When Morning Comes—and Change Follows: The Vision of Tamar Bird

Meet Tamar Bird, an award-winning producer, writer, and visionary who is reshaping the Canadian film industry, from right here in the Durham Region. Her work in art and cinema aims to drive social changes, push the boundaries of filmmaking and amplify the voices of unrepresented people.

Growing up in Ajax, Ontario, Bird began her journey into the industry through local community theatre and television production as an actor. Tamar transitioned into film production and built an impressive, diverse portfolio. She made her jump into filmmaking with her short film titled The Night Session. Some of her other films include the short film Haven (2018), which premiered at SXSW and the critically acclaimed film Black Bodies in 2020. This film premiered at TIFF and Sundance and received awards such as the inaugural TIFF Changemaker Award and the 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Short Film.

Tamar is currently debuting her feature film When Morning Comes (2022), which premiered at TIFF and is also available on Crave. The film is holding a screening for the Durham Region International Film Festival, at the Whitby Public Library on February 5th at 6:30pm with a full house attending. When Morning Comes hits especially close to home for Tamar as she got to work with her best friends. Tamar states that, “being able to work with people you love and admire, who truly understand one another is one of the best feelings in the world.” Making a film where the team is handpicked is a rarity in the industry and an authentic experience for creative storytelling. Tamar also highlighted how much of an honour it was to receive a post-production grant from David Cronenberg. She was able to meet him in Cannes and the two shared their great respect for each other’s work and their love of the craft, which is quite a memorable experience.

The film When Morning Comes is set in beautiful Jamaica where a young nine-year-old, Jamal, comes to face his life being upended when his widowed mother chooses to send him to Canada for a promising future. When Jamal learns of the news, he devises a plan to stay by visiting all his friends and family, then finally pulling at the heart by visiting his father’s grave one last time. Some fun behind the scenes cast and crew facts make the film that much more intriguing. The talented young actor who plays Jamal is named Djmari, and this is his very first acting role. Tamar has said that he is “one of the most professional people I have ever worked with.” He was only ten at the time of filming When Morning Comes and had memorized every line in the script, even the parts that were not even his. His natural talent made the film have a genuine flow as it is not something filmmakers see often in the industry. Djmari’s early skill development put him on a path for exciting potential, and Tamar even hopes to collaborate with him in the future.

As for the future, Tamar is dedicated to creating systematic changes in the industry by acting as an advocate for diversity and inclusion. Through her cinematic pieces she aims to provide audiences with not only an enjoyable experience, but a lasting impact that they will carry with them going forward.