Let us now praise Charles Officer, a lovely talent with a generous soul who left us way too soon. Director, writer, actor, model, hockey player—what couldn’t he do? Those who met him were in awe of his talent, but he was too gentle a person to lord it over anyone. Though he tragically lived less than 50 years, Officer’s life was full of accomplishments. He took the lead in a production of the ground-breaking Black American play A Raisin in the Sun, played hockey for the Calgary Flames organization, graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design and the Canadian Film Centre, worked successfully at the NFB and the CBC, and won awards for documentaries and dramas.
In less than a decade, he made two brilliant feature documentaries with the NFB, which would be enough to guarantee his reputation. Mighty Jerome (2010) is a stylish telling of the rise, fall and comeback of the great Black Canadian runner Harry Jerome, an Olympic medalist who overcame huge physical and racial barriers while triumphing as an athlete. Officer shot the film in black and white, recreating the atmosphere of the ’60s, Jerome’s key period. To bring back Jerome’s presence to his key interviewees—family, friends, athletes—Officer created a faux museum show, ushering people into rooms of Jerome’s artifacts to create the proper atmosphere for reminisces of the runner’s life.
Unarmed Verses, which won Hot Docs’ Best Canadian Feature award in 2017, is a profoundly moving look at a Black Torontonian community through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl. Officer deliberately chose Francine Valentine, a quiet and responsible young woman, who didn’t fit the stereotype of an angry rebel. By following her for years, Officer won the trust of Francine and her family. He was able to find the scenes where the phrase “Black lives matter” resonated in a truthful, positive manner, by showing daily life in a housing project facing gentrification.
His documentaries also include the provocative study of racism, The Skin We’re In (2017), made with writer/activist Desmond Cole, and Invisible Essence: The Little Prince (2018), which explored the universality of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved book.
Officer’s career encompassed more than documentaries. His dramas for film and television, Nurse. Fighter. Boy (2008), Akilla’s Escape (2020) and The Porter (2022) show other aspects of his directorial talent. As an advocate, he was one of the co-founders of the Black Screen Office. A brilliant talent and individual, Charles Officer will be sorely missed.
Unarmed Verses, Charles Officer, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
