MONTREAL — The Fabienne Colas Foundation announced today a cross-industry partnership with Netflix, the Canada Media Fund and National Bank which will support the expansion of the not-for-profit cultural foundation’s Being Black in Canada program for Black filmmakers.
As a result of the partnership, the 2020 program will expand to include 20 new participants from Montreal, Toronto and Halifax. The program will further expand over the following two years to include Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver and provide support to a total of 70 new filmmakers and 55 alumni in 2021 and 2022, says the news release.
“Black artists represent the most marginalized and underserved group in the Canadian arts community. We are therefore thrilled to be partnering with Netflix alongside the National Bank of Canada and the Canada Media Fund to expand the Being Black in Canada Program from coast to coast. This will amplify the voices of emerging Black filmmakers all over Canada at an important time of our history. It marks a concrete step towards greater inclusion of diversity in the Canadian film industry,” said Fabienne Colas, president and CEO of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, in the news release.
Colas (pictured, far left, with director Spike Lee, centre, and members of the program’s 2019 cohort) is a Haitian-Canadian actress, director and producer, and she created the foundation in 2005. The organization is dedicated to building bridges and advancing education through the arts as well as supporting the creation, production, promotion and dissemination of cinema, the arts and culture in Canada and elsewhere.
Participants in the Being Black in Canada program receive mentorship and training by established experts across multiple areas of film production, including screenwriting, directing, editing and post-production. They also have the opportunity to create individual documentary shorts that address the issue of social integration of people from Black communities in Canada.
The 2019 program included 15 filmmakers aged 18 to 30 from the Black communities of Montreal, Toronto and Halifax. All of the filmmakers premiered their documentary shorts at last year’s Montreal International Black Film Festival as well as presenting them at the 2020 Toronto Black Film Festival and the Halifax Black Film Festival.
“Creating more stories that generate empathy and understanding of the Black experience starts with providing more opportunities for Black creators to hone their storytelling craft. Being Black in Canada provides a meaningful platform for the development of young Black artists in Canada and Netflix is proud to support the expansion of this program,” said Stéphane Cardin, director of public policy at Netflix Canada.
“The CMF recently made a commitment towards combating systemic racism in Canada’s screen-based sector,” added Valerie Creighton, CMF president and CEO. “Training and mentorship are fundamental for meaningful and lasting change to happen. Supporting the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada initiative is a key step on the road towards representation and racial equity. We’re deeply committed to supporting change that lasts. We look forward to seeing the next generation of Black Canadian storytellers change the narrative and eliminate stereotypes for audiences here in Canada and around the world.”
