Trailer for ‘Becoming a Queen’ Doc About Toronto’s Queen of Carnival

Trailer for ‘Becoming a Queen’ Doc About Toronto’s Queen of Carnival

by Alex Billington
May 29, 2022
Source: YouTube

“Everybody wants to win.” Gravitas Ventures + Callowgrove Ent. have revealed a trailer for a documentary film called Becoming a Queen, made in Canada by filmmaker Chris Strikes. This is opening on VOD in the US coming up in June, after premiering last year at a Canadian film festival. The film is described as an “intimate portrait of one woman’s quest to become Queen of Caribbean Carnival for an unprecedented tenth time in her final competition.” Through Joella Crichton’s lens we explore expressions of identity, love and family through Caribbean artistry, against a larger society that often lacks understanding of its significance. Becoming a Queen focuses on Joella’s attempt to win for her 10th time in a row in the Caribbean Carnival’s Queen Competition in Toronto. From design to assemble, this film follows the exhaustive preparations for Joella, her costume designer Kenney Coombs and the tight knit team consisting of her mother, Lou-Ann and older sister, Mischka. This does look like a TV doc, but it seems fascinating following her story nonetheless.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) fro Chris Strikes’ doc Becoming a Queen, direct from YouTube:

Joella aims to win for a historic tenth time in Caribbean Carnival’s Queen Competition, in her final year. A tenth win would forever solidify her legacy in the Caribbean-Canadian community. Joella hopes to leverage this legacy to be viewed as an ambassador for Caribbean Carnival, educating youth and the larger society on its significance so that the vibrant event is seen as the fine art that it truly is. Becoming a Queen takes us inside Toronto’s world-famous Carnival, an annual celebration of Caribbean pride and identity in this ultra-multicultural city. Among the biggest events of its kind, Toronto’s Carnival draws participants and tourists from across the Caribbean, Europe, and all over North America. This immensely enjoyable and insightful film invites viewers to experience Carnival through the eyes of Joella and her tightknit team. It’s the celebration of the year, suffused with meaning and significance. And at its centre is the King & Queen competition that Joella has been preparing for. It’s where the real artistry of Carnival is. Becoming a Queen is directed by the Canadian filmmaker Chris Strikes, making his feature directorial debut after a number of shorts & music videos previously. This premiered at the 2021 CaribbeanTales Film Festival last year. Gravitas will debut the doc direct-to-VOD on June 14th, 2022 this summer – out soon.

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