Latest news with #40Acres
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
How well does the show Washington Black capture Nova Scotia?
Social Sharing Esi Edugyan's novel Washington Black is a modern Canadian classic. Set in the 19th century, the epic story follows a young boy named George Washington Black who is born on a Barbados sugar plantation. He has an exceptionally sharp mind that leads him on an adventure around the world, to places like Virginia, Halifax, and even the Arctic. The book was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, including a Giller Prize win. Now, it's been adapted into a TV show — but not by a Canadian production company. The Hulu original series is available to watch in Canada on Disney+. Today on Commotion, culture critic El Jones and TV producer Floyd Kane join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the new series, and what it gets right (and wrong) about Black Canadian history. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: You are both Nova Scotians. This series is largely shot in Nova Scotia, Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg. El, as a professor, what grade would you give the show in terms of its depiction of African Nova Scotian history? El: What I do like is that Halifax is portrayed as at the centre of the world…. We often don't think of ourselves as central to global Blackness, and that is a beautiful thing. At the same time, as I think Floyd's about to get to as well, there's some historical difficulties — perhaps starting with the idea that we were the last stop on the Underground Railroad. I think that's a pretty loose interpretation of how Black people actually came to Halifax, most of which was not through the Underground Railroad. Elamin: Those are the first words you hear in the show, right? El: Yes, so I think it's simplified for an American audience, which is a shame because the history of Black journey into Halifax is actually a very wide-ranging and interesting one. And then of course — I know Floyd is gonna say this, so I don't wanna steal his thunder — but the accents are very American. It would be nice to actually see what is African Nova Scotia: the specific accents, the specific way of being that is unique to the nation that is Nova Scotia. Because they obviously want to universalize it and perhaps sell it into an American market, they want to kind of use the frame of, "Oh, it's Canada, this place of freedom," — but not actually give us the substantiveness that is Black Canada. So we end up— which by the way, when we were talking about 40 Acres, we kind of see the same thing: that often, we have these productions— Elamin: 40 Acres is the movie that we talked about a few weeks ago. El: —that will be set in Canada, yeah, but then really want to vibe [as] American just so it doesn't seem too Canadian. I think we see that here as well. Elamin: Floyd, you know, El didn't want to steal your thunder, so let us hand you your thunder. Do you think the show would feel different if a Canadian had made it? Would there be a different kind of sensitivity there? Floyd: I haven't read the book, but one of the things that I felt watching the TV show is that … he felt all of these things happen to him as a child.... It didn't always feel like those things were with him, if that makes sense? I feel like if Canadians made this, there probably would have been a bit more of that heaviness with him. But also, I have to say as a Nova Scotian and as a Canadian, I would have loved to have seen more of the geography of where those Black communities were actually settled. There's some amazing photography in this limited series, just incredible…. In some cases I'm like, "Wow, this would have played great in a movie theatre." But I did kind of feel like when the Black characters were on-screen and in-community, I would have loved to have actually been in one of those communities, depicting what life was like in those communities at that time. It is very hard to get Canadian history on camera. Having an opportunity to tell Black Canadian history, it's five times as hard.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
40 Acres review – Danielle Deadwyler is driving heart of post-apocalyptic home-invasion horror
In the event of an apocalypse, the world will no doubt divide into two groups: people intent on survival no matter what, and those of us who take the view living will only prolong the suffering and get it over with. Hailey Freeman in 40 Acres is the former – it's in the genes. Her great-great-grandfather was a slave who escaped a plantation and made his way to Canada to farm. Now the land is Hailey's and helpfully she's ex-military, which comes in handy fending off cannibalistic marauders in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Even better, she's played by Danielle Deadwyler, the actor inexplicably snubbed for an Oscar nomination for Till. Set 14 years after a fungal pandemic wiped out the planet's animal life, 40 Acres is essentially a home invasion thriller. Unfortunately, not everyone has gone vegan; gnarly cannibals prowl in packs, human body parts dangling from their necks as trophies. On the farm, Hailey (Deadwyler) lives with her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes), his daughter, their kids, and her teenage son Manny (Kataem O'Connor). Galen is of Indigenous heritage, and is teaching the family Cree. To survive, Hailey rules her household like a general: iron discipline and daily push-ups. Deadwyler plays it with grit and feeling; her beautifully expressive eyes convey Hailey's strength but at the same time the constant terror. Deadwyler's performance is the driving force here. Without her, the audience's attention might drift to the predictability of a plotline that hinges on Manny's adolescent rebellion against his mum. There's also the matter of some unnecessary flashbacks filling in backstories, leaking out tension. Which is a shame because first time feature director RT Thorne skilfully executes the cat-and-mouse games between the farm and the invaders, resulting in some uncomfortably suspenseful moments. And there are really interesting ideas, too, about this new horror in the context of Black and Indigenous experiences: displacement, generational trauma and survival. 40 Acres is in UK cinemas and on MGM+ from 1 August.
Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Unapologetic and inspiring' war thriller lands streaming release date
MGM+ has confirmed that a new war thriller, which is said to be "stunning", is set to be released next month MGM+, the platform known for the entire James Bond collection, has announced a gripping new thriller set to premiere on August 4, touted as a "stunning, post-apocalyptic" film. The service, accessible via Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, or YouTube TV, is also gearing up to host a Stephen King horror flick. Featuring Danielle Deadwyler in the lead role as Hailey Freeman, the movie charts the journey of the Black military veteran who strives to safeguard her family following a second Civil War that shattered America and now looms over her farm in rural Canada. Set in a dystopian near future where food production is the new currency, 40 Acres also stars Kataem O'Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Dias-Rojas, Leenah Robinson, Jaeda LeBlanc, Elizabeth Saunders, and Haile Amare. The official synopsis states: "Haunted by the murder of her father, [Hailey] is certain of three things: she only trusts one person outside the family; never again will she allow anyone to take what's hers; and she will do anything to protect their four children." In the narrative, Hailey's son Emmanuel (O'Connor) encounters a girl named Dawn Clever (Dias-Rojas), who owns fertile land. As assaults on neighbouring farms intensify, Dawn suffers an injury, and Emmanuel endeavours to shield her from his increasingly distrustful mother. With Hailey's trust in others eroded, Emmanuel is aware that if she finds out about Dawn, it could trigger a fierce conflict between mother and son. In a bid to safeguard their hard-earned possessions, the protagonists must band together as one and confront an insatiable militia. The film's tagline states: "40 Acres is a stunning, post-apocalyptic thriller that examines race, history, and family through the lens of a future where trust no longer exists." Ahead of its release, Collider has hailed the movie as a "thrillingly told apocalyptic tale". With an impressive 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, '40 Acres' made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 and subsequently graced Canadian cinemas. A Google Reviews user was captivated by the film, stating: "40 Acres is a breathtaking and necessary film. From the first frame to the last, it pulls you into a world that feels both personal and powerful." They continued, praising the film's execution: "It's beautifully shot, thoughtfully written, and brilliantly acted. The story is relevant, emotionally rich, and speaks volumes about the Black experience in a way that is unapologetic and inspiring." The eagerly awaited thriller is set to make its MGM+ premiere on August 4, aligning with its cinematic launch in the UK.
Al-Ahram Weekly
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Not to be missed: New Alamein Festival, National Theatre Festival, Ruby, Fouad & Mounib - Music - Arts & Culture
Ahram Online highlights a selection of do-not-miss events this week 16-22 July in Cairo New films across cinemas starting 16 July - Smurfs, starring Nick Offerman, James Corden, Rihanna, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy - 40 Acres, starring Michael Greyeyes, Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O'Connor - El-Shater, starring Amir Karara, Hana Al Zahid, Moustafa Gharieb, Khalid Al Sawi - I Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Madelyn Cline (starting 17 July) Get Salima - theatre play Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 July, 8pm Rawabet Art Space, 5 Hussein Basha Al Meamari, Downtown Cairo Directed by Ahmed El-Sherbiny, the play follows Kawthar and Karim as they struggle to stay afloat amid soaring prices—but life has other plans. From meddling neighbours to a long-overdue promotion, and even a break-in that turns their world upside down, the pressure builds. Will it push Karim to take a leap and change his life? 3rd New Alamein Festival 18 July - 29 August The festival will showcase a stellar lineup of top artists from Egypt and the Arab world, including Amr Diab, Angham, Assala Nasri, Tamer Hosny, Tamer Ashour, Marwan Pablo, Lege-Cy, Wegz, Cairokee, and more. Some are returning from the festival's second edition in 2024, while others will take the Alamein stage for the first time. In addition to concerts, the festival features a wide range of artistic, sports, entertainment, and culinary events. Read more about the festival here. Andromida - music Friday 18 July, 8pm El-Sawy Culturewheel, River hall, 26th of July street, Zamalek, Cairo One of the oldest active rock bands in Egypt, Andromida was formed by Amr Hassan & Ihab Al Qalie (keyboard and vocals). The band also includes Sherif El-Sharqawi (drums and vocals) and Ahmed Anwar (bass and vocals). Founded in Alexandria in 1987, the band is widely known for