Filmmaker Barry Avrich has apologized after making comments during this week’s Canadian Screen Awards that were denounced by several equity seeking organizations as “unacceptable, retraumatizing and harmful.”

In closing his acceptance speech for a directing award for the Crave documentary Oscar Peterson: Black + White during Monday night’s (April 4) virtual presentation, the director-producer said: “This is a testament that there are so many Black stories in Canada that need to be told; it doesn’t matter who tells them, we just need to tell them.”

The speech prompted a group of Black and racialized organizations that are working to dismantle systemic racism in the audio-visual sector — including BIPOC TV & Film, the Black Screen Office (BSO), and the Reelworld Screen Institute — to sign a joint letter sent to the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television on Thursday morning.

Avrich’s comment that it doesn’t matter who tells Black stories “is the reason why there have been and continue to be enormous barriers and inequality for Black and racialized creators in Canada’s screen sector, both above and below the line,” says the open letter obtained by Playback Daily.

“This is a deliberate assertion by Mr. Avrich that he can, by virtue of his stature in the industry, appropriate our stories and be rewarded for it,” says the letter, which has nearly 20 signatories, also including leaders of the OYA Black Arts Coalition, the Racial Equity Media Collective and the Racial Equity Screen Office, among others.

The Reelworld Screen Institute and BSO also sent out their own public news releases on the issue, while the Indigenous Screen Office expressed solidarity with the groups.

Avrich responded with a statement sent to Playback Daily: “I am truly sorry I misspoke, causing my words to be misinterpreted as anything but support for Black creatives telling their stories. An awards speech is not the best place to make a nuanced statement and that of course it matters who tells stories; [intentionality], lived experience, [and] anti-oppression stance matter.”

Avrich added that he’s “committed to continuing to be a strong supporter of redressing the imbalance that has historically existed and continues to be a challenge for Black and other traditionally under represented creators. That is what matters and that is what I intended to say in my acceptance speech.”

BSO co-founder and board chair Jennifer Holness tells Playback Daily that she questions what Avrich really meant to say with his speech and what steps he’s taking to support Black voices, as he said he intends to.

“Okay, so he misspoke — why didn’t he issue a statement to correct this?” says Holness, president of Hungry Eyes Media.

“Our job at the Black Screen Office is to advocate for Black creatives and producers. It’s to ensure our work is seen, our voices heard and supported on multiple levels. He knows who we are, why did he not approach us? This is a teachable moment for us all, and we should acknowledge the harm and absorb the lessons.”

Responding to Holness’s comment today (April 8), Avrich tells Playback Daily he’s engaged with diverse communities and crew in every project he’s worked on and will continue to do so through conversations with Black directors and writers, and welcoming projects that are brought to him to fund, support and mentor. He also pointed to last year’s TIFF Barry Avrich Fellowship to promote diversity and inclusion in filmmaking by supporting emerging creators in the TIFF Filmmaker Lab.

The open letter that was sent to the Canadian Academy about Avrich’s speech outlines the barriers and systemic racism facing Black and racialized filmmakers in Canada, and explains the importance of “authenticity and lived experiences” in providing “context for authorship of a documentary.”

The letter also says the group is angered and disappointed “about the careless manner in which the Academy allowed such statements to go unchecked.”

The Academy responded with a statement saying that while this week’s virtual awards presentations have “mostly been a joyful celebration of a diverse set of nominees and winners,” it’s clear “that there is still much work to be done in dismantling the system that has stood in the way of diverse voices being rightfully heard. It does matter.”

“The business of storytelling has been held as a privilege to a small group of people for the last 100+ years, and we recognize that this needs to change,” said the Academy. “We stand in solidarity with the Black community whose stories have been historically misrepresented on screen, and we remain committed to our ongoing partnerships with organizations that support underrepresented communities.”

The Academy also encouraged everyone in the industry “to listen to, and work with, people outside of their own communities and to read the groundbreaking and important report Being Seen from the Black Screen Office.”

Oscar Peterson: Black + White, which was produced by Melbar Entertainment Group and won four Canadian Screen Awards this week, details the life of the legendary Black jazz pianist who grew up in Montreal. Avrich says he worked closely on the doc with Kelly Peterson, the widow of the acclaimed musician who is in charge of his estate and was a consulting producer on the film.

In a statement sent to Playback Daily, Peterson’s daughter, producer Céline Peterson, says she’s “unsurprised” by Avrich’s comments during the CSAs but comforted by the response they have received.

“Accountability is of the utmost importance,” says Peterson. “It is my hope that those who deserve the spotlight will be given the opportunities to tell their stories, and that reflection from those who walked away winners after taking advantage of someone else’s success, will find it within themselves to reflect.”

Avrich established Melbar Entertainment Group in 1997 and has made over 40 documentaries, filmed various stage productions and produced live shows, including the Canadian Screen Awards and Scotiabank Giller Prize.

The PR firm that provided Avrich’s statement also sent quotes supporting him from opera star Measha Brueggergosman-Lee — who appears in Oscar Peterson: Black + White — and Rosemary Sadlier, former president of the Ontario Black History Society, with whom Avrich consulted for the film.

Brueggergosman-Lee said she feels “we need more warriors in the fight, not less” when it comes to telling racialized narratives. She also called Avrich “an unflinching and uncompromising advocate for stories that need (and deserve) to be told.”

Sadlier asked: “What of the need to ‘just tell the stories’ when so many of them have been overlooked or purposely excluded? What about when we fail to acknowledge the actions, the history that people are making right now? What about room for different approaches/perspectives?”

Photo courtesy of Radio-Canada archives