Defund (film)
Defund is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah and Araya Mengesha and released in 2021.[1] The film stars Roberts-Abdullah and Mengesha as a sister and brother who have been in isolation in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic, and must confront the complexities of political activism when they are motivated to get out into the streets during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.[2]
Defund | |
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Directed by | Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah Araya Mengesha |
Written by | Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah Araya Mengesha |
Produced by | Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah Araya Mengesha J. Stevens |
Starring | Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah Araya Mengesha Karen Robinson |
Cinematography | J. Stevens |
Edited by | J. Stevens |
Music by | Denise De'ion |
Release date |
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Running time | 14 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
The film's cast also includes Karen Robinson, Vivien Endicott-Douglas, Getenesh Berhe, Nickeshia Garrick, Richard Lam and Anand Rajaram.
The film premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival,[3] and was subsequently screened at the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival.
The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021.[4]
References
- Heather Taylor, "DEFUND at TIFF21: Making Films That Matter When They Matter". Script, September 9, 2021.
- Courtney Small, "TIFF 2021: DEFUND Review". That Shelf, September 10, 2021.
- Joshua Freeman, "Toronto talent on display at TIFF 2021". CP24, September 10, 2021.
- Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021". Now, December 6, 2021.