Toronto theatrical engagement – Feb. 5-6 and 8-9
World television premiere – February 10 at 10 pm ET

“…a film that weds form and content with extraordinary grace and intelligence.” – Hot Docs awards jury

Toronto, Ontario, January 20, 2010 – The National Film Board of Canada, Industry Pictures and Shine Films’ award-winning documentary Invisible City will be released theatrically in Toronto and have its world television premiere on TVO during Black History Month this February. Invisible City won the Best Canadian Feature award at the 2009 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Directed by Oscar nominee Hubert Davis, the film traces three years in the challenging lives of two teenage boys living in Canada’s largest social housing project, Regent Park in Toronto.

Theatrical engagement

Royal Cinema
608 College St. West, Toronto
416-534-5252

Friday, February 5 at 7 pm
Saturday, February 6 at 4:30 pm and 7 pm
Monday, February 8 at 7 pm
Tuesday, February 9 at 7 pm

World television premiere

TVO – The View From Here
Wednesday, February 10 at 10 pm ET (52-minute TV cut)
Sunday, February 14 at 10:45 pm ET (75-minute theatrical cut)
The Wednesday broadcast will be immediately followed by a live webcast discussion at tvo.org, in which TVO’s Cheryl Jackson and a panel of expert guests, including director Hubert Davis and Regent Park mentor Ainsworth Morgan, offer insight into the issues raised in the film and answer viewer questions.

About the film

In the inner-city housing project of Toronto’s Regent Park, Kendell and Mikey, like their surroundings, are in the process of transformation. Half-demolished buildings dot the landscape as the Regent Park Revitalization project is underway. Isolated socially and physically since it was built in the late 1940s, the community of Regent Park is becoming a different place.

Shot over three years, Invisible City is a moving story of two boys crossing into adulthood – their mothers and mentors rooting for them to succeed, their environment and social pressures tempting them to make poor choices. As they struggle with the pressures of high school and facing harsh realities, their voices reveal a range of emotions and insights; anxiety, hopefulness, alienation and understanding. Turning his camera on the often ignored inner city, Academy Award-nominated director Hubert Davis sensitively depicts the disconnection of urban poverty and race from the mainstream. A portrait of potential unrealized, Invisible City captures the dreams and the disappointments of Kendell and Mikey at a crucial time in their lives.

Directed and edited by Hubert Davis
Produced by Mehernaz Lentin (Industry Pictures), Gerry Flahive (NFB)
Co-produced by Hubert Davis (Shine Films)
Executive Produced by Silva Basmajian (NFB)

Produced by Industry Pictures/Shine Films in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada.
Produced in association with TVO, Knowledge Network, SCN and with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund and the Canadian Cable Industry CTF: Licence Fee Program.

About the filmmaker

Hubert Davis made his directorial debut with the documentary Hardwood which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005 and an Emmy in 2006. Hardwood garnered numerous awards at film festivals throughout Canada and the US, and aired on PBS. Hubert's first fictional short, Aruba, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, was an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival 2006, and won the Grand Jury Award at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films 2006. Previously, Davis was an assistant editor working on feature films with other directors, including Deepa Mehta. He received a BA in Film and Communications from McGill University, and studied creative writing at the University of British Columbia.


About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. For more information, visit tvo.org.

About the NFB

Canada’s public film producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada creates social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. The NFB is expanding the vocabulary of 21st-century cinema and breaking new ground in form and content through community filmmaking projects, cross-platform media, programs for emerging filmmakers, stereoscopic animation – and more. We’re working in collaboration with creative filmmakers and co-producers in every region of Canada, with Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities, as well as partners around the world. Since the NFB’s founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. In 2009, Neighbours/Voisins by NFB animation founder Norman McLaren was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The NFB’s new website features over 1,400 productions online, and its iPhone app has become one of the most popular and talked about downloads. Visit NFB.ca today and start watching!

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