Beyond the March: filmmakers travel cross-country to highlight racism in Canada
A pair of best friends - one black, one white - are facing a camera lens on how Canadians are interrupting anti-Black racism.
Mark Holmes and Matt Cappuccitti's documentary "Beyond the March" has taken the duo across the country; from Vancouver to Toronto, and now Halifax.
The film's foundation came in the aftermath of George Floyd’s 2020 murder in Minneapolis. Holmes says those events made him recognize a shortcoming in his own understanding of Canada.
"I'm a Black man and I don't know what's the Black community is doing to stop anti-Black racism,” says Holmes.
Cappuccitti says Floyd’s death gave him an empty pit in his stomach which is when he decided to call his friend with an idea.
"Let's get the camera. Let's do something. Let's see what's happening because this isn't going to stop,” says Cappuccitti.
The two friends grew up on the same street in Mississauga and have known each other for about 40 years.
Holmes has a background in journalism. He and Cappuccitti are funding the documentary on their own.
They say anti-Black racism still persists everywhere.
“Although it may look different in Canada, it's still happening in Canada,” says Cappuccitti.
Their trip to the East Coast included a stop at Angel Gannon's ‘A Walk Through Africville’ exhibit.
“In places like here in Nova Scotia, it's always been here and I don't know why that is and I want to find that out,” says Holmes.
While in Nova Scotia, the pair are interviewing Africville historian Irvine Carvery, spoken word poet El Jones, and Stop the Violence protestor Quentrel Provo, along with other community leaders.
Holmes says it isn’t the Black communities’ responsibility to solve a problem they didn’t create.
“We need the white community. We need that allyship, otherwise nothing is going to get done,” says Holmes.
The two friends say they care deeply about the subject matter, as they envision a world beyond black and white.
"The toughest thing in the world when you hear a family member or friend make a joke, make a comment, is to actually call them out on it, right. Its makes us all uncomfortable, but if we don't things will perpetuate and nothing is ever going to change. So have the difficult conversation,” says Cappuccitti.
"Cause if you don't act it's just going to keep on going. So do something. Take action, “says Holmes.
The documentary is expected to be released in March 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.