performing some of Pink Floyd's most well-known songs. Fathy Salama and Sheikh Mahmoud El-Tohamy - music Friday 18 July, 9pm Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo Titled Sufism vs Modernism, the concert brings together Grammy-winning musician Fathy Salama and renowned Islamic Sufi chanter Mahmoud El-Tohamy, joined by a diverse lineup of musicians. The project blends Egypt's rich Sufi and folkloric heritage with modern genres—including electronic, pop, hip hop, rock, and jazz—to create a contemporary musical dialogue. The son of legendary chanter Sheikh Yassin El-Tohamy, Mahmoud El-Tohamy is considered a master of traditional Islamic musical art. The concert is part of the Cairo Opera House's Summer Festival. The Mummification Lesson - theatre play Saturday 19 July, 7pm El-Jeeb Studio, Zamalek 'The Mummification Lesson,' a scientific and performative lecture presented by Omar El-Moutaz Bellah and moderated by Hoda Abdel Aziz, explores the ancient ritual of mummification through a dramatic and philosophical lens. The lecture delves into the convergence of religion, biology, magic, and cosmology—where the embalmed body is not merely preserved, but transformed into a vessel of promise that death is not annihilation, but metamorphosis. Combining theory and practice live on stage, the event traces the stages of mummification—material and metaphysical—unpacking its tools, substances, and ritual spells drawn from the Egyptian Books of the Afterlife. Far from a purely funerary act, the lecture repositions mummification as a sacred ritual uniting theology, science, and myth in a performance that is both intellectual and immersive. Hanan Mady - music Saturday 19 July, 9pm Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo Hanan Mady began singing at a young age and studied violin at the Cairo Conservatory, graduating in 1989. She made her singing debut with the theme song—composed by Omar Khairat—for the 1988 television series El-Leqaa El-Thany (The Second Meeting). Mady went on to perform in several popular TV series, including Yasser Abdel-Rahman's theme for El-Mal Wal-Banon (The Fortune and the Progeny, 1992–1995), and collaborated with renowned composers and lyricists such as Abdel-Azim Abdel-Haq, Helmi Bakr, Ahmad Fouad Negm, Ibrahim Abdel-Fattah, and Reda Amin. Over the course of her career, she released four albums, featuring fan favorites like Leilet Eshq, El-Bahr, Sheddy El-Dafayer, Asfour, and Kan W-Kan. The concert is part of the Cairo Opera House's Summer Festival. Ruby & Ahmed Saad - music Saturday 19 July Beach Resort, Marassi Ruby, the Egyptian singer and actress who rose to fame in the early 2000s, is known for her bold music videos and distinctive performance style. Beyond music, she has appeared in a range of film and television roles, demonstrating her versatility across romantic and dramatic genres. Ahmed Saad is a prominent Egyptian singer best known for his emotional ballads. Launching his career in the early 2000s, he quickly became a fixture in Egyptian film and television soundtracks, blending traditional Arabic vocals with modern pop and electronic elements. He often collaborates with major stars, including his brother, actor Amr Saad. The concert featuring both stars is part of Layali Marassi, a summer series showcasing leading singers at the Marassi Beach Resort. The concerts are held every Saturday through the end of August. 18th Egyptian National Theatre Festival 20 July - 6 August Launched in 2006, the Egyptian National Theatre Festival has grown into the country's largest annual event dedicated to the theatre movement. This year's lineup features a wide range of performances from troupes affiliated with various sectors of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Cultural Palaces, the Art House for Theatre, the Academy of Arts, private theatres, and university and student groups from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts. Many of the plays have already premiered to critical and audience acclaim, while others are being introduced to wider audiences for the first time. Read more about the festival here Fouad & Mounib - music Sunday 20 July, 8pm Cairo Opera House, Open-Air Theatre, Zamalek, Cairo The story of Fouad and Mounib began in 2015, when the two musicians met on Facebook and started exchanging music. A few months later, they gave their first concert at Alexandria's Creativity Centre. Their popularity quickly grew, leading to performances at major venues such as the Cairo Opera House and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Arts Centre, as well as tours in Morocco and Austria. Over time, the duo pursued more ambitious projects, with Mounib arranging music for various ensembles and orchestras. The concert is part of the Cairo Opera House's Summer Festival. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything Texas Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe had to say at SEC Media Days
