Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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Ali Kazimi is a 2019 winner of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Terry O'Neill and Tara Cooper.
Production of the Canada Council for the Arts. Presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm's-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) "to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts."
For more information, visit: ggavma.canadacouncil.ca
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Transcript:
Through my practice and looking for archival material, I got more and more excited by film, the medium. That tactility of actually holding the medium in your hand is such an important part of filmmaking.
When I asked archivists, I put out this plea: Has anyone seen moving images of the Komagata Maru? I got responses saying people had looked for this material and it simply didn’t exist. There were several points like that, but I thought I could never make Continuous Journey.
I finally got this tape and suddenly the Komagata Maru appears. I was in shock. My entire body was in complete shock. I called out to my wife. She came, she held me and I cried more. And I cried because I couldn’t understand why I was the first person to see this. And it was at that point, it became clear to me that there was no going back. I just had to finish the film. Yes, we took out a second mortgage on the house and that’s how the film was finished.
When I arrived in Canada, I came as a foreign student. One of the most striking moments for me when I arrived was right at Pearson airport. We had to show our passports and our student visas. And there the immigration officer questioned the veracity of our student visas. He made this big magnanimous gesture and looked me straight in the eye and he said, “The only reason I’m letting you into my country is because you speak such good English.” And then he added, “And you’ll remember me for that.” And I do! [laughing] I do, because I think what he did at that moment was started by experience of living grace rather than grace being a concept.
I also don’t shy away from naming uncomfortable truths. So I became the face of diversity. But diversity is only accepted when it’s palatable. And I was presenting something that was unpalatable. And I paid a price for it. I’ve heard the terms “you will never work in this town again,” “you will never be funded again,” “you’re committing career suicide.”
I feel everyone has a story to tell. And all stories matter. And through the small stories, we get to know the world. And then I look at the people whose lives I’ve documented and any apprehension and anxiety I have dissolves. Because they are my touchstones.
Please like this video and subscribe to support the arts in Canada.
Ali Kazimi is a 2019 winner of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Terry O'Neill and Tara Cooper.
Production of the Canada Council for the Arts. Presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm's-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) "to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts."
For more information, visit: ggavma.canadacouncil.ca
****
Transcript:
Through my practice and looking for archival material, I got more and more excited by film, the medium. That tactility of actually holding the medium in your hand is such an important part of filmmaking.
When I asked archivists, I put out this plea: Has anyone seen moving images of the Komagata Maru? I got responses saying people had looked for this material and it simply didn’t exist. There were several points like that, but I thought I could never make Continuous Journey.
I finally got this tape and suddenly the Komagata Maru appears. I was in shock. My entire body was in complete shock. I called out to my wife. She came, she held me and I cried more. And I cried because I couldn’t understand why I was the first person to see this. And it was at that point, it became clear to me that there was no going back. I just had to finish the film. Yes, we took out a second mortgage on the house and that’s how the film was finished.
When I arrived in Canada, I came as a foreign student. One of the most striking moments for me when I arrived was right at Pearson airport. We had to show our passports and our student visas. And there the immigration officer questioned the veracity of our student visas. He made this big magnanimous gesture and looked me straight in the eye and he said, “The only reason I’m letting you into my country is because you speak such good English.” And then he added, “And you’ll remember me for that.” And I do! [laughing] I do, because I think what he did at that moment was started by experience of living grace rather than grace being a concept.
I also don’t shy away from naming uncomfortable truths. So I became the face of diversity. But diversity is only accepted when it’s palatable. And I was presenting something that was unpalatable. And I paid a price for it. I’ve heard the terms “you will never work in this town again,” “you will never be funded again,” “you’re committing career suicide.”
I feel everyone has a story to tell. And all stories matter. And through the small stories, we get to know the world. And then I look at the people whose lives I’ve documented and any apprehension and anxiety I have dissolves. Because they are my touchstones.
