Experience a story straight from our city: Boxcutter (2024), a gripping feature film created by filmmakers from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). After the screening, stay for a moderated panel and Q&A where we’ll dive deeper into the film’s themes of self-belief, community, and creative resilience. Together, we’ll explore how stories like Boxcutter reflect the realities of Toronto’s evolving arts scene and being an artist.

Boxcutter, follows aspiring rapper Rome — an artist with unstoppable vision but crippling self-doubt — as he chases his dream of sharing his music with the world. When a break-in leaves him without his only album copy, Rome and his activist-artist friend Jenaya embark on a wild mission across a rapidly changing Toronto to recover it. Along the way, they confront questions of validation, artistic integrity, and what it really means to bet on yourself.

AGENDA

Doors Open 6:45pm
Panel Discussion 7:00pm
Feature Film Screening 7:30pm
Event Concludes 9:30pm

FEATURED PANELISTS

Desiree McKenzie (Moderator)
An award-winning poet, arts educator, national poetry slam champion, voice actor, and Programming Manager at JAYU. Her work has been featured by CBC’s Poetic License, When Sisters Speak, Clearco, Button Poetry, Kids Help Phone, and Home Depot. She facilitates poetry programming with organizations such as JAYU, VIBE Arts, Unity Charity, Poetry in Voice, and Shakespeare in Action, and is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph.

JAYU is committed to hosting an inclusive and accessible event for everyone. When registering, please mention if you require any accommodations or have any dietary allergies that can impact your time in our space. Light refreshments will be available.

This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of our partners and funders. We gratefully acknowledge the Government of Canada through Canadian Heritage’s Canadian Arts Presentation Fund and the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program Events Stream for supporting JAYU’s Annual Festival of the Arts.

These films are being screened in our studio thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Fund, which has helped us equip our space for events like this.

A huge thank you to all our supporters for helping us bring community, creativity, and art together!

About JAYU

JAYU is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of equity-deserving youth (ages 16-30) from the GTA. Through both year-round and festival programming, we support and elevate young, emerging artists by offering them professional development opportunities and platforms to showcase their work.

About JAYU Festival of the Arts (JFA)

JAYU Festival of the Arts (JFA) is a five-day celebration of creative expression informed by human rights, equity and social justice. Youth-produced and youth-led, creatives from across the GTA share their art with community and ignite meaningful conversations.