It has been a rather sad week with the news of the passing of both Nelson Mandela and Paul Walker. In regards to the latter, while reading about Walker’s death I happened to stumble upon this 1995 short film written and directed by his Fast Five co-star Vin Diesel. Multi-Facial is Diesel’s poignant examination of what it is like for an actor to audition within a system that only wants to hire those who easily fit a particular stereotype. The short not only helped to launch Diesel’s career, but also serves as a nice reminder that film industry still has a long way to go in terms of reflecting the true diversity within our society.
The founder of Cinema Axis, Courtney is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic who can frequently be heard discussing film as co-host of Frameline on Radio Regent. Courtney has contributed to several publications including Leonard Maltin, CBC Arts, POV Magazine, That Shelf, In the Seats, Black Girl Nerds, and Comix Asylum. He has appeared on ET Canada and Hollywood Suite's Cinema A to Z. Courtney celebrates diversity in cinema as host of the Changing Reels podcast and is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, the Online Film Critics Society, and the African American Film Critics Association. He is also a Golden Globes International Voter.
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