An Uninvited Guest (2020 film) coming to CBC

Richard B. Pierre is an award-winning writer, director, and producer, known for tackling a range of genres and subject matters. Pierre, a mixed-race Black filmmaker, has been placing his focus on race-based projects “An Uninvited Guest” comes on the heels of the successful documentary “What Are You?” by the serious filmmaker.

The idea for “An Uninvited Guest” came to the talented director after watching the 6 o’clock news report on the murder of a black man by police. Unfortunately, not an uncommon headline. The video repeated several times on a seemingly endless loop and Pierre realized that he could easily become numb to the horror and yet each time it played it was as fresh and real as if it had happened right in front of him. In that moment he realized he had to do something other than just get angry thus “An Uninvited Guest” was born. The film received funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

The short film portrays three people wordlessly enjoying dinner together, one of the dinner guests is black. Outside the mansion, in full view of the guests, a black man is assaulted by a police officer. The black dinner guest grows increasingly anxious, his demeanour changes from numb to responsive, the people around him grow uncomfortable. “An Uninvited Guest” is a startling commentary on police brutality that challenges the viewer to contemplate their role in the endless cycle of violence against the black community.

The award-winning filmmaker reaches deep, sometimes to a place that’s uncomfortable in order to make his point. After all, shouldn’t we be uncomfortable? Available now on CBC Gem.