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Kensington Market has always been a place where Toronto’s vibrant culture thrives—a chaotic blend of art, food, people, and history. But now, as gentrification begins to erode its charm, filmmaker Stuart Clarfield’s new documentary, Kensington Market: Heart of the City, seeks to capture the essence of the neighbourhood before it changes forever.
Clarfield, who has deep familial ties to Kensington, recalls seeing the slow evolution of the market over decades, watching it transition from a bustling hub of legacy stores to something less familiar. “I started to see a generational change, where stores that went back decades were starting to close,” he says. His initial goal was to document the people and stories behind these long-standing establishments. However, the film soon pivoted to something larger: how Kensington is grappling with the pressures of gentrification. “The story became about the transformation of Toronto from a ‘People City’ to a ‘Property City.’”
The film highlights how Kensington’s unplanned collage of cultures—its unique mix of art, noise, and history—is at risk of being replaced by new developments. Clarfield’s documentary not only tells the stories of families who built their lives there but also issues a subtle call to action: preserve the market’s spirit before it’s too late.
“I hope people get a sense of the visceral experience of the Market,” Clarfield says. More than that, he hopes audiences understand that Kensington isn’t just a place—it’s a community. In a city increasingly defined by towering condos and rising prices, the market remains a space where, as Clarfield puts it, “money isn’t the boss.”
Filming the documentary wasn’t without its challenges. Funding was sparse—Clarfield and his team received no support from the arts councils they applied to, and the documentary had to be produced alongside other paid work. “It was made with a lot of love, hard work, and patience,” he says. Despite the obstacles, Clarfield remained committed to letting Kensington’s residents tell their stories in an authentic way.
Clarfield has a personal connection to Kensington. His grandparents immigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century and settled in the market, then a hub for Toronto’s Jewish community. “Going downtown usually meant a visit to the old stomping grounds,” he recalls, and later, as a teenager, he rediscovered it for himself. Kensington became his “spiritual home.”
Now, with the pressures of development threatening to transform Kensington, the filmmaker hopes his documentary will serve as both a love letter and a time capsule. Kensington Market: Heart of the City will premiere at Innis Town Hall on Oct. 6, with a broader release at the Carlton Cinemas starting Oct. 18.
Clarfield doesn’t know what the future holds for Kensington, but he’s hopeful the film will start a conversation. “It’s too important a conversation not to have,” he says. And for Toronto, a city often defined by its people, that conversation couldn’t be more timely.
