Education

Black & Indigenous Realities in Canada Livestream

The culminating recorded livestream of our 2020-21 Anti-Racism Programme explores the intersection of Black and Indigenous experiences, as addressed by the celebrated films Mighty Jerome and Rustic Oracle.

Watch the filmmakers Charles Officer and Sonia Bonspille Boileau, along with hosts Garvia Bailey and Jason Ryle, lead an interactive, nationwide discussion with students across Canada.

Complete with lesson plans, students will have an opportunity to engage through our online platform in polls, Q&A, discussion boards, etc.

Interested in more livestreams from our 2020-21 Anti-Racism Programme?

About the Films
Mighty Jerome

Harry Jerome, a Black Canadian athlete, was the country’s most promising track star during a time of political turmoil and racial conflict, when a life-changing leg injury led everyone to believe that his racing days were over. A triumphant story of courage and redemption.

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Rustic Oracle

In this heartfelt feature, 8-year-old Ivy is trying to understand what happened to her big sister after she vanished from their small Mohawk community. A story of hope, growth, awakening and love.

Please review this content advisory before registering.

What you need to know
  • It’s entirely free of charge!
  • The discussion was live on April 4, 2021, but you can still watch an interactive recording.
  • Includes lesson plans, sensitivity support resources, extension activities, and of course, access to the films.
  • Suitable for Grades 9 to 12, for in-class or remote learning.
  • Presented in English
How Does It Work?
  1. REGISTER: Fill out our online registration form to access the livestream.
  2. WATCH THE FILM: Watch the films with your students via a DVD or streaming link provided by REEL CANADA.
  3. WATCH THE LIVESTREAM & PARTICIPATE: Watch a recording of the livestream, and use our interactive platform to participate in polls, discussion threads, and more.
The Guests
Charles Officer

Director of Mighty Jerome

Charles Officer is an actor, screenwriter and director based in Toronto.

Many of Officer’s films explore inequality, racism and Black experiences in Canada, especially in Toronto. His first feature film, Nurse.Fighter.Boy, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for 10 Genies. Charles’ films include the documentaries Mighty Jerome, The Skin We’re In and Unarmed Verses, and the recent crime thriller Akilla’s Escape. In addition to directing numerous television shows and short films, he has also appeared as an actor on screen and stage.

Officer originally studied visual art and worked as a graphic designer and a professional hockey player in the U.K. before entering the Canadian film industry.

Headshot of Sonia Bonspille Boileau
Sonia Bonspille Boileau

Director of Rustic Oracle

Bonspille Boileau is a bilingual Kanien’kehá:ka and Québécois filmmaker and a graduate from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. Over the last decade, she has developed and produced television projects in both English and French, ranging from children’s programming to socially driven documentaries, to the psychological thriller Le Dep.

Bonspille Boileau’s 2010 documentary Last Call Indian was nominated for best feature-length documentary at the 2011 Gemini Awards. In 2017, she was presented with the Women in the Director’s Chair Feature Film Award.

Jason Ryle

Moderator

Jason Ryle is a producer, programmer, curator, and arts consultant based in Toronto.

He is Anishinaabe from Lake St. Martin, Manitoba. Jason was the Executive Director of imagineNATIVE from July 2010 to June 2020, where he oversaw all operational and artistic activities of the annual imagineNATIVE Festival, including the organization’s year-round initiatives, international partnerships, and special projects.

In February 2021, Jason received the Clyde Gilmour Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association. The award is bestowed to Canadians whose work has in some way enriched the understanding and appreciation of film in their native country. He is currently working as a freelancer, with a focus in Indigenous media arts.

Garvia Bailey

Moderator

Garvia Bailey is an event moderator, interviewer, arts journalist, broadcaster, producer, and storyteller.

With over 20 years of experience, Bailey has helped shape a number of eminent CBC Radio and Television programmes, including Big City Small World, Metro Morning, and The National. She is a regular host and moderator for the Toronto Public Library, Hot Docs, and TOLive. With a background hosting 91.1 JazzFM’s Good Morning, Toronto, Bailey co-founded Jazzcast.ca, a community-driven platform dedicated to jazz enthusiasts.

Bailey was the 2020 RTNDA Co-Award Winner for opinion writing for her piece, “The Truth Is: I Don’t Want to Hear Your Blackface Confessions” published in The Huffington Post.

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