Calgary Ethiopian youth group to screen film in support of BLM

Members of CEYA showcase Ethiopian culture at the ETHNiK Festival of Arts & Culture, at the Calgary Central Library in February, 2019. The group is hosting a screening of Love and Basketball Friday at the Globe Theatre in support of Black Lives Matter.

Calgary — A Calgary Ethiopian youth group will celebrate and show support for Black Lives Matter Friday with a screening of the film Love and Basketball.

"It's been a hard year for the Black community, seeing so much pain, heartbreak and death of our brothers and sisters," said one of the organizers Fiori Mengistu, in a release. "We wanted to take a moment and reflect the beauty, the joy, and the love of Blackness. And what better movie to do that than the 2000 classic Love and Basketball?

"We believe it is critical to use our platform as an outlet for education on the value of Black people in our society, while continuing to disclose the injustice facing this population. This film is an opportunity to examine Black literature, art, innovations and customs that have helped shape the culture of the country we stand on - and the world."

In an emailed response, Mengistu said Love and Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (who mosre recently directed Charlize Theron in The Old Guard), which came out in 2000, is a film that represents many of the values her community group champions and that she hopes BLM reflects as well.

"Love and Basketball is more than...well, love and basketball," she said. "While its tender production (divided into four quarters like a real basketball game) pulls at your heart strings,the movie itself wrestles with complicated issues of love and friendship, competitiveness and gender identity. We see an innocence and kindness that isn't always given to Black characters in film."

"It's tender and sweet and you know the moment you meet the characters, that they're destined to be together."

The film will be screened Friday night, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. at the Globe cinema, with doors open at 8:30. The event will be socially distanced, so a limited number of $10 tickets are available at the group's website.