Black History Month 2026 Documentary screening: The ninth floor

Ninth Floor is a 2015 National Film Board of Canada documentary written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mina Shum. The film revisits one of the most dramatic moments in Canadian student and civil-rights history- the 1969 Sir George Williams Riot at Sir George Williams University (now part of Concordia University) in Montreal. Shum combines archival footage, news clippings and contemporary interviews with former student activists to explore how a small group of Caribbean students’ formal complaints alleging racism against a professor escalated into a tense occupation of the campus’ ninth-floor computer lab, and ultimately, one of the largest student demonstrations of activism in Canadian history. Directed with compassion and historical insight, the film situates the 1969 events within the broader discussions about systemic racism and reconciliation.  

Open to all, no sign up required.