Village Keeper

Director Karen Chapman
Year 2024
Run Time 83min
Genre Drama

Director

Karen Chapman

Writer

Karen Chapman

Cast

Maxine Simpson, Oluniké Adeliyi, Zahra Bentham

Producers

Karen Chapman, Enrique Baniqued

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

Directors Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
Year 2024
Run Time 98min
Genre Documentary
Jackie Shane, a jazz singer who rose to prominence in the 1960s as a Black transgender musician, had disappeared almost entirely from the public eye. Decades later, her work gets rediscovered and reassessed, giving her one last chance to be appreciated properly.

A moving portrait that shines a light on the career of a trailblazer who was ahead of her time, this incredible story won the Special Jury Prize for Best Canadian Feature at Hot Docs 2024.

“A compelling investigation of an elusive life, as well as a talent so striking you’ll be amazed it remained forgotten for so long.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety 
 

Directors

Michael Mabbott

Writer/director Mabbott made his debut with 2005’s Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, winning Best Canadian First Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. He followed with Citizen Duane and television shows like Baxter and The Yard. His short documentary Music Lessons premiered at Hot Docs 2015. He also wrote, produced, and co-directed Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, which was named to the TIFF 2024 Top Ten List.

Lucah Rosenberg-Lee

Lucah Rosenberg-Lee is an independent filmmaker, speaker and entrepreneur. He is passionate about telling the stories of marginalized voices through film and he specializes in documentary and LGBTQ+ content. He produced For Nonna Anna, which won the Best Narrative Short Award at the Atlanta Film Festival, and he co-directed the 2024 films Passing and Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, which won the DGC Special Jury Prize at Hot Docs 2024.

Writers

Alison Duke, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, Michael Mabbott

Cast

Rob Bowman, James Baley, Bobby Dean Blackburn

Producers

Janet Bradey, Justine Pimlott, Michael Mabbott

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, History, LGBTQ2S+, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Ice Queens

Director Damon Kwame Mason
Year 2023
Run Time 44min
Genre Documentary
When hockey legend Angela James led Canada to a gold medal in the first four Women’s World Championships in the 1990s, she inspired a generation of girls to join the sport, and later became the first Black woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Now, with stars like Sarah Nurse leading the game into new horizons, Black women continue to be a force to be reckoned with both on and off the ice.

A terrific showcase of the Black players and coaches that continue to make huge contributions to the sport, this documentary is an absolute must-watch for hockey fans. 
 

Director

Damon Kwame Mason

Former TV and radio host Damon Kwame Mason transitioned to filmmaker when he wrote, directed and produced Soul on Ice: Past, Present and Future, a documentary about the contributions of black athletes to the sport of ice hockey. He went on to produce The Cannons in 2022, and directed Ice Queens, which was released in 2023.

Cast

Cassie Campbell-Pascal, Angela James, Sarah Nurse

Producer

Tom Cohen

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Biography, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination, History, Social Justice & Politics, Sports, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

English

Johanne, tout simplement (Simply Johanne)

Director Nadine Valcin
Year 2024
Run Time 75min
Genre Documentary

A touching portrait of Johanne Harelle, a Canadian model who achieved international success as one of the first Black models in North America. Winner of the award for Outstanding Feature Film at the Reelworld Film Festival in 2024.

Director

Nadine Valcin

Writer

Nadine Valcin

Cast

Hamani Harrell, Alain Cadieux, Pauline Bernatchez

Producers

Ania Jamila, Josiane Blanc

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, Biography, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Female Filmmaker, History, Strong Female Leads

Original Language

French

Black Life: Untold Stories – Northern Beats

Directors Will Prosper, Alicia K. Harris
Year 2023
Run Time 44min
Genre Documentary

A musical look at the rise of hip hop in Canada, as told by some of its earliest pioneers, culminating in the worldwide success of artists like Drake and The Weeknd.

Directors

Will Prosper, Alicia K. Harris

Writers

Leslie Norville, Margot Daley

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, History

Original Language

English

Cette maison (This House)

Director Miryam Charles
Year 2023
Run Time 75min
Genre Documentary, Drama, Experimental

Drawing from the events surrounding her fourteen-year-old cousin’s murder in 2008, director Miryam Charles wants to finally unpack her grief and the trauma associated with it. Through dream-like reenactments of her own childhood and an imagined life for her cousin, Charles delves into the changing emotional, political, and historical climates surrounding her family as Haitian-Canadians in Quebec.


This beautifully crafted film is a bold and thought-provoking look at family, and a moving tribute to a life tragically cut short.


“A daring blend of documentary and fantasy that invests a deeply personal drama with a wide historical scope.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

Director

Miryam Charles

Writer

Miryam Charles

Cast

Schelby Jean-Baptiste

Producer

Felix Dufour-Laperriere

Genres

Documentary, Drama, Experimental

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Family Relationships, Female Filmmaker, Newcomer Stories

Original Language

French

Angel Money

Director Ian Keteku
Year 2022
Run Time 4min
Genre Animation
A black youth shares a heartfelt poem about coming to terms with his father’s death.

Director

Ian Keteku

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Astronaut

Director Ian Keteku
Year 2022
Run Time 4min
Genre Animation
A whimsical animated poem about a twelve-year-old’s fantasy of what his life would be like as an astronaut, experiencing the world from above.

Director

Ian Keteku

Genre

Animation

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English

I Live Here

Director Tyler Mckenzie Evans
Year 2022
Run Time 11min
Genre Drama
A forgotten key leads to a racially-fuelled confrontation between neighbours.

Director

Tyler Mckenzie Evans

Genre

Drama

Interests

BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker, Discrimination

Original Language

English

Patty vs Patty

Director Chris Strikes
Year 2022
Run Time 19min
Genre Documentary
In 1985, restaurants in Toronto serving Jamaican patties went to war with the federal government over the right to call their beloved dish a “patty”.

Director

Chris Strikes

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Arts and Culture, BIPOC Stories, Black Filmmaker

Original Language

English