October 30, 1951-July 14, 2007.
Errol Williams won respect and acclaim for making films with a compelling theme—triumph over racial adversity.
A Guyanese-born Canadian, he came to Bermuda to teach high-school English and discovered his passion for filmmaking in mid-life.
His films shed light on people who had broken racial barriers, but whose accomplishments had largely been forgotten.
The most notable were Echoes in the Rink: The Willie O’Ree Story, about the first black man to play in the National Hockey League, and When Voices Rise…, the story of Bermuda’s pivotal 1959 Theatre Boycott.
When Voices Rise… won the Audience Choice award at the 2002 Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) and played at several other film festivals.
Williams was the second eldest of Joyce and Oscar Williams’ five children. He was born in Guyana, where he received his early education and graduated from Charlestown Secondary School in Georgetown.
His father was a teacher who became an Anglican priest. His brother Ewart was a singer who performed at the Cock and Feather restaurant on Front Street for two summers during the 1980s.
In 1969, Williams emigrated with his family to Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and subsequently became a Canadian citizen. In 1970, Williams entered the University of New Brunswick, where he obtained his first degree. He later obtained a bachelor’s degree in education at Queen’s University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Ottawa.
While studying at Queen’s he met students from Bermuda and in 1976, he came to Bermuda to teach English at Robert Crawford School. He settled easily into island life, and formed fast friendships with teachers with similar interests and backgrounds: strong ties to the Caribbean and a keen interest in writing.
In the early 1980s, he served as co-editor of the Bermuda Union of Teachers’ Bermuda Educational Journal. Williams had been an avid reader from childhood and a born storyteller—qualities that would serve him well as a filmmaker. Williams eventually changed schools, moving to Sandys and then Northlands Secondary schools and finally, Cedarbridge Academy.
Shortly after moving to Bermuda, he met Sandra Barstowe and the two married in 1984. They had one daughter, Kitwana.
In 1987, the family moved to Fredericton to allow Sandra to further her education. Soon after his move, he showed up at the offices of the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative, eager to become involved.
He immersed himself in the world of film, The NB Film Co-op providing support through workshops, training and mentoring opportunities. Crucially, he established key relationships with Tony Merzetti, the head of the NB Film Co-op, and Chris Campbell, who became his editor.
In 1988, Williams made his first dramatic film, Driftwood, about an aging West Indian man who moves to Canada at the invitation of his grandson in search of a better life. Driftwood was the co-op’s first big success and was shown at festivals in Burkina Faso and Martinique, Merzetti later said.
In 1990, he began working on Echoes in the Rink with Campbell and Merzetti. The film about the hockey pioneer and New Brunswick native was released in 1998 and was screened at the Toronto Film Festival.
In 1995, Williams returned to Bermuda and resumed his teaching career at CedarBridge Academy, while continuing to work on film projects. Some including Birth of a Trust, about the history of music in Bermuda, and a public service announcement about retired Berkeley Institute history teacher Hilda Tucker were commissioned.
When Voices Rise…came next. Williams had learned about the boycott, which ended segregation in cinemas and hotels, in 1999, when a public tribute was held for the surviving members of the organisers, who were known as the Progressive Group
He did a preliminary interview with Progressive Group member Florenz Webbe-Maxwell and then read Dr. Eva Hodgson’s account of the protest, Storm in a Teacup.
“When I read the book,” Williams told The Bermudian magazine in 2002, “even though it was a historical recounting of the incident, I got a sense of the excitement and tension, all the good stuff of storytelling.
“What really convinced me to do the documentary was when I discovered mot of the people who were involved are still alive. I could have a first-hand account of the story.”
Williams worked on the film for four years, eventually taking a leave of absence from CedarBridge to work on the project full-time.
Finding sponsors for the film, which cost more than $150,000 to make, proved to be a challenge. Luckily, when things were at their lowest ebb, the Bank of Bermuda Foundation came through with funding, that allowed him to complete the project.
When Voices Rise… premiered to great acclaim, and with Progressive Group members in the audience, at BIFF in 2002. It won the Audience Choice Award. He followed When Voices Rise…, which made the rounds at several festivals, with 2007’s Walking on a Sea Of Glass, a documentary about Kingsley Tweed, the charismatic and voluble activist turned preacher who had emerged as the star of When Voices Rise.
In 2007, he began work on a documentary about the history of the Bermuda Industrial Union. But he was diagnosed with leukemia and entered King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for chemotherapy treatments when he died unexpectedly on July 14, 2007 at age 55.
His death was a shock to filmmakers in Bermuda and New Brunswick and to the arts community in general.
He had been an enthusiastic mentor to filmmakers both in Bermuda and Canada.
Filmmaker Lucinda Spurling told The Royal Gazette: “More than anyone else, Errol helped me realize that this was not a foolhardy idea but a serious ambition.
His obit was carried in newspapers in Halifax and New Brunswick as well as Bermuda and the NB Film Co-op created a tribute page on its website.
In New Brunswick, his death was mourned by his collaborators Tony MerZetti, and Chris Campbell, who edited Voices.
Merzetti said on the occasion of his death: “From the way he spoke and the things he knew, you could tell he was someone who would do deep films, films with relevance and deep social impact.”
Williams had served as a member of the Bermuda Arts Council, which honoured him posthumously with its Founders Award in December 2007.
Williams was keenly aware of the irony of non-native producing a documentary about a seminal part of Bermuda’s history.
He viewed Voices as his gift to Bermuda. In an interview in The Bermudian in 2002, he said: “ We come and attempt to be part of the community as best we can. It is a small step towards attaining that. “
Williams was buried at St. John’s Church, Pembroke, following a funeral service at the Anglican Cathedral.
