Black Ice hockey documentary premiering at upcoming Toronto International Film Festival
It’s an in-depth and urgent film that examines the roles Black players have shaped in the sport of ice hockey, and finally after over a year’s worth of work to put it together, Black Ice is arriving.
Black players have been active in hockey dating back to the game’s origins, forming the Coloured Hockey League in Nova Scotia in the late 19th-century. It’s arguable that the slap shot was invented when Eddie Martin of the Halifax Eureka became the first player to deploy it in a game.
The decades following the league’s dissolvement, when Black players finally made it to the NHL ranks, were supposed to bring feelings of triumph and inclusion – a celebration of diversity in a sport that gripped the attention and hearts of the nation. Instead, that time is remembered differently as Black players were tormented by racist incidents both on and off the ice, from fans, players and coaches alike.
Black Ice isn’t just a documentary about the present-day racism in hockey, but it explores the culture that had a hand in erasing the Black community’s presence so vastly in the game.
The documentary is directed by Oscar-nominee Hubert Davis, who brings together a tremendous roster of players and figures in hockey to deliver insight and testimony, both men and women alike, including Akim Aliu, Saroya Tinker, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Dumba, Anthony Duclair, Sarah Nurse and P.K. Subban. They bring forth both eye-opening and painful stories – a revelation on the state of the game, and the bravery exemplified by them for sharing their stories to inspire the future of the sport.
Along with Davis’ directorial expertise, Black Ice is a film brought together by an equally strong cast of production staff. It features production by Vinay Varmani, chief content officer of Uninterrupted Canada and founder of First Take Entertainment, as well as the star of 2011’s Breakaway. At the helm as executive producers are rapper Drake, alongside LeBron James and business partner Maverick Carter operating under their SpringHill Entertainment company, as well as Drake’s manager, Adel “Future” Nur, Ajay Virmani and Pauline Dhillon.
Black Ice premieres on September 10 at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto as part of the Toronto International Film Festival.