BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Toronto X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Toronto BEGIN:VEVENT UID:192@sds.utoronto.ca DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260304T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260304T200000 DTSTAMP:20251217T172414Z URL:https://sds.utoronto.ca/events/double-film-screening-the-funnel-and-pl enum/ SUMMARY:Double Film Screening: The Funnel and PLENUM DESCRIPTION:\nFilmmaker Charlene A. Carruthers will be screening two new fi lms as part of the Queer Directions 2026 Symposium.\n\nBoth films will be screened followed by a Q&\;A with director Charlene A. Carruthers.\n\nR EGISTER ON EVENTBRITE HERE \n\nDetails: \n\nMarch 4\, 2026\, 6PM - 8PM\n \nWilliam Doo Auditorium Room A\,\n\n45 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON.\n\nAb out the Films: \n\nThe Funnel\n\nThe Funnel follows Trina (Cat Christmas) \, a young Black poet living on the South Side of Chicago\, as she navigat es an escalating housing crisis with her mother. After falling into an int imate recollection of her family's history\, she awakes in a world with pe ople\, sounds\, and possibilities she's never known. An encounter with a f amiliar spirit opens her eyes and heart to a new gift.\n\nDirector's State ment\n\nCreating The Funnel allowed me to show up for myself\, my ancestor s\, and future generations of Black people seeking more complete stories a bout our lives. I was inspired by Saidiya Hartman’s groundbreaking book\ , “Wayward Lives\, Beautiful Experiments\,” and the rich portrayal of young Black women rebelling against the politics of respectability. In bri nging the story to Chicago\, I was able to connect the essence of Black li fe in the 1940’s kitchenette building with today’s ongoing struggles f or housing justice.This allowed me to focus on the physical\, spiritual\, and emotional interiority across generations. In doing so\, I join a tradi tion of Black feminist filmmaking that focuses on the beautiful struggle o f Black life with care and a commitment to telling the truth.As a first-ti me director\, I could not have dreamed of a better cast and crew to make t his film. The Funnel is just the beginning of my journey with this epic ta le – each character has a story that must be told more deeply and in a l onger format. I hope that this film agitates audience members into more cu riosity about housing justice\, Black queer and trans lives and offers an example of what is possible when love is a bridge. *Black love always wins .*\n\nThe Funnel Trailer\n\nPlenum\n\nIn 1995\, two siblings face the AIDS crisis during a historic Black political conference as they navigate fami ly estrangement\, encounter queer and trans ancestors\, and envision futur es for the African Diaspora. An experimental reconstruction of the 1995 Bl ack Nations?/Queer Nations? Conference\, PLENUM follows the experience of siblings Ajani and Tracy\, as they make their way from Chicago to New York City. While Tracy is worried that Ajani’s recent HIV positive diagnosis will drive him into isolation\, Ajani fears the consequences of telling t heir father as he enters a new community and phase of life.\n\nDirector’ s Statement\n\nTelling more complete stories about the lives of Black peop le allows me to imagine and work towards more complete solutions. PLENUM b uilds on the momentum of the knowledge I gained as a filmmaker and ongoing public engagement with film at the intersections of racial\, queer and tr ans justice. While access to legal marriage and the representation of quee r and trans people in elected office are considered progress towards equal ity by progressives and far too radical by conservatives\, PLENUM takes up a radical Black\, queer and feminist lens that agitates viewers to demand much more from policymakers and everyday people alike. Each character off ers a fresh perspective on what has been and continues to be at stake for Black people in the United States and across the diaspora.\n\nWhen we bega n pre-production for PLENUM\, I knew that we would create a film that woul d mark the 30th anniversary of the Black Nations?/Queer Nations? Conferenc e and bring the HIV/AIDS crisis into today’s conversations about Black l iberation. I did not know that our message of diasporic connection and cal l for belonging beyond citizenship would enter the world as U.S. funding f or HIV/AIDS care\, prevention\, and education are being eliminated globall y. The tragedy of the lives that will be lost is terrifying. And\, the pot ential of a world in which the U.S. government and conservative interests don't control healthcare for millions just might be on the way.\nPLENUM is a love letter to our ancestors and future generations. This film has forc ed me to grow as a filmmaker and as a Black queer woman who is committed t o our collective liberation. I look forward to sharing this project with a diasporic audience.\n\nPlenum Trailer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://sds.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/websi tesmall-Poster-Carruthers-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Toronto BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR