The Fade to Black Festival, created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation and presented by TD Bank Group, marks its 13th edition from February 7 to 11, 2024, in a hybrid format. The 13th edition will focus on storytelling, collective memory and dialogue.
Fade to Black is a multi-faceted festival, but here we’ll focus on the cinema.
Opening night
Screening of L’audience | Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 6pm – $20 + tx – at Cinéma moderne. (with English subtitles)
After crossing 11 countries illegally, Peggy, Simon and their three children await the hearing that will determine whether they will be accepted as refugees in Canada. Having fled political repression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the family is trying to rebuild its life in Montreal, in the comfort of a daily routine weakened by the omnipresent threat of having to leave. Between ghosts of the past, hopes for the future and legal mazes, the film plunges into the heart of the Nkunga Mbala family’s struggle to stay in Canada. Offering unprecedented access to their hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board, the film lifts the veil on the complex process of claiming asylum in Canada.
The screening is followed by a discussion with Peggy Nkunga Ndona, refugee claimant, director and protagonist of the film, moderated by Diane Gistal, consultant, cultural producer and independent art curator.
Short films
Being black in Montreal – Francophone and Anglophone Cohort 2022 | Thursday, February 8, 2024 – 7:30PM – Maison de la culture de Notre-Dame-de-Grâce – free of charge
Also presented online throughout the festival – $15 + tx
The Fade to Black Festival presents the 12 English- and French-language short documentaries in Être Noir.e à Montréal, part of the 2022 edition of the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Être Noir au Canada program.
French program (English subtitles)
Personne n’aime danser pour les autres (Balthazar Balland)
SYNC (Hilary ‘’Hevedence’’ Etomo Mba)
Les blessures de l’âme (Ange-line Fatal)
Noire au féminin (Julie Silva)
English program (French subtitles)
Excuse my French (Adelaide Anno-Kusi)
Dolls for Sale (Noel Cousins)
Water from a Stone (Chelsea Osei)
Dear Customers (Nakitta Correa)
Lost in Translation (Bianca Smith)
Being Black in Canada is the largest training, mentoring and creation program in Canada devoted entirely to Black filmmakers. As part of the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s (FFC) “Relève et Diversité” initiative, the FFC’s Être Noir.e au Canada program was created to address the glaring lack of diversity and the lack of black people in front of and behind the camera in Canada.
Discussions
Discussion on the film industry with Frédéric Pierre
Hosted by Adler Louis-Jean | Friday, February 9, 2024 – 12 PM – online.
On our screens for more than thirty years, actor, host and director Frédéric Pierre has a long and distinguished track record, having appeared in more than 45 TV series since his debut. Frédéric Pierre made his directorial debut with Bye bye 2020, where he led a team of scriptwriters and actors from the black community and directed several sketches. For his work, he won the Prix Gémeaux 2021 for Best Direction: Humor. A seasoned host, Frédéric Pierre was at the helm of the program Légendes urbaines on Canal D from 2005 to 2013 and collaborated on Véro et les fantastiques on Rouge FM from 2018 to 2023. He is also the creator and author of the hit series Lakay Nou, available on tou.tv, released in 2023.
With a bachelor’s degree in communications from Concordia University, Adler Louis-Jean has been active in the community, cultural, communications and social economy sectors for over 15 years.
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You can consult the complete festival program on the Fondu au noir website.
