BEING BLACK IN TORONTO
WINNER OF BEST DIRECTION IN A DOCUMENTARY SERIES
AT THE 2021 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS
PART OF FABIENNE COLAS FOUNDATION’S BEING BLACK IN CANADA PROGRAM
– Produced by Zaza Production and broadcast on CBC
(Toronto, May 18, 2021) – BEING BLACK IN TORONTO, part of Fabienne Colas Foundation’s BEING BLACK IN CANADA Series – Produced by Zaza production and broadcast on CBC – has won Best Direction in a Documentary Series at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards (CSA). The program, presented by NETFLIX in collaboration with National Bank, is also supported by Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, and the Canada Council for the Arts
“This is a tremendous recognition! Congratulations to our gifted emerging Black filmmakers who made history by winning Best Direction in a Documentary Series at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards for our Being Black in Toronto 2019/2020 (Part of FCF’s Being Black in Canada Series),” Said Fabienne Colas, CEO & Founder of the Black Film Festivals in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver & The Fabienne Colas Foundation. “We are grateful towards the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for recognizing that Black stories do matter and that Black filmmakers are talented. It also proves one more time that Black emerging Filmmakers don’t lack talent. They just lack opportunities. And this is exactly what the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada program offers. We are so proud to be amplifying more Black voices through this program all over Canada with the support of our Partners.”
As part of the FCF’s BEING BLACK IN CANADA program, emerging filmmakers addressed the issue of social integration of people from Black communities in their city through film under mentorship of film professionals including Oya Media Group. The participants presented their films as a World Premiere at the Montreal International Black Film Festival, followed by Toronto Black Film Festival and the Halifax Black Film Festival
Here are the FCF’s Being Black in Canada: Being Black in Toronto CSA winners:
- Omolola Ajao: YYZ
- Valerie Amponsah: Joseph, Margaret & I
- Yasmin Evering-Kerr: The Onyx Butterfly
- Sharine Taylor: Tallawah Abroad
- Adrian Wallace: Black Sun
- Yvano Wickham-Edwards: #Black
BEING BLACK IN TORONTO is available for streaming on CBC GEM.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Fabienne Colas Foundation’s BEING BLACK IN CANADA Program – presented by NETFLIX in collaboration with National Bank – represents Canada’s largest incubator dedicated to Black Filmmakers. As part of the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Youth and Diversity Initiative, the FCF’s Being Black in Canada program was created to make up for the blatant lack of diversity and the lack of Black People in front and behind the camera in Canada. Founded in 2012, with the first cohort launched in 2014, the Program gives a voice and a platform to creators who would not otherwise be seen or heard. The Foundation actively promotes equal opportunities for Black Film professionals while fostering Diversity on our screens that unfortunately showcase content that is too white for a truly diverse society. The Program, presented by Netflix in collaboration with National Bank, is supported by Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Watch the 2019 films online at GEM Toronto, TeleQuebec.tv, CBC GEM Halifax
About the Fabienne Colas Foundation
The Fabienne Colas Foundation (FCF) – Canada’s largest Black cultural organization – is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building bridges and advancing education through the arts as well as to support the creation, production, promotion and dissemination of cinema, the arts and culture in Canada and elsewhere. To fulfill its mission, the Foundation put together 11 festivals and programs to break barriers, celebrate diversity, foster togetherness, understanding and inclusion. Since its inception in 2005, its initiatives/festivals have showcased and supported over 3,000 artists and attracted over 2 million festivalgoers in Canada, the USA, Haiti and Brazil. The Foundation mostly promotes Black culture in Montréal, Toronto, Halifax, New York City et Salvador de Bahia (Brazil); and Quebec culture in Port-au-Prince.
For press inquiries contact:
Talar Adam: press@torontoblackfilm.com