WE WENT OUT
SCREENED: JULY 21, 2022 IN A DRIVE-IN PRESENTATION BEHIND THE WHITBY MUNICIPAL BUILDING. THIS SHORT FILM PRECEDED DRIFF’S PRESENTATION OF ‘AKILLA’S ESCAPE.’
LOCATION: 575 ROSSLAND RD E., WHITBY
About the film:
“I made We Went Out, a short film featuring my close friends and members of the downtown hip hop community in the 90’s and 00’s, to pay homage to the people who became adults in those in-between spaces: (sidewalks, stairwells and benches). It is a mapping project. We have wonderful and significant memories in places that are not often valued, that didn’t value us, but are an important part of Toronto’s cultural landscape.” - Ian Kamau
Director’s bio:
Ian Kamau is an artist, writer, and designer from Toronto. He has released seven music projects including the self-produced album One Day Soon (2011) and has published articles, short stories, and poems in publications by Vice, Coach House Press, and Book Thug. The son of pioneering filmmakers he was the founding creative director of Nia Centre for the Arts, has a Bachelor in Design and a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University, and a Masters in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University. His interests include the arts, storytelling, and critical city building. Ian is an associate artist with The Theatre Centre and Why Not Theatre and works as a designer in the Innovation Lab at Canadian Heritage.
Directors Chat
Charles Officer and Ian Kamau discuss the themes of generational trauma, growing up in the in-between spaces, and negotiating identity as racialized youth that is so prevalent in their films in this very personal chat.
