The Villager

The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Revue Cinema with festivities beginning at 6 p.m. The film has already gained critical acclaim, opening the 2007 Reel World Film Festival, where it took home the award for Outstanding Canadian Feature. Since then it has screened to rave reviews at festivals internationally, including Montreal and Halifax, and most recently opened the highly respected New York African Diaspora Film Festival in Manhattan.

A Winter Tale takes place in Toronto's Parkdale neighborhood and examines the aftermath of a violent and tragic shooting during which a nine-year-old boy is killed by a bullet meant for a notorious drug dealer.

Through Solomon's lens, the audience is given a glimpse at 'black-on-black' violence in Toronto's urban core, as well as the emotional journey of a group of men who must deal with their 'Canadian reality'.

For Solomon, A Winter Tale is a much-needed response to negative generalizations and stereotypes connected to black Canadians often advanced through the media.

"I began working on the project, which is about the inner life of black men in the city, because, at the time (four years ago), there was a lot of so-called black-on-black violence that was being reported in the media," Solomon said.

"Black men were being portrayed as being monsters. And I thought that it didn't resemble anything that I knew, or the people that I knew. ... What I was seeing in the press didn't correspond with what I know of my community."

During the month of February, Solomon and her cast will also host Talk it Out, an innovative anti-violence project that uses A Winter Tale as a tool for discussion and exchange among Canadian youth. Talk it Out is aimed at urban high school students and multicultural communities across Canada, as well as general Canadian audiences.

The forums are made up of open discussions and question-and-answer sessions that take place after each screening of the film. Talk it Out works closely with leaders in youth and community-based organizations, along with municipal staff and school administrators toward developing strategies to engage youth in positive goal-oriented discussion.

Supported by Telefilm Canada, and sponsored by TD Bank, Talk it Out events will take place at the Eglinton Town Center Cineplex (Feb. 6) and York University (Feb. 21), as well as on selected dates during the film's theatrical run at the Revue Cinema.

The Jan. 31 launch, which is being sponsored by the Jamaican Consulate, will also serve to announce the program for the 2008 annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival in July. This year's festival will highlight the cinematic contribution of actors, directors and producers associated with films from Jamaica.

"We're delighted to partner with Frances-Anne to showcase and celebrate the growing body of film work coming from the Caribbean - of which A Winter Tale is a very shining example," said Anne Marie Bonner, Consul General of Jamaica.

Visit www.caribbeantales.ca for more information on Frances-Anne Solomon, A Winter Tale and/or the CaribbeanTales Film Festival.

Jon Sarpong is the Diversity Officer at Durham College. He provides independent diversity training and consultation for various organizations. Contact Jon by e-mailing jsarpong@hotmail.com.