Syrian refugees who appear in new St. John's film treated to screening, with Arabic subtitles

The "Newfoundland noir" film Skeet made its big-time premiere at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax last week. Earlier this week, it made its way back to the community at the heart of its story.

Nik Sexton's latest feature film is set in Chalker Place, a historically low-income neighbourhood in St. John's that has come to be populated by families who fled strife in Syria. 

When main character Billy Skinner gets out of jail and moves back to Chalker Place, he starts to feel like a stranger himself.

In the film, Skinner befriends a cab driver who emigrated from Syria, and together they seek a better life in St. John's.

Syrian movie star Jay Abdo is featured in a leading role, and many Syrian residents of the real-life Chalker Place were cast, driving home Skeet's message of community. Among those cast members is Mahmoud Thome, a young actor who plays Abdo's onscreen son. 

Thome grew up in St. John's, but his father doesn't speak English. That's one of the reasons Sexton wanted to present Skeet with Arabic subtitles in a special screening on Tuesday at the Majestic Theatre in downtown St. John's.

WATCH | Local Middle Eastern community moved by special Skeet screening:

Special screening of film Skeet brings Syrian community together

3 months ago

Duration 2:23

The film “Skeet” is about a man who comes home from jail only to realize a number of Syrian families have moved into the area, making him feel like a fish out of water. The film is set in a St. John’s neighbourhood. On Tuesday, there was a screening of the film, with Arabic subtitles for the Syrian community, some of whom were cast in the movie.

"When we started going around talking to Syrian folks and Middle Eastern folks, we noticed that quite a few of them didn't speak English…" said Sexton. "We really wanted [Thome's] father, his mother and all kinds of Newfoundland-Middle Eastern families to enjoy the film as well as English-speaking folks."

It's Thome's first time seeing himself on the big screen, and his parents couldn't be prouder. He says his father liked the movie a lot, and expresses his gratitude to everyone who worked on it.

Since so many Arabic-speaking people were involved in the making of the film, providing subtitles helps the community receive the movie's messages better, says Maya Shrabi, an audience member.

Skeet, which illustrates the changing face of Newfoundland and Labrador and the experiences of new Canadians, was moving to many viewers in the audience, including Syrian-Canadian Husam Aldagher. 

"I was feeling so happy because I'm watching something related to us, related to our place, related to us as Syrian-Canadians in Newfoundland. So, it was a great job, actually," Aldagher said.

A wide release of Skeet is yet to be announced, but updates can be found on the movie's Facebook page.

WATCH | Video producer Katie Breen documents the making of the film Skeet: 

New film Skeet shows seedier side of St. John’s — with the help of a Middle Eastern movie star

3 months ago

Duration 5:36

Director Nik Sexton set out to make a ‘Newfoundland noir’ film, he says, but that changed when he saw the opportunity to tell a better story. That story got Syrian movie star Jay Abdo to join the cast, and members of the growing Syrian community in St. John’s to step into the frame.

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