Lessons Injustice (2017) & Unarmed Verses (2016)

Saturday, September 14, 2019 @ 6:30 PM
Globe Cinema - 617 8 Ave SW, Calgary, AB
$12 General Admission

On September 14, The New Gallery (TNG) will present two films curated by artist Michèle Pearson Clarke: Karen Chapman's "Lessons Injustice" (2017, running time of 8 minutes) and Charles Officer's "Unarmed Verses" (2016, running time of 85 minutes) at Globe Cinema. This screening is presented in conjunction with Clarke’s exhibition "Suck Teeth Compositions" in TNG's Main Space (208 Centre St SE) from September 14–October 26.

Clarke says of these films: “When I was making Suck Teeth Compositions (After Rashaad Newsome) (2018), I was thinking about how the recent emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement has brought our national invisibility into sharp relief in cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. Black folks here have long suppressed and concealed our anger, rage and pain for fear of suffering the very real consequences of being perceived to be "angry," and with this work, I wanted to make some of that emotion visible as well. In their films, Lessons Injustice and Unarmed Verses, Karen Chapman and Charles Officer are also doing the work of making Black Canadian life visible, and both films offer us the tenderness that I want for us all.”

Tickets are available through Eventbrite and at the door for $12. Students and current TNG members can purchase tickets for $10. All proceeds from this screening will go towards supporting TNG’s future programming and operations.

There will be a cash bar, as well as snacks for purchase from Globe Cinema's regular concession. Please note that due to licensing restrictions, this event is 18+.

TNG would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Globe Cinema for their support this event.

Film Descriptions /

LESSONS INJUSTICE, KAREN CHAPMAN, 2017 (8 MINUTES)
Danardo Jones sets out on a car ride with his teenage son in hopes of having a conversation that some parents dread and others are unaware of. As a lawyer, Jones is well aware that the law can do little to protect his son against the anti-racism and discrimination that has become a part of his complicated Canadian identity.

UNARMED VERSES, CHARLES OFFICER, 2016 (1 HR 25 MINUTES)
This feature documentary presents a thoughtful and vivid portrait of a community facing imposed relocation. At the centre of the story is a remarkably astute and luminous 12-year-old black girl whose poignant observations about life, the soul, and the power of art give voice to those rarely heard in society. Unarmed Verses is a cinematic rendering of our universal need for self-expression and belonging.

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