In a world without sports, why not seek out a film about hockey?
Ice Breakers is just such a film.
The film, and entry in the 2020 edition of the Yorkton Film Festival, focuses on Josh Crooks 鈥渁 young, gifted African-Canadian hockey player in an overwhelmingly white sport,鈥� notes the NFB page devoted to Ice Breakers. 鈥淚n its intimate story of transgenerational identity, Ice Breakers reveals the buried history of how Black athletes helped pioneer modern hockey, as Crooks discovers that his passion is tied to a remarkable heritage.鈥�
Sandi Rankaduwa, the film鈥檚 writer and director said she saw the story as one needing to be told.
鈥淚n specific terms, the documentary pays homage and brings awareness to a little-known, all-black hockey league that helped pioneer contemporary hockey听鈥斕齛 sport that today is predominantly white,鈥� she told Yorkton This Week in an email interview. 鈥淚n the film, we follow Josh Crooks, a young and talented black hockey player from Cole Harbour, as he learns about this piece of history while pursuing his passion.
鈥淢ore broadly, it's a film that sheds light on the intergenerational and layered experiences of black people in relation to hockey.鈥�
The film, first professionally produced film, for Rankaduwa, was inspired by a book 鈥楤lack Ice: The Lost History of The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925鈥� by George and Darril Fosty.
鈥淭he book was really interesting, and totally altered my concept of hockey, which is both so deeply linked with Canadian identity and often described as a white man's sport,鈥� said the native of Sri Lanka who grew up in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. So when the National Film Board announced a short film initiative called 鈥楻e-Imagining Nova听Scotia鈥�, I realized the topic could be perfect material for a documentary and wrote up a proposal.鈥�
Rankaduwa said the story was one she immediately felt was worth telling.
鈥淚ce Breakers was worth making because it helps reframe the way we see hockey, both in facing its ongoing problems with racism, but also revising its narrative,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he truth is, while hockey has come to be virtually mono-racial, its roots are not. Not only did black athletes change how hockey was played, the sport also has Indigenous roots that predate the league. Knowing that players of color have contributed so much to hockey, it somehow seems even more unjust that they鈥檙e underrepresented in the sport, and then prone to experience prejudice if they choose to play.
鈥淲hen doing research, I spoke with many Black Nova Scotians about their relationship with hockey. Several had children who had quit the sport due to acts of racism 鈥� one father was so traumatized by his son鈥檚 experiences that he still couldn鈥檛 revisit it. I was really humbled that Lee Francis was willing to go on-camera and share how his 12-year-old son quit playing after being targeted and attacked by the other players. They were so rough that they broke the kid's helmet, yet no coaches or other adults came to his rescue. His son鈥檚 heartbreaking story is just one of many.
鈥淎nd I can't help but wonder if more images and stories of black hockey players were made widely known and visible, whether some of these negative experiences may have been avoided or at least softened. I imagine hockey would look fairly different, both throughout history and today, if it were a more welcoming space to minorities.鈥�
At least the research aspect came together rather easily.
鈥淭he book was my main resource in terms of understanding the historic side of things,鈥� said Rankaduwa. 鈥淏ecause there's not much known on the topic beyond what's in the book, I soon realized that the general lack of visuals of the league might be a problem. So that's when it became a contemporary story.
鈥淚 realized that, while there were certain key facts I wanted to drive home about the league (such as it being the origin of both the slapshot and butterfly听goaltending), I felt it was more important to simply emphasize that this significant听group of black hockey teams had existed and then explore how the knowledge of this history can resonate in the present day.听
鈥淎t the same time, I'm still hopeful that the film can help build interest in strengthening the legacy of black hockey players, and hopefully encourage more efforts to deepen our knowledge of the league and its offshoots.鈥�
The filming went rather smoothly too for the first-time filmmaker.
鈥淲e were lucky in that there weren't any major hiccups during filming, though I remember we had to closely monitor weather and ice conditions to get those pond hockey shots,鈥� recalled Rankaduwa.
鈥淚 worked with a wonderful director of photography, Andrew MacCormack, who has a background in听hockey, so听he clearly cared about the subject matter and elevating it as much as possible. The Crooks family and Lee were especially generous with their time and in sharing their experiences.
鈥淎nd thankfully, Josh's coaches and teammates, as well as the听players at the annual commemorative game and members of the Black Ice Society, were all very supportive of the project, so shooting those bigger scenes went smoothly too.鈥�
Still challenges did pop up.
鈥淭here were a few challenges, but a major one was finding our听protagonist听鈥斕齪retty important,鈥� said Rankaduwa. 鈥淎fter deciding the film should hinge on听the present-day story of a young, black hockey player, we had to figure out who that would be. When听interviewing听Lee during the development phase, I asked if he knew of any local teens who might fit the bill. Lee then mentioned he'd heard of an up-and-coming player from Cole Harbour named Josh Crooks, and that he was hoping to go watch him听play sometime so he could introduce himself.听 I asked Lee to hold off on meeting Josh, with the hope that we could capture their meeting on camera; that encounter is what you see in the film.听
鈥淚t probably goes without saying, but I felt very lucky to find Josh. It can be a lot of pressure to carry a film, especially as a teenager, but he handled it really well. He's a compelling person to watch, easy to root for, and his entire family was great to work with and be around.鈥�
When asked if the film was what Rankaduwathought it would be when she started the project, the reply was unexpected.
鈥淣ot exactly,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I first pitched the project, I thought it would be more rooted in conveying facts about the league, focusing purely on historic information.
鈥淏ut as I developed the project, it became more about individual and intimate stories, and I am glad it evolved into that.鈥�
But, Rankaduwa still likes what she created.
鈥淚t was my utmost priority to centre this film on the different people in it, namely Josh, his parents, and Lee,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted to portray a variety of black voices.听There's a tendency to imply that racial groups are monolithic in their experiences, opinions, and听demeanour, so it was important to me to ensure that the people interviewed in the film were portrayed in a way that highlights their depth and complexity (or strive for that as much as possible in a 15-minute film).
鈥淚'm also really happy with the tone we achieved in the film; it's honest and understated, but also ultimately听uplifting, and that was important to me.鈥�
鈥淚'm happy to say I am indeed satisfied with how we shaped the film's overall story.
鈥淚 was admittedly nervous going into the project about whether I听could do the subject matter听justice, but I think given the parameters and resources we had, the film is something I can stand proudly behind.鈥�
As for an audience Rankaduwa said it is a film anyone can enjoy.
鈥淚deally, people from all walks of life can watch it, learn something, and appreciate the film for what it is,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat said, it was really important for me that this film catered primarily to audiences consisting of people of color, because they are so rarely prioritized. I wanted minorities, especially black viewers, to walk away from it feeling heard, understood, and empowered.听
鈥淚'm happy to say I've had a lot of positive feedback from people of all backgrounds, especially from members of the black community. And amongst that feedback, I've had quite a few people personally tell me how the film managed to make them emotional.听It feels good to know the film can resonate so deeply.听After seeing what this story has meant to different viewers, I'm hopeful that the conversation around inclusion in hockey 鈥� and in broadening all aspects of Canadian identity 鈥� will only continue to grow and evolve.
The film is now streaming online for free on NFB.ca. It was also named a Staff Pick by Vimeo, so you can watch it there as well!
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