, my timing was exceptional, says the trained actress, born in Quebec to an African-American mother and a white father. It was 2020. Bell Media was looking for content. The husband of one of the bosses who had met me came from North Africa. She was therefore very sensitive to the issues ofafter the flood, in relation to the differences in privilege between white and racialized people, for example. And a few weeks earlier, the George Floyd affair had broken out…”

“Even though I was an author with little experience, they immediately wanted us to work together. »

Mara Joly wants the increase in the number of people from visible minorities on the small screen to go smoothly. “Yes, I can’t wait for us to reach balance, but I would like us to avoid creating a backlash [réaction de rejet]. Achieving this requires delivering quality stories and authentic stories that Caucasian viewers will fall in love with. We have to move them, entertain them, make them travel, make them dream… I think we are capable. »

The diversity behind the lens

Diversity in front of the lens is important, but diversity behind the lens is just as important… if not more so, insist players in the television sector.

Frédéric Pierre has been decrying a lack of representation in key positions (screenwriters, directors, producers) for years. In 2021, the actorAlerts decided to take matters into his own hands by founding his own production house, Productions Jumelage, with the help of an established company, KOTV.

The company’s first project, which Frédéric Pierre administers alone, will be shot over the next few months. It’s a comedy called Lakay Nou, which will paint the portrait of a couple of Quebecers of Haitian origin living stuck between two generations: their very modern young children and their very traditional parents. Ricardo Trogi will direct.

“There is a real need for racialized people behind the camera. It changes the whole game “says the new producer, who is also developing a detective comedy with Rachid Badouri and Mehdi Bousaidan.

“Decisions are made behind the camera, not in front,” adds Simon-Olivier Fecteau, who had entrusted Frédéric Pierre with the responsibility of creating a special team of black authors and actors to concoct sketches at the Bye bye 2020.

Frédéric Pierre will take advantage of the summer filming of Lakay Nou to start a twinning program to train and professionalize people from minorities in different positions. Thus, the seasoned artistic director Christian Légaré (Guys, Discussions with my parents) will be coupled with actor and host Angelo Cadet, who wishes to perfect his apprenticeship in the profession.

The broadcasters will also have to do their part, underlines Lou Bélanger of St Laurent TV. “Behind the camera, we are asked to have people with experience. We respect that, but experience is not everything. Collectively, we have to give ourselves the right to take risks by focusing on potential rather than on today’s CV. »