NINTH FLOOR
TIFF DOCS D: Mina Shum. Canada. 81 min. Sep 12, 7:15 pm Scotiabank 3 Sep 14, 2 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 4. See listing. Rating: NNNN
Shum’s moving NFB-produced documentary probes how in 1969, institutional intransigence at Sir George Williams University and the Montreal police’s fundamental fear of black people conspired to escalate a small sit-in protesting one prof’s racism into a full-scale riot involving hundreds of students.
Interviews with participants – Rodney John and Bukka Rennie are among the most potent – and some recreations and archival footage reveal black students’ shock at the university’s casual bigotry. One former student recalls the terror in the eyes of police sent in to clear out the computer centre on the ninth floor where students had gathered.
Another great doc, more proof of the value of the National Film Board.
