Toronto Carnival gets the spotlight
‘Becoming a Queen’ to open Caribbean Tales festival. Entertainment,
A film about a Toronto woman vying for her 10th Carnival Queen title is the apt opening night film for the 16th annual Caribbean Tales International Film Festival.
“Becoming a Queen” by Toronto filmmaker Chris Strikes follows the story of Joella Crichton, her mother, LouAnn, and sister Mischka as they prepare for the 2018 Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly Caribana.
The documentary film is both a family story and a broader one about community spirit, tradition and engagement. It’s got suspense and a plot twist leading to a surprise ending, an ideal film for the festival, which runs virtually from Wednesday to Sept. 14, said festival director Diana Webley.
“The timing couldn’t be any better. They (Strikes and crew) were in post-production and they reached out to us. We’re so happy,” Webley said, noting the film bolsters a lineup that includes a lot of local talent and stories.
“Before (the Caribbean Tales festival), there weren’t any Canadian film festivals that focused solely on African and Caribbean heritage. We’re so excited that this year half of our filmmakers are Canadians or films are Canadian because they bring the unique perspective of African and Caribbean people in Canada,” she said.
Crichton, who plays herself in the film, said she was surprised by how much work went into the documentary, which was shot mostly over the summer of 2018 and includes archival footage fleshing out the history of the venerable carnival, which has been running since 1967.
“I didn’t realize how much film you actually have to gather, how much stuff you have to capture and pull from. That was a big undertaking trying to capture those moments,” Crichton said. “(Strikes) pretty much spent the whole summer with us to really see the preparations. He totally needed to be there.”
Besides highlighting Carnival, the film shines a spotlight on the city’s long-established Caribbean community.
“There hasn’t been any other films where they tell the story of Carnival festival in Toronto. I think it’s special in that way. Also, there’s not a lot of feel-good films about Black people in real life, that are really positive stories,” Crichton added.
Strikes said he first went to the Crichton family home in 2017 and found an “incredible” museum of sorts, featuring headpieces, trophies and regalia from years of Caribana appearances. Crichton had won the coveted title of Carnival Queen nine times at that point — including seven in a row — and Strikes thought following the behind-the-scenes effort to win a 10th time would make “a really great film.”
In the process, Strikes was struck by “the amount of emotion, the amount of heart, that goes into building mas and into preparing for Carnival,” referring to the elaborate costumes worn by the bands that take part.
“That was something that was a bit of a surprise for me. I grew up in Toronto going to Carnival, but I only ever went as a partier going with my friends. When I got into the film, I’d never seen behind the scenes and (saw) Carnival from that deeper spiritual realm of it. What strongly resonated with me is the heart that goes into it and the generations of families that pass it down … to their children,” he said.
“My favourite quote in the film came from Mischka (Crichton) where she says, ‘Other families do family vacations and we do Carnival.’ I think that quote sums up the film and sums up Carnival culture among the Caribbean community and even beyond,” Strikes added.
He also thanked longtime Caribana supporter Randy Massiah, who provided rare and crucial archival footage that added a historical perspective on the event.
And though the film festival will be virtual for the second year in a row because of COVID-19, Webley said the festival’s closing night screening will be an in-person event at the Imagine Carlton Cinemas at 20 Carlton St.