The 2023 Legacy Awards are back again. From Keshia Chante hosting to a Northern Touch tribute, here’s your 2023 Legacy Awards recap. After a successful inaugural event in 2022, the who’s who of Black entertainment gathered at History for the 2023 Legacy Awards. Hosted by Keshia Chante and executive produced by Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, the ceremony will see some of Canada’s finest talents, in music, film & TV and sports honoured by the Black Academy. WNBA superstar, Kia Nurse, received the 2023 Legacy Athlete Award, Jully Black received the Icon Award, LU KALA took home the Emerging Artist…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne is the co-founder and editor of SHIFTER magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, Kevin currently resides in Ottawa with his wife Koliah and their three children. He's a big fan of hip-hop, pop culture, and urbanism and spends most of his time keeping up with the Kardashians.
Ladj Ly’s latest film is a raw and gritty depiction of the power struggles and racial injustice taking place all over the world says Kevin Bourne in his Les Indésirables film review. Set in an underprivileged suburb of Paris, Les Indésirables sees a family doctor Pierre (Alexis Manenti) suddenly rise to interim mayor following the unexpected death of the current mayor. With his heavy handed policies targeting immigrants, including a mandatory eviction order for an apartment building and shutting down an informal neighbourhood business, he finds himself in over his head. With elevators that haven’t worked in years and graffiti lining the…
SHIFTER editor Kevin Bourne calls Minhal Baig’s latest film “beautiful, creative, and heartfelt” in his We Grown Now film review Set in 1992 Chicago, We Grown Now tells the story of 12-year old best friends, Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) as they navigate life in the Cabrini-Green public housing complex. Initially constructed to house World War II workers in the 1940’s, the community that was once home to 15,000 people with a strong sense of community, is now changing. While we meet the duo outside having fun, that all changes after a neighbourhood tragedy. When Malik’s…
In his Black Life: Untold Stories review, Kevin Bourne says the series is “Canada as you’ve never seen it before”. Many Canadians believe the narrative that Canada has always been a refuge or Promise Land for Black people; that we’re better than the United States when it comes to our treatment of Black people. You know, the underground railroad. It’s something Canadians have hung their hats on for decades. Well, CBC’s Black Life: Untold Stories debunks that myth, calling into question to Canada’s squeaky clean image on race issues. Directed by Alicia K. Harris, episode one, titled “Haven, But No…
In his Rustin film review, Kevin Bourne says the film is a reminder of how far we’ve come, but also how much things haven’t changed at all. The story of Martin Luther King Jr. has been told over and over again on the big screen, but what we haven’t seen are films about the other architects of the civil rights movement who also fought for equality. That’s until now. Executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, Rustin tells the story of civil rights strategist and March On Washington organizer, Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), and his mission of freedom and peace.…
SHIFTER recently attended the premiere for the latest film from Nigerian director Ishaya Bako about a recent graduate who must do what he can to make ends meet for himself and his family, but at what cost? Here’s SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne with his I Do Not Come To You By Chance film review. My introduction to Nigerian movies came about 15 years ago in my friends’ Toronto apartment. What we saw was a film that felt a bit too long, with outrageous and sometimes comical or supernatural storylines, as well as scenes that took the film into odd directions. Well,…
The Burial isn’t just a film about corporate greed but about the power of faith and friendship. Here’s Kevin Bourne’s The Burial film review. Directed by Maggie Betts and written by Betts, Doug Wright and Jonathan Harr, The Burial tells the true story of small town funeral director Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) and his fight to save his family-run funeral home business. When a deal with a large corporation is in dispute, O’Keefe enlists the help of an unlikely ally in the flashy and smooth talking personal injury lawyer Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) with his 12-year undefeated streak in…
Ava DuVernay’s latest film has critics buzzing. SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls it a “revelation” and “an eye-opening masterclass in filmmaking” in his Origin film review. There are handful of eye=opening films from African-American directors screening at TIFF this year which tackle the subject of race in America. Among those is Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” which recently had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, earning a standing ovation. In the process, DuVernay became the first African-American woman to screen a film during Venice’s official competition since it was founded 80 years ago. The film is based on a true…
In his Stamped From The Beginning film review, Kevin Bourne calls the film a brutally honest look at anti-Black racism in America. Hold. On. To. Your. Seats. Based on the book of the same name by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped From the Beginning is a bold, edgy, brutally honest, and to some, controversial, look at the history of anti-Black racism in America, from slavery to the present. The film opens with the loaded and intentionally unsettling question, “What’s wrong with Black people?” Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross goes on to explore a variety of topics, including the invention of Blackness,…
One of the standout films from TIFF 2023 is the comedy-drama Dumb Money. Here’s Kevin Bourne with his Dumb Money film review. Spartacus. Braveheart. The Patriot. Everyone loves a good war epic where the oppressed band together to overthrow the oppressor. One of the standout films from TIFF 2023 so far is Sony Pictures’ Dumb Money, based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Antisocial Network about the true David vs. Goliath story of when amateur investors made history by successfully challenging Wall Street. Despite hedge fund manager Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen) betting billions on the failure of the GameStop stock, Keith Gill…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut is “nomination worthy to say the least”. Here’s his full American Fiction film review. When author and English literature professor, Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), is forced to take a leave from work due to his unconventional teaching methods, he heads back home to Boston for a writers festival. While at home, he learns that he’s not only out of touch with the literary world but his family, including his mother (Leslie Uggams), sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), and brother (Sterling K. Brown). Not only does Monk have to worry about up…
Copa 71 is both a celebratory look of the 1971 Women’s World Cup and a damning indictment of male dominance and greed in sports. Here’s our Copa 71 review. Executive produced by Venus and Serena Williams and Isha Price, and directed by James Erskine and Rachel Ramsay, Copa 71 recalls the 1971 Women’s World Cup which was, until now, erased from sports history. It follows in the footsteps of documentaries like Quest Love’s Summer of Soul in combining lost footage and present day interviews with women soccer players from around the world as they recall the groundbreaking event. Together, the…
