Author: Kevin Bourne

SHIFTER had the opportunity to profile dancer Artin Avaznia following the release of his film The Velvet Rope: A Dance Short Film celebrating 20 year anniversary of Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope album. For more profiles visit www.shiftermagazine.com/creators. Biggest accomplishment so far: My biggest accomplishment to date, would most definitely have to be my dance short film, The Velvet Rope: A Dance Short Film. This year marks the 20-year anniversary of Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope album and with its universal impact, as well as its impact on me personally, this film was created in homage. The film, which was released on October 7th 2017 -…

“Eminem dropped some harsh lines on Donald Trump…but it won’t change anything. Change requires major sacrifices and it’s obvious America is split on making sacrifices so the right change can come about.” I posted that on Facebook the day after Eminem’s freestyle. A couple of weeks have past and nothing has changed. I’ve noticed many reactions to the Eminem freestyle but next to no action. So I’m standing by what I said. After being called out by Eminem, Donald Trump ran off somewhere and buried his head in the sand. His Twitter fingers didn’t shoot out any 140 character tweets. He…

He’s a sought after event host/emcee and YouTuber and she’s a reality TV junkie and the daughter of a long-time radio show host. Together they’re the co-hosts of entertainment podcast Power Circle. Kevin Bourne had the opportunity to ask Reggie Cash and Cassie B. about how they met, how they started Power Circle, who inspired them and where they see their podcast going. Kevin Bourne: So how did you guys meet? Cassie B: Reggie Cash and I know each other from way back. I remember meeting him for the first time at my father’s workplace, CHIN Radio. I think we were either in…

“The thing I will say is that making movies is a laboratory. It’s an artistic process. You cannot plan things.” One of the highest anticipated sequels in film history was directed by a Canadian. You read that correctly. “Blade Runner 2049”, the critically lauded sequel to the 1982 film “Blade Runner” was directed by a man from Quebec. Ridley Scott, the original movie’s director, personally chose French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve for the film. For Villeneuve, this was a true honor since he has referred to Scott as a “master” in the past. Wouldn’t we all feel that way if one of our…

One name I’d always hear around Toronto in the early to mid-2000’s was “Andrew James”. During that time he was making a name for himself in the Toronto entertainment industry. Through S4 Entertainment, his artist development, artist management and event production company, he developed and managed some of the top urban Christian talent in the city, including rapper Promise and R&B princess Roshana. He also published a nationally distributed music magazine called Inspired and after watching the film “Drumline” founded The Drum Off billed as Toronto’s #1 Drum Competition. Today, there are a number of black Christian entrepreneurs in Toronto doing their…

On the heals of her New York Fashion Week debut, this past weekend fashion designer and Kania Couture founder, Stacey Bafi-Yeboa, held an encore of her NYFW show at Mark Motors’ Audi Ottawa in front of a hometown crowd. The who’s who of Ottawa fashion and fashion lovers alike waited patiently outside Audi Ottawa to witness the city’s biggest fashion success story since Herieth Paul started gracing runways and magazine covers all over the world. As the garage door opened, the crowd was ushered onto the Audi Ottawa showroom floor to take their seats. Everything about the night said “luxury”, from the cars to…

Nneka Elliott, formerly known as Toronto’s news anchor on CP24, decided to launch her own lifestyle brand. Since launching, Nneka has developed quite a name for herself in the entertainment business, from acting appearances, starting her own Caribbean lifestyle show online, blog, speaking engagements, and the list goes on. Nneka isn’t stopping anytime soon and has proved that it’s never too late to pursue and follow your dreams! Listen to this amazing woman’s story and be mesmerized. Ep. 21 – Nneka Elliott, lifestyle and media entrepreneur Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos of Nneka Elliott visit jodiannebeckford.com …

For fans of the film industry, this past week has been tough. Allegations of sexual abuse, terminations due to said accusations and reports of cover-ups have run rampant across the various entertainment news outlets, with seemingly no sign of slowing down. The initial allegations against Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein made in an expose by New York Times writers Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey on October 5th, 2017, opened the floodgates and gave other women the strength to share their stories. And it’s not just the studios themselves. With multiple victims coming forward (with clear cut evidence), Screen Junkies founder, Andy Signore, was…

In a year already rife with good science fiction, French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve seeks to make his mark with the highly anticipated sequel to everyone’s favourite 1982 cyberpunk classic. Blade Runner 2049, set thirty years after the events of the original film, is the story of K (Ryan Gosling), an LAPD blade runner who discovers a long-buried secret that could cause a war between species. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has been missing for three decades. The story here doesn’t seem as complex as in the original, which is a blessing in disguise:…

The Weeknd is one of those guys that can’t seem to stop winning. Late last year he performed at the Victoria’s Secret runway show in front of a global television audience. This past August he collaborated with Puma on the XO Parallel high top sneaker. He also had spring and fall lines with H&M. And now The Weeknd and Marvel are collaborating on a Starboy comic book. Yes, you heard that right. I respect all of The Weeknd’s business moves; he’s obviously smart. Looking back at his career, he’s been a master at branding himself, starting with his former signature hairstyle…

“I am who I am. Your approval isn’t needed.” -Jack Nicholson

Cy Kari of SHIFTER On Films recently had the opportunity to chat with film producer Patrick Kirezi and director Pacifique Cyusa about their upcoming debut feature film “Ace of Heart”. The We Next Films founders, Rwandese filmmakers currently based in Ottawa, Canada, talked about their creative process for “Ace of Heart” and their vision for film in their native Rwanda. Check out our in-depth interview below. Also listen to: INTERVIEW WITH OSCAR NOMINATED DIRECTOR OF ROOM, LENNY ABRAHAMSON