Citizen Minutes often feels both relatable and universal. That’s its strength. The doc pulls shorts from many unique and diverse communities to look at the issues and triumphs they’ve made in their groups and as individuals. The films are all short documentaries that center around different unique groups and individuals who are trying to make a difference in their worlds. They all contain many different issues and people fighting for equitable change and opportunity. Each doc deserves its own mention so I’ll briefly review each of the seven documentaries that make up Citizen Minutes.
Mind Check 1-2 1-2; Dir. Ian Ketkau
Mind Check 1-2 1-2 centers around Toronto Rapper AK who comes from a family of Nigerian immigrants. His music has centered around creative freedom to express his anxiety and mental health. He connects to his audience through the joy of music and the freedom of letting go of the worries that he’s constantly plagued with. His success has been in his relatability to young people across the world where he’s used platforms like TikTok and Twitch to make a career out of his connection to them. They also interview a Rapper named Mohamed who sees AK as an inspiration for his work, finding the freedom to express mental health struggles in the medium of art, music, and poetry. The editing reflects this ADHD mindset with fast cuts, moving colorful backgrounds to the footage which often features cellphone video. Some parts feature some fun animation and the film exhibits a cinematic look in its interviews.
Sisterhood Softball; Dir. Farhiya Ahmed
Sisterhood Softball looks at the importance and empowerment Muslim women get out of a league made just for them. It started with the inner desire many of them kept quiet to play while they watched their husbands play in their leagues. Many of them kept it to themselves because Muslim women as girls are not often encouraged to play sports. The women who are playing hope for change for their kids and their daughters. Having a space to play with women of color has only given them a safe form of community but is an inspiring insular hub for Muslim women and their daughters. They were able to pick places and uniforms that would comply with their Islamic regulations and their desire for modesty. It allows them to feel comfortable and not having male spectators allows them to play and interact naturally without having to think of their desire for modesty and the specific way they interact with the opposite gender. This also creates a support system for women who are immigrants in Canada and have left behind families in other countries.
Rising from the Ashes; Dir. Sara Ben-Saud
Looks at a unique homeless community shelter that works with specific initiatives to help them acquire practical jobs in the Quebec economy. We see the efforts of the many volunteers who work under one paid coordinator to run the program. Some of them have specific skills as handymen, cooks, and barista’s, skills that they are able to develop in thanks to the kitchen and workshop that they are able to have in the shelter. The film looks at the dinners they offer on Tuesday nights that allow people to practice and enjoy cooking together and for many others to enjoy quality healthy food and have conversations with others. Recently, they were awarded a Governor General’s award for their work. Just as the pandemic started, the building had an apartment catch on fire and the rent doubled where they were, highlighting the struggle for places like this to run. But they were able to raise the funds to run the next place, bringing positive change to their community. The film is nicely shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, highlighting the intimacy of the shelter and its personal impact on some of the people interviewed in the doc.
Do you hear what I hear?; Dir. Cat Mills
Noise can be a form of torture. The CIA did it with Britney Spears, Barney, and Cat shrieks and this can be likened to the conditions of the city of Toronto. The law isn’t able to effectively prosecute the illegal mufflers that violate the by-law noise limits, especially at night. It highlights the gap between the officers who measure the decibel level but also their reliance on the police to enforce these violations letting many offenders off. This can severely impact the health of the average Torontonian, breaking sleep and increasing stress. The same goes for the blind of Toronto as many spots become inhabitable for the guide dogs that are essential to their care. Thousands of people in Toronto deal with this problem and the municipal government has not done anything to stop it, despite the extensive documentation by Ingrid. The film presents the subject well and has passionate, empathetic anecdotes that expose the lack of care in this issue. (There was some irony though when the soundtrack had the music blaring over the documentary subjects speaking.)
Janelle Niles Inconvenient
Look at the space Indigenous comedian Janelle Niles has made for Indigenous comedy both as a form of expression and as a way to educate people about Indigenous history. It can be an act of protest, making people hyperaware and, at times, uncomfortable about how colonization has affected Native people but also how they can make light from it. Their issues past and present are brought to the table in darkly comedic ways. This form of comedy embodies the idea that the saddest stories often have some of the funniest people at the center. It creates solidarity for people in humor. It allows these creative comedic indigneous people to come together and is a platform Janelle has been able to share and give to other great comedians.
Loud and Here; Dir. Josaine Blanc
Look at how often in the Montreal and Quebec school system there is not enough support for the prevention of sexual violence. Minors are often exposed to these vulnerable situations in schools. The documentary looks at 20 women who make up “La Voix Des Jeunes Compte” who fight for legislation against sexual violence in elementary and secondary schools. They go to a meeting for the Montreal School Board condemning what is happening at schools. We see their various platforms between social media, a podcast, and interviews. They also want to ensure that the legislation covers physical, sexual, psychological, and social crimes in gender-based violence. They explain the harassment of young women that they’ve seen where harassment and even groping can be bypassed and not dealt with. They show you the frameworks of what they hope will come into law and that it will spur leaders in education to provide support that adapts to the changing technologies that are involved in sexual violence. It’s an inspiring doc that understandably terrifies you and makes you aware of the change that young people can make in the face of an unabiding government.
Ancestral Threads Dir. Sean Stiller
This documentary looks at an indigenous fashion week. It explores how indigenous women are given confidence through the chance to do fashion, model, and use those mediums as an expression to channel trauma and change into art. We see the community that comes together and helps each other be healthy and confident in their own skin. It’s an idea too many indigenous people living in Canada and around the world struggle with. The designers are able to express their fashions to the contemporary to period clothing, including designs that were untouched by the wake of colonists. The final montage is memorable as we see the fashion and the energy the models have for their clothing. It’s scored to a great song called Stadium Pow Wow by The Halluci Nation. I highly recommend you listen to it, the song was recently featured in a trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
Citizen Minutes is available in theatres on Friday, October 16th and streaming on CBC Gem & Crave on Sunday, October 18th, 2023.