The rise from walk-on to All-American makes Texas safety Michael Taaffe a special player. His remarkable story has captivated fans and media members across the country. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called Taaffe's journey, "Probably the coolest story on our team right now is Michael Taaffe." Taaffe's return to the 40 Acres for his senior year was a huge boon for the Texas defense. Taaffe was one of the three players Texas took to SEC Media Days. Here is the transcript from Taaffe's question and answer period at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, thanks to the Southeastern Conference media department: Q. What's the biggest challenge for the Texas secondary this year, and what are the differences you noticed between the two leagues? MICHAEL TAAFFE: The first answer, how are we going to handle success? So we obviously had a lot of success. We had the Thorpe Award winner in our back end. We had a second-round draft pick in our back end. And we had a couple of guys returning. So, how are we going to handle success? And are we going to be complacent with that success or are we going to raise the bar and raise the standard? What I'm always trying to do is I'm trying to raise the standard and understand that there's a bar and we've got to reset that every single year to keep chasing greatness because at the end of the day, if you want your name to be remembered, you've got to keep going and keep doing more. The leagues, the second question is it's different, right? It's a lot different. There's different speeds. There's different atmospheres. There's different weather. But I know in the SEC, what I can tell you about the SEC is you have to be physically prepared every single game. Your body has to be prepared every single game. There's no game where you can take it lightly. Q. Sark has said a few times this offseason how Arch has taken on more leadership responsibilities. He's taken that role by the horns, so to speak. How have you seen that? Is there an example where you came away maybe impressed of where he's making those strides? MICHAEL TAAFFE: Arch is obviously one of my best friends. I was his host when he was a recruit here on his OV. Ever since then, we hit it off. I think the one thing that I respected about him is he would look like an average Joe if you were walking across the halls, besides that he looked exactly like his uncles and his granddad. But he's such a down-to-earth guy. How he leads is he gets the respect of the locker room. It's not always the rah rah guy. You can be a leader so many different ways. But how he leads is he makes a personal relationship with every guy in the locker room and tries to get respect from them. That's leading by example. That's leading with intention by sitting with different people at lunch. That's going out of his way to show people, hey, it's nice and it's good to go thank people for holding the doors or thank people for cleaning up our locker room. So he leads by example, and he tries to set a standard for the guys, which is really cool. Q. What's the most common question you get about him? I'm sure you get a ton of them. MICHAEL TAAFFE: That's a great question. The most common question I get about Arch is -- oh, man, that's a good question. It's usually more generic, like, how is Arch looking? Is Arch the real deal? That's probably the biggest question I get: Is Arch Manning the real deal? My answer to that always is, just let his film do all the talking. Q. What's the most complicated pass offense you played against within those two conferences and then through your career, because you were in the playoffs last year against the eventual national champion Ohio State? MICHAEL TAAFFE: Every offense that I've gone against has given me some type of trouble, some type of misdirection, some type of scheme. That's a respect to our defense because they do stuff on film that's different than what they've shown. So I think that's a respect to our defense because we give them something that they've clearly never seen. But probably the hardest offense that I've gone against is Washington. When Michael Penix was there, Rome Odunze was there, Ja'Lynn Polk was there -- Kalen DeBoer, Coach DeBoer was the head coach there. That was probably the game that was toughest for me. Q. What did playing in the A&M-Texas game mean for you last year? And where did that interception you had in that game rank among your favorite football moments? MICHAEL TAAFFE: Top moment, hands down. I was telling my friends the other month, I think that was the coolest moment of my life. It's up there for moments of life. But I think it's so important to know that we had 13 years of no Texas-versus-Texas A&M rivalry. And then all of a sudden we get it back, and it's in College Station, it's at Kyle Field. And people argue that that's the best atmosphere in all of college football. To believe that it wasn't rockin' you would be a fool, because that place was -- I saw five fields when they were