Lovely Jackson to Open TBFF
by Staff Editors
(February 14, 2023 – Toronto, ON) Canada’s largest Black cultural event during Black History Month, the Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF), kicks off its 11th anniversary tomorrow with the Ontario Premiere of Matt Waldeck’s Lovely Jackson. The screening at 8PM at the Isabel Bader Theatre will be followed by a Q&A session with both the director and subject of this American documentary, Rickey Jackson. Jackson was sentenced to death row in 1975 for the robbery and murder of money-order salesman Harold Franks despite the lack of any physical evidence. By the time of his release in 2014, Jackson had spent more time behind bars (at that time) than any other innocent person in U.S. history.
The Toronto Black Film Festival will also pay tribute to award-winning Writer, Producer and Director Jennifer Holness as part of the opening night celebrations. Holness is the first Black woman in Canada to win a CSA for best writing, she is the 2021 Indie screen Producer of the Year and a 2022 WIFT Creative Excellence Award winner. Her recent feature doc, Subjects of Desire, has won numerous festival awards and was a 2021 TIFF top 10 film. Her TV series include Shoot The Messenger and Guns, with the latter winning 5 CSA’s and garnering a prestigious Rose d’Or nomination. Her narrative feature films, Home Again and Love, Sex and Eating the Bones have screened around the globe, with Bones winning a Best First Feature award at TIFF. She is a Founder and the Inaugural Chair of the Black Screen Office and is an Executive Board Member of the Canadian Media Producers Association.
Running from February 15th to the 20th, with in-person screenings as well as an on-line component, this year’s schedule includes 125 films from 20 countries – including 37 World premieres, 18 International premieres, 37 Canadian premieres, 18 Ontario premieres and 7 Toronto premieres.
Created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, presented by TD Bank Group (TD) in collaboration with Global News, information about the Full Program, All Access Passes & Individual Tickets is available online.
SOURCE: TBFF
Also see: February Film Festival listings.
