'Sway' among Toronto Black Film Festival movies telling untold Canadian stories

Actor Emmanuel Kabongo is shown in a scene from the film "Sway." THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Geneva Film Co

Although it was filmed in Toronto's downtown Regent Park neighbourhood and features a soundtrack fuelled by underground local rappers, Emmanuel Kabongo says his new film “Sway” doesn't feel like a Canadian production.

“Everybody was excited to make something that we, as Canadians, don’t always see on screen: raw, gritty, unapologetic,” the Toronto actor and producer says by video call from Los Angeles.

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“What I see when I watch Canadian TV is there's sometimes this sense of cautiousness. You don't want to go a little too far or step on people's toes.”

Kabongo suggests the problem lies with a lack of platforms that amplify Canadian stories from different perspectives. He points to Clement Virgo's coming-of-age drama "Brother" and the CBC's historical saga "The Porter" as productions that break the mould, but despite cleaning up at the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards, weren't adequately promoted.

"There's a key component that is still missing when it comes to getting the stories out there and marketed the right way," he says.

"'Brother' was beautifully made with a huge budget, but in terms of is financial success throughout Canada, it didn't do so well. We don't always know why that is, but I think there's room for more opportunities to get the word out there."

"Sway" is among more than 80 films from 20 countries that will be championed at the 12th annual Toronto Black Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday. This year’s program includes a tribute to late filmmaker Charles Officer on Saturday and a screening of 1974 blaxploitation classic “Foxy Brown,” after which star Pam Grier will be presented with a career achievement award on Thursday.

Festival founder Fabienne Colas says the festival is all about celebrating homegrown talent.

"It’s about providing a platform and amplifying the voices of Black artists and bringing stars to empower and inspire the next generation,” says Colas.

While other broader platforms exist including the annual Toronto International Film Festival and Reelworld Film Festival, Kabongo says a Black-focused festival provides more opportunities for filmmakers reshaping the perception of what a Canadian movie looks like.

“There are so many stories out there, from the Black perspective and from people of colour,” he says.

“It's important to have something like this in Toronto so that those stories can be heard, so that people can create stories from their own experiences and have a stage to showcase it. Not everybody gets into TIFF or Reelworld, so this is needed.”

“Sway” is a moody, mind-bending thriller that sees Kabongo play a prominent Black community leader whose life unravels after a one-night stand turns into a blackmail plot and a mysterious gang simultaneously threatens his family.

Co-directed by Zach Ramelan and Charlie Hamilton, “Sway” marks the first film Kabongo has ever produced, under his company Unscene Piktures, which he founded during the pandemic. It makes its Canadian premiere Saturday.

“I want to tell stories that we don’t always see on the big screen or the small screen. That’s been my approach not just as a producer, but also as an actor,” says Kabongo, who’s acting credits include Paramount Plus' "Star Trek: Discovery," CityTv's "Hudson & Rex" and 2023's Simu Liu-fronted sci-fi thriller "Simulant."

He says the budget for “Sway” was under $100,000 and was made possible by passionate people coming together and “figuring it out a way to make it happen.”

“Instead of waiting for this big budget or for somebody to give me an opportunity, I wanted to make the opportunity for myself.”

The 37-year-old credits his drive to his turbulent childhood. His family fled civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1996 and relocated to South Africa right as apartheid was ending. They immigrated to Toronto in the ’90s.

“I faced a lot of challenges in life, so coming into Canada, I was always this raw kid. My approach to everything was always raw, with a lot of charge and energy,” he says.

Kabongo feels Canadian productions have a reputation for playing it safe. He recounts pitching a pilot to a major U.S. showrunner, who was shocked by the grittiness of the script.

“He was like, ‘What? This is how Toronto is? I'm like, 'Yeah, this is how Toronto is.' A lot of people don't really know about it. They have an idea of what it is. But a lot of filmmakers here are starting to break that mould, stepping out of that comfort zone, and saying, ‘We have our own voice. We have the talent.’”

Some of that talent is being showcased at TBFF. This year’s festival will feature “Being Black in Toronto,” a series of films from budding directors selected from Colas’ Being Black in Canada incubator program, dedicated to mentoring Black filmmakers in Canada.

Among them is Toronto director Celestina Aleobua’s “Tina, When Will You Marry?” in which Tina, who’s about to turn 30, explores the stories of three Nigerian-Canadian women as she tunes out the societal pressure to get married.

"We should be able to create opportunities for Black talent with different perspectives, if not from the higher-ups, then from ourselves," says Kabongo.

"A festival like this gives people hope that it's possible."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2024.

This is a corrected story. An earlier version referred to Clement Virgo's feature as "Virgo." In fact, it is called, "Brother."