Filmed in gorgeous black-and-white in Newark, New Jersey, director Zeshawn Ali’s astonishing debut tells the story of Hanif, a Muslim casket maker who spends his days ritually cleaning and preparing the bodies of his brothers in faith for burial. Active within the community, Hanif takes it upon himself to mentor two young men: Furquan, a confident 12-year-old who comes from a rough home, and Naz, a 17-year-old running with the wrong crowd. Through the rituals of death, he teachers the young men to embrace life in a powerful coming-of-age meditation on faith, brotherhood and redemption.
For Viola
A new and important screening series centering Black, Indigenous, and People Of Colour (BIPOC)-led stories and filmmakers, named in honour of Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond. The series seeks to affirm Hot Docs as a space of inclusion for BIPOC creators and audience members alike.
In order to minimize barriers to audience participation, all presentations in this series will be free of charge.
While For Viola will always be presented free of charge, please consider a $10 donation in recognition of the value of the work presented, and in honour of Viola Desmond, featured on the $10 banknote. As a non-profit, Hot Docs relies on donations to continue to develop and expand inclusive programming. Half the proceeds from all donations will be shared directly with the filmmakers, who also receive screening fees. Thank you for your consideration.
<< Return to Hot Docs’ Anti-Racism statement.
Who Was Viola Desmond?
Viola Desmond (1914–1965) was a Black Nova Scotian entrepreneur and pioneer in the struggle against anti-Black racism in Canada. In 1946, Desmond was arrested and jailed when she refused to leave the whites-only seating area of a Nova Scotia cinema and was subsequently convicted and fined. In one of the first known legal challenges to racial segregation in Canada, she fought to overturn her conviction. Though her conviction was not reversed in her lifetime, she received a posthumous pardon from the Nova Scotia government in 2010.
Now Playing
Past Films
In My Blood It Runs
- Australia
- 2019
- 85
- Director:
- Maya Newell
Dujuan is a 10-year-old Arrernte boy from Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in Australia. Full of life and exuberance, he learns to hunt, speak two Indigenous languages and become a healer. But within the country’s colonial school system, the aspiring leader’s strength and intellect go unnoticed. As Dujuan faces failing grades and increased scrutiny from welfare and police, his loving family fight to maintain strong Aboriginal teachings alongside western education, lest he becomes another statistic. A Hot Docs 2019 favourite, this powerful coming-of-age film will take you on an emotional journey through the fight to mend the educational schism between traditional culture and colonial ideas, and solidify a future for the youth.
Lessons Injustice (Short Documentary)
- Canada
- 2017
- 9
- Director:
- Karen Chapman
A father sets out on a car ride with his teenage son and reflects on the conversation he knows he will soon have to have: how to conduct himself as a young black man in Canadian society.
Unarmed Verses
- Canada
- 2017
- 86
- Director:
- Charles Officer
12-year old Francine Valentine uses creative expression to help endure struggles as her family faces eviction from their Toronto home in this award-winning festival hit from director Charles Officer.
For Viola is supported by
