FLOW

FEATURE FILM

Director & Producer - Frances-Anne Solomon
Development Producer - Calyx Passailaigue
Writer - Nicole Brooks

In 1988, hip hop packed live venues and radio programs in the US. Up north in Toronto, Black Canadians had to create contraptions to connect with their own artists, who had opportunities in the US but could not afford rent in their own country. Successful businessman Denham Jolly saw the clear financial, cultural and social opportunity of having a Black-owned and Black-centric radio station in Canada’s largest and most multicultural city. The Canadian establishment disagreed. It took Jolly twelve years -- through personal, financial and social hurdles -- and three expensive license applications to get a radio station license for FLOW 93.5. Our documentary Flow explores racism, music, Garveyism, and activism, utilizing one man's point of view to express the cost and increasing burnout of living in a society built on systemic racism. We take this journey guided by Denham’s own words, lifted from his memoir IN THE BLACK. Flow weaves archival footage, interviews and dynamic locations that explore Toronto’s neighbourhoods and vibrant music scene. Interviews will be held with artists, activists, politicians and academics as they look back on the significance of Denham Jolly’s journey.