running out of the tunnel. It was shaking. It was loud. It was crazy. And it's so good for the great state of Texas, so good for college football, because in Austin there's no pro team. We are the pro team. The Texas Longhorns are the professional team. And in College Station, obviously the same. It's a rich tradition of just Texas fans going back and forth, and it's so fun for us as competitors. Q. Piggybacking off of that, you said "the best moment of your life," how much are you looking forward to this year that game being in Austin? MICHAEL TAAFFE: For sure, because I know that they got a taste of being able to scream for their fans. So the proud and few, the brave Longhorns that went to that stadium, I don't know how they did it. But I'm happy for them that they get to get a sea of burnt orange this next time that we go around. It's such a fun game. It brings out so much competitive nature out of you, brings out so much rich tradition and history and rivalry. That's what college football is all about, the rivalry games like Texas versus Texas A&M. And Marcel Reed, heck of a player. The guy they've got on offense, heck of a player, I'm excited. Q. Do you mind explaining a little bit about your tie? MICHAEL TAAFFE: For sure. My tie, the Texas floods happened this past week. And Camp Mystic is a girls church camp that was impacted pretty seriously. So all these initials are all the victims at Camp Mystic that lost their lives in the tragic flooding this past weekend. It's all the daughters, the 8-year-old girls that passed away in the cabins and their two counselors who gave their lives being heroes trying to save those daughters and those girls, and then the camp director who went back into the floods to try to save those girls' lives. I wanted to remember those victims because they deserve a light like this. What they did, they should be heroes, they should be remembered. Q. You mentioned your relationship with Arch and a lot has been made about your friendship with Cade, growing up in high school and stuff. Those are two of the top Heisman favorites going into the season. I'm not asking you to make a pick, if you had a vote, but what do you make about their cases for that award this year? What are they going to have to do to maybe put one over the top of the other? MICHAEL TAAFFE: Obviously this quarterback class is so talented this year. All the quarterbacks in the SEC are really talented alone, but bringing in guys like Klub, Cade Klubnik, makes this roster, this class of quarterbacks so unique, so competitive, a lot of juice. But the similarities that Arch and Cade have is they know how to take over a team. And they know that the team embodies their personality. So both of them walk on the field, it's, like, all right, it's game time, every time they step on the field. That's why I respect both of those guys because they have that sense of competitiveness that's, like, all right, nobody can stop me. It's really inspiring. Q. You played against Ohio State last year and Jeremiah Smith. What were your impressions of him, and how does he rank, maybe, in the athletes you've competed against? MICHAEL TAAFFE: I can't even rank him yet because I've got to play him again. But he, man, what he does on that football field, it doesn't seem like a real human's doing that, because he's just so unique. He's inspirational in all the talent, and he still is only 19 years old. So it's going to be really fun going against him because he's a freak of nature. I've watched a lot of his routes, almost all of them, dang near, from last year, and seeing how he gets in and out of breaks, seeing how he runs full speed, seeing how he stacks DBs, and obviously the best thing about him, one of his attributes, is going up and getting the football. You can put three DBs on him, but if you get it up in the air, he's going to go get it, which is really cool. Q. When did you know Colin Simmons was going to be special, and what is one eye-popping moment for you, you're kind of like, wow? MICHAEL TAAFFE: The second that he stepped on campus, I knew Colin Simmons would be the guy. He's one of the guys coming in that he's a three-year-and-out, first-round type of guy. I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but I know that's the expectation for himself. One of the plays, he wears this long towel in practice, it's like a shower towel. I'm like, what is this guy doing? All of a sudden he runs up with the 1s, one of the first weeks he's out here, and said, hut. A second later, he's getting back to the quarterback and he's giving our left and right tackles a heck of a day. It's definitely easier to play DB playing man coverage when you've got him going after the quarterback. It shocked my eye. It was like, is it that sweaty outside right now. Like, why is he wearing that towel? But then I watched him and he got after the quarterback. I was like, you can do whatever you want as long as you're getting to the quarterback like that.
