This Weekends African Film Festival In Toronto A No Go

African Film Festival Cancelled At The Last Moment … Again

By Stephen Weir

As published in the Caribbean Camera

The Toronto African Film And Music Festival scheduled to run this weekend in downtown Toronto, has been cancelled. The event had planned to showcase the works of filmmakers and musicians from over 50 countries in Africa. America and the Caribbean, with the emphasis on film and music produced with strong links to the African continent.

In a Facebook message to me festival organizer, Paris Roger blamed the shutdown on a lack of financing. " I called and asked for help to over 2,000 people and companies, and nothing, no support other than good luck, or I will buy tickets to come out -- which they never do," he said.

The festival had originally been slated to be held in August but was postponed to give the organizers more time to fund raise - something they were unable to do successfully. This is also the second year that the Festival has had to cancel its film and music festival.

"I am cancelling the festival for 2017," he continued. "We fell short by only $3500 in our fundraising. But (over the last couple of weeks I) could not get any nibbles. We were short over $10,000 back in August, and now only short $3500. ”This money was needed to cover upfront costs of the filmfest.

Today's Caribbean Camera with my article.

The festival had booked the Kingsway Community Life Centre -- formerly the Underground Theatre – in a basement facility on Spadina Ave in Toronto's Chinatown district. There were over a dozen feature length and short African, American and Caribbean films scheduled to be shown over the weekend.

Tourments d'amour (Torments of Love), a film made in Guadeloupe with Caribbean and Guyana actors, along with The Cursed Ones, a feature drama from Ghana were two films that were generating a pre-festival buzz.

"The festival is not dead, just cancelled for 2017. All my staff and I can do is plan for 2018 and keep going. This festival is part of my life that I will never let go and I will never give up," vowed Mr. Roger.