Montreal-based filmmaker Stefan Verna made Night Watches Us with the intention of capturing a grieving community grappling with loss and a lack of closure after the tragic death of a young father, Nicholas Gibbs. The 23-year-old struggled with mental health issues and was gunned down by Montreal police in his neighbourhood, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, in 2018. He was unarmed.
“I made this film for his kids. They’ll never know their father,” says Verna. “I grew up with a father and mother and I have two kids and I take it very seriously. For them not to know who their father is, for me, is a great tragedy. If this film can give them that connection to their father whenever they want, I think I would have done my job.”
Night Watches Us was funded by the NFB’s Reimagining My Quebec, which called for filmmakers to create artful documentaries that defied expectations. In an ideal world, Verna envisions the possibility of a progressive police force with de-escalation and mental health protocols to protect Black lives. He says local issues in Quebec often mirror those in the U.S. and that Canada has a long history of ignoring its own racist shortcomings.
“I felt like this story could not be erased. I wanted to shed light on the local issues, because we love to talk about the States. But it’s deflection. It’s pure deflection. For me it was really important that when I told that story [of Gibbs’ death], it would be told in a way that the Black community felt spoken to.”
Stylistically, Verna credits Spike Lee and Clement Virgo as two major influences and envisions his film as part of Canada’s Black cinematic movement. He also says it was a collaborative effort of many creatives including a first-time composer. “I learned from Spike Lee that when you get access to a certain level of budget, it’s important to bring people up so that they’re exposed to that level of professionalism. That way they can bring that to other projects,” reflects Verna. “I really drew through the community, in terms of the content, but also in terms of the making of the film, in terms of the spirit of the film.”
His work is informed by the Black Arts Movement from the late ’60s and is based on self-determination, cultural expression and authentic representation of Black experiences, often through a distinct visual style. Verna was concerned that, by incorporating spoken word, street art, movement and hip-hop, the film’s tragedy and depth would be compromised. Thankfully, producers Ariel Nasr and Kat Baulu supported his creative integrity and the result is a rhythmic urgency that pushes the storyline forward. “I think different people will feel different things about this film. I really wanted to give space to the audience to bring who they are at the moment,” says Verna. “I just want people to bring their humanity when they see this film.”
