Synopsis
The Making of a Judge is the story of The Honourable Justice George E. Carter, told by his daughter Linda V. Carter, as he journeys along the path to becoming the first Canadian-born black Judge in the country. Linda has had a lifelong passion and appreciation for her Canadian, West Indian, and African roots, and the story of her father’s pioneering life traces those cultural influences on her family. The film is an expression of these identities and the inherent struggles that they beget.
A word from Tënk
As a film, The Making of a Judge is simple and without pretense. Almost as if director and narrator, Linda V. Carter is well aware that these voices, faces and stories are more than enough to bear the weight of our attention and respect. Carter’s documentary is more than a daughter’s ode to her father but a glimpse at the rarely told history of a segment of Canada’s Black community. Through their reminiscence, we are witnesses to this community’s resilience and strength.
Carter reminds us of the gift of our living ancestors and the value of documenting our oral histories. For those of us who belong to the African Diaspora, Judge Carter, his family and his peers bring us back to those moments sitting at the feet of our elders living and past. He could easily be our father, uncle or grandfather and through the magic of film, for a brief hour, the rest of the world gets to join us at his feet and glean as we have always done from the humour, wisdom, and life experiences that built our families, communities and our adopted home in immeasurable ways despite never truly being “maîtres chez nous”.
Rose-Ingrid Benjamin
Writer, emerging filmmaker, and maker of “good trouble”
