Film student screens new film on Black artists at Nuit Blanche

Image Arts (IMA) Film student Renee Foy spent the summer creating a documentary on the inaugural Black Creative Research Residency at Artspace TMU (external link, opens in new window) . The documentary, titled Knowable Archives / Unknowable Vessels, investigates how to tell the story of Black artists as a non-Black filmmaker. A rough cut of her film was screened at Nuit Blanche in October as part of the video lounge program.

The Creative School’s Artspace is a student-led art gallery, career incubator and online platform that’s managed by the School of Image Arts. Every year, the gallery mounts eight to ten exhibitions of student and alumni work, alongside a diversity of public events, programs, talks and screenings. All of the gallery’s programming is designed to generate meaningful networking, mentorship and career development opportunities for TMU students. Artspace is a hub of experiential learning, professional networking, critical exchange and innovation.

Bringing ideas to the big screen

The inspiration behind this documentary, Foy explains, was to showcase the creative work process from individuals participating in the Black Creative Research Residency over the summer at The Creative School’s Design and Technology Lab. The four residents featured in the documentary, Shaya Ishaq, Nala Haileselassie, Carianne Shakes, and Daysha Loppie, each had their own thinking and creative process behind their piece and they had the opportunity to materialize their ideas at the lab. These individual research projects came together in a cohesive storyline shown in the final documentary. 

In addition to the research team's website, the documentary will also be a source of dissemination of Black knowledge, art production and Black presence in the creative industries. 

Emphasizing the ethics of documentary filmmaking

Prior to filming, Foy said her goal was to get an understanding of the process of ethical filmmaking, to ensure none of the residents felt unsupported or exploited while they shared their stories and experiences. Her main takeaway was the importance of listening and understanding the subject before beginning the process of documentation. 

“I prioritized creating a clear outline of the film before we started filming; this meant meeting with each resident from the team and talking about what they wanted from the documentary and what they thought was important to share,” she said. “I believe that by listening and understanding the gravity of this research project and seeing the care that the research team was putting into their work translated to the overall look and approach of the documentary.” 

Reflections from the filmmaker 

Knowable Archives / Unknowable Vessels was a result of months of planning, filming and editing to create a final documentary showcasing the process of each resident’s research project in Artspace. Foy hopes her audience can see the care and dedication that each person put into their work and project.

“It was truly amazing to see the resident’s process of thinking and creating art. I’m very grateful to have been able to show their hard work through the documentary,” she said. “It all came together when we watched the documentary at Nuit Blanche and we had an amazing turnout at both the gallery and the screening.”

The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University

The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.