Courtney Small's Avatar

Courtney Small

@smallmind.bsky.social

Creator: Black Canadian Film. Freelance Film Critic: POV Magazine, Exclaim!, That Shelf, Cinema Axis. Co-host: Frameline. Member: TFCA, OFCS, GALECA, AAFCA, Rotten Tomatoes. Golden Globes.

483 Followers  |  466 Following  |  77 Posts  |  Joined: 03.09.2023  |  1.9132

Latest posts by smallmind.bsky.social on Bluesky

🚨Cover Story🚨 I had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol about their wonderful film Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie for @exclaimdotca.bsky.social The film hits theatres next Friday (Feb 13th) and is one of the year’s must-see comedies. Piece in thread below:
πŸ‘‡πŸΏ

03.02.2026 16:35 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Nuisance Bear Review: This One's Just Right - POV Magazine Nuisance Bear review: Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman brilliantly expand their 2021 short film about polar bears forced off their natural migration path in Churchill, Manitoba.

Mega thread of all the #Sundance documentary winners! πŸ†

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary, NUISANCE BEAR by Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman (they're Canadian!) is smarter than the average bear. πŸ»β€β„οΈ povmagazine.com/nuisance-bea...

31.01.2026 20:56 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

Always interesting to see which actor and director top my @letterboxd.social Year in Review each year. Would love to see these two work together.

03.01.2026 21:44 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Exclaim!’s 13 Best TV Series of 2025 Let's face it β€” the best television we, as a nation, watched this year was the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 Major League Baseball

Exclaim!’s 13 Best TV Series of 2025

02.12.2025 15:57 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Exclaim!'s 20 Best Films of 2025 This year marks 130 years since the Lumière brothers changed the world with their short films, birthing cinema and laying the groundwork

Exclaim!'s 20 Best Films of 2025

01.12.2025 16:11 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Post image

ICYMI on FRAMELINE: @smallmind.bsky.social & I chatted about the latest releasesβ€” The History of Sound, Nouvelle Vague, A House of Dynamite, The Lowdown
Available wherever you get your podcasts or just click πŸ‘‡
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/n...

01.11.2025 18:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Lots of interesting β€œI didn’t know that” nuggets for me throughout. Didn’t feel long at all while listening. Also reminded me that I hadn’t seen the new one yet, so that’ll be tonight’s watch (not expecting much, but showed the kids the original a few weeks back).

28.10.2025 21:34 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Really great conversation in this episode. πŸ‘‡πŸΏ

28.10.2025 21:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

ICYMI on FRAMELINE: @smallmind.bsky.social & I chatted new releases β€” Blue Moon; Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere; Love, Harold; Eephus.
Free wherever you get your podcasts or just click πŸ‘‡
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/n...

24.10.2025 16:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

ICYMI: @smallmind.bsky.social and I presented our 2nd show on #tiff50 celebrations ! πŸŽ‰ See comments for list of films.
Listen wherever you get your pods or just click here:
open.spotify.com/episode/51AR...

12.09.2025 15:02 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A Simple Soldier Review: An Unflinching Look From the Front Lines - POV Magazine A Simple Solider review: cameraperson Artem Ryzhykov provides a first-hand account of war with hopes that his lens is a 'weapon' to bring change.

In A Simple Soldier, cameraperson Artem Ryzhykov provides a first-hand account of war with hopes that his lens is a 'weapon' to bring change, writes @smallmind.bsky.social #tiff50 povmagazine.com/a-simple-sol...

10.09.2025 17:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising Review - An Occupation for Change - POV Magazine Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising Review: Shane Belcourt's documentary revisits the 1974 Ojibway Warriors occupation of Anicinabe Park.

Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising revisits the 1974 Ojibway Warriors occupation of Anicinabe Park in response to violence and systemic racism. @smallmind.bsky.social reviews from #TIFF50 povmagazine.com/ni-naadamaad...

09.09.2025 15:20 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
True North Review: The Power of Student Protest - POV Magazine True North review: Michèle Stephenson's documentary shows how the Canadian dream turned into a nightmare for a group of Haitian students who were seeking a better life.

True North shows how the Canadian dream turned into a nightmare for a group of Haitian students who were seeking a better life with the 1969 student occupation in Montreal writes @smallmind.bsky.social #tiff50 povmagazine.com/true-north-r...

06.09.2025 18:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Issue 124 - Fall/Winter 2025 - POV Magazine POV Magazine issue 124 (Fall/Winter2025) looks at new documentaries on the circuit including Still Single, Lilith Fair, and Modern Whore.

- @patmullen.bsky.social looks at STILL SINGLE and Masaki Saito's work hard/play hard lifestyle

- @filmfest.bsky.social intvws Min Sook Lee about her most personal work

- @smallmind.bsky.social talks Black Zombie & Haitian Vodou w/ @mayaannik.bsky.social

povmagazine.com/issue-124-fa...

19.08.2025 14:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Shifting Forms: Black Auteurs Explore Diverse Canvases - POV Magazine The essay explores the genre-fluidity and mixed-media approaches employed by several Black artists to create path-breaking documentaries.

"Refusing to remain in the structural confines that society expects of them is what makes the works of artists like Steve McQueen, Kahlil Joseph, Mati Diop, John Akomfrah, Isaac Julien and Alice Diop so invigorating," writes @smallmind.bsky.social in a new essay πŸ“ povmagazine.com/shifting-for...

18.08.2025 13:38 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

A mess on several levels. I can already see the wild discourses people in the festival lines will have about it.

15.08.2025 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

New to theatres this weekend, 40 ACRES is the must-see Canadian thriller of the summer. A great feature debut from writer/director R.T.Thorne. πŸ“½οΈ

03.07.2025 18:03 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The rare Canadian film that plays like a summer action thriller. Which it is, now!

03.07.2025 16:52 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
R.T. Thorne Mines History to Create a Futuristic Thriller Unlike Any Other: "Deeper Conversation Can Be Had" β”‚ Exclaim! "I wanted to be informed by [colonial trauma], but I didn't want that to be the main element," the filmmaker says of '40 Acres'

Spoke with filmmaker R.T. Thorne and actor Michael Greyeyes about their great film 40 Acres for @exclaimdotca.bsky.social. The film hit cinemas this week and is well worth your time. exclaim.ca/film/article...

03.07.2025 16:45 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 3
a screenshot of the new york times profile that announces me taking over milestone films. the headline reads β€œAt Milestone Films, Passing the Torch, but Keeping the Flame Alive”, the subhed reads β€œThe distributor's owners, Amy Heller and Dennis Doros, made the unusual choice to give it away.
Their successor is Maya Cade of the Black Film Archive.”

a screenshot of the new york times profile that announces me taking over milestone films. the headline reads β€œAt Milestone Films, Passing the Torch, but Keeping the Flame Alive”, the subhed reads β€œThe distributor's owners, Amy Heller and Dennis Doros, made the unusual choice to give it away. Their successor is Maya Cade of the Black Film Archive.”

some news: in 2026, i will become the president and owner of @milestonefilms.bsky.social, the distribution home of charles burnett, kathleen collins, bridgett m. davis, and many others.

to be a champion of cinema is my life’s greatest honor & pleasure. learn more: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/m...

06.05.2025 14:41 β€” πŸ‘ 1731    πŸ” 270    πŸ’¬ 103    πŸ“Œ 42
Preview
Betrayal Review: The Price of Doing What’s Right - POV Magazine Betrayal review: The downfall of former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor is told with the story of Cindor Reeves, a family member who fought for peace at a personal cost.

#Betrayal tells the story of the downfall of former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and that of Cindor Reeves, a family member who fought for peace at a personal cost. @smallmind.bsky.social reviews from #HotDocs25 povmagazine.com/betrayal-rev...

30.04.2025 04:09 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
An American Pastoral Review: A Culture War on the Battlefield of Education - POV Magazine An American Pastoral review: this snapshot of America's education system is a reminder of a culture war that hurts those who need education the most.

An American Pastoral offers a snapshot of America's education system that's a reminder of a culture war that hurts those who need education the most, writes @smallmind.bsky.social #hotdocs25 povmagazine.com/an-american-...

29.04.2025 03:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Ghosts of the Sea Review: Sailing the Turbulent Waters of Closure - POV Magazine Ghosts of the Sea review: Virginia Tangvald explores two stories of loss in her family as she revisits the disappearances of her father and brother at sea.

GHOSTS OF THE SEA offers a haunting exploration of lost as a filmmaker revisits the disappearances of her father and brother, writes @smallmind.bsky.social #HotDocs25 povmagazine.com/ghosts-of-th...

28.04.2025 15:44 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
The Track Review: Olympic Size Heart and Resilience - POV Magazine The Track review: Director Ryan Sidhoo observes a team of athletes training for the luge on the old track in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Director Ryan Sidhoo observes a team of athletes training for the luge on the old track in Bosnia and Herzegovina in The Track. @smallmind.bsky.social reviews from #HotDocs25 povmagazine.com/the-track-re...

28.04.2025 01:47 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

ICYMI on FRAMELINE: @smallmind.bsky.social and I highlighted just a few of the amazing films @hotdocs.bsky.social #hotdocs2025
Available wherever you get your podcasts or just click here πŸ‘‡
open.spotify.com/episode/2MUz...

25.04.2025 15:48 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
With β€˜Sinners,’ White Hollywood Is Moving Goalposts on Black Cinema Again Ryan Coogler's Black vampire epic topped the box office in its opening weekend, but some in the media wanted to focus on whether the film would make a profit. WTF?

"Sinners" opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews. It had a bigger opening weekend box office than 9 of the last 10 Oscar winners for Best Picture. Yet, mainstream media is questioning whether Ryan Coogler's magnum opus is a success

Let them

22.04.2025 19:07 β€” πŸ‘ 408    πŸ” 121    πŸ’¬ 13    πŸ“Œ 3
Video thumbnail

RED ROOMS, featuring a Q&A with director Pascal Plante in-person

Monday, April 28, 8pm

The Paradise, Toronto

08.04.2025 03:43 β€” πŸ‘ 68    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 13

Village Keeper is now in theatres. I spoke with director Karen Chapman about motherhood, mental health, and trusting your instincts.

29.03.2025 03:05 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Black Canadian Film A list of Black Canadian cinema, and films by Black Canadian filmmakers, found in the Black Canadian FilmΒ database. Black Canadian Film is a website dedicated to celebrating amplifying Black cinema an...

Finally created a @letterboxd.social list for films on the Black Canadian Film website (including international movies directed by Black Canadian filmmakers): boxd.it/F0ff6

13.03.2025 19:39 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

@smallmind is following 20 prominent accounts