 | | | BLACK HISTORY MONTH
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| | Film suggestions for February |
| Immigration is a topic that is regularly in the news these days. In these NFB productions suggested for your Black History Month programming, immigrant artists offer their vision of the world, love, life and relationships in their music or through their words. Over the years, these artists have participated in the creation of our society through their work, weaving the identity of today's Canada. Between the revolutionary spirit and message of love embodied by reggae culture, and the militant poetry of spoken word, these are artists to be heard.
Contact us at libraries@nfb.ca if you would like to organize a screening.
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| | | SOUNDS AND PRESSURE - REGGAE IN A FOREIGN LAND
(available now) Graeme Mathieson & Chris Flanagan | 2024
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| At the height of the golden age of reggae, some of Jamaica's brightest stars left their homeland behind to shine their light in an unlikely hub of Caribbean creativity: Toronto.
Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land follows the journeys of these icons. Through rare archives and infectious beats, this captivating five-part anthology series takes you from Kingston to Kensington Market to see and hear how reggae made roots in Canada against all odds.
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
(compilation: 75 min or each episodes: 15 min)
Roy & Yvonne
Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison made history as one of the first Jamaican ska duos. Decades after going their separate ways, the pair rekindle their magic—this time, 3,000 kilometres north, in Scarborough, Ontario.
Nana McLean
Against the changing face of Toronto's Little Jamaica, where she established some of the city's landmark reggae record stores, singer Nana McLean challenges outdated stereotypes and establishes her reputation as the queen of Reggae in Canada
Johnny Osbourne
Before gaining international recognition as the "Dancehall Godfather," legendary singer Johnny Osbourne was at the forefront of a revolution that transformed Toronto into one of the most influential reggae communities in the world.
Leroy Sibbles
In Trench Town—the birthplace of reggae—Leroy Sibbles rose to stardom as the lead singer of The Heptones and the undisputed king of the reggae bassline. Then, at the height of his career, he left it all behind to create a new legacy for himself in Toronto.
Summer Records – Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown's Summer Records was one of the first recording studios to give Canadian reggae artists a voice. Four decades later, never-before-seen footage lets us meet the man behind the mixer for the very first time.
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| | | A MOTHER APART
(available starting February 1st)
Laurie Townshend | 2024 | 89 min
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| "My mother's leaving me was the first wound."
Staceyann Chin embodies multiple complex identities—poet, activist, lesbian, Jamaican American, mother. But the most complicated of all is "daughter."
Abandoned by her mother as a child, Staceyann has been seeking her out for decades, travelling the globe in a one-sided attempt to forge a meaningful bond with the woman who brought her into the world.
And now, as the sole parent of nine-year-old Zuri, she wrestles with an all-consuming dilemma: how to mother a daughter when your own mother was missing in action.
In an extraordinary tale of grace and forgiveness, filmmaker Laurie Townshend profiles one woman's inspired and deeply intentional parenting. A Mother Apart catches up with Staceyann as she picks up the trail of her elusive mother—a trail that leads to Brooklyn, Montreal, Cologne and, finally, back to her native Jamaica. Along the way she just may find the sense of home she's been longing for.
A healing journey spanning three generations, the film is punctuated with vivid animation, imagery from personal archives and excerpts from Staceyann's arresting live performances. Her singularly intersectional voice, showcased in the legendary Def Poetry Slam and hit solo shows like MotherStruck!, infuses A Mother Apart with deep compassion and commanding intelligence.
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| | | Florence François
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| | Programming Agent, NFB |
| | 514-914-9253 |
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| | | NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA |
| | