Yazmeen Kanji’s ‘One Day’ is the First Film Dedicated to the Muslim Indo Caribbean Woman’s Experience
written by Alya Somar
Director Yazmeen Kanji photographed by Javier Lovera
Writer and director Yazmeen Kanji’s new short film “One Day” presents a new narrative for marginalized young adult characters across all forms of storytelling. “One Day” is a short dramedy set in the suburbs of Toronto, following a day in the life of Muslim Indo Caribbean teenager, Adeela, as she struggles to find the confidence to speak up for herself in different social situations. Throughout the film, viewers get a glimpse into Adeela’s vibrant daydreams as she navigates the realities of being a racialized teenager. The protagonist Adeela is played by Rebecca Ablack of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia.
[Additonal Read: Fireside Chat with Lady Montano and the King of Soca — Machel Montano]
While Kanji was conceptualizing the film, she found herself inspired not only by her own lived experiences as a racialized teen in suburban Canada, but by the experiences of fellow Muslim women around her. Kanji strategically included scenes inspired by real-life happenings of former classmates, after being granted permission to share them.
The creative choice of letting real-life experiences impact the plot was an asset in Kanji featuring three distinctly diverse Muslim characters on the screen, challenging audiences' beliefs about stereotypical Muslim characters. By having young Muslim teens at the core of “One Day” Kanji answers a question she asked herself while writing, What would happen if a Muslim girl was at the center of a story like this?
Kaniji’s motivations for creating such a work are clear.
“I always wanted to make work that felt like it had an impact on my community,” Kanji said.
Finding Adeela’s character to be a fresh representation of the racialized teenage experience Ablack was eager to take on the project.
“We’re getting to a better place of having more nuanced representation…..people are now more curious to watch content and understand what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes.”
Adeela played by Rebecca Ablack, photographed by Anushay Sheikh
Ablack’s interest in telling marginalized stories through her acting, paired with Kanji’s efforts to tell dynamic stories of colour meant that the two worked in tandem to create a film that speaks to the intersectionality of marginalized experiences specific to Muslim Indo Caribbeans.
Throughout development and production, the goal of challenging negative mainstream perceptions of people like Adeela was at the forefront of Ablack’s mind and performance. While there has historically been little representation of such an identity on the big screen, Ablack is working to change that.
At different stages of development, Kanji found herself turning to community members for guidance and support. Indo Caribbean scholars, comedians and organizers showed up in different capacities to contribute to “One Day”. Social media in particular allowed Kanji to access parts of her own identity and community in new ways that added depth to the evolution of her project.
Ablack echoes the importance of cultivating community while doing creative work when recalling her time on set.
“[There was] a conversation to be had at every corner. Everyone was so eager to be there, because of this community that we created…...I’ve played a bunch of teenagers before and Adeela feels closest to my experience,” Ablack said.
Whether in person or online, both Kanji and Ablack continue to build a sense of community through their art, in order to bring new and diverse representation to film and TV. For Caribbean creatives looking to produce films, Kanji encourages folks to create no matter what.
“You can’t wait for anything or anyone….You just have to make your own stuff, and then the community in the film space will follow,” Kanji says.
Director Yazmeen Kanji on set filming “One Day” photographed by Anushay Sheikh
When it comes to the world of acting, Ablack wants to leave young creatives with one piece of advice:
“It’s important to have friends and community members that you trust …..that you can look to someone else and say ‘What do you think of this idea? How can I make this richer? How can I make this more nuanced? How can I make this better?’
Ablack and Kanji’s shared dedication to the execution of “One Day” is reflected within the film itself. After calling on community to create this project, community can be found rallying around its success as well, both virtually and in person.
“Feed yourself with the kind of art that you want to create,” Ablack says.
“One Day” will be having its Toronto premiere at the Canadian Film Festival on March 26th, 2025 and you can purchase tickets here. You can watch the trailer for “One Day” here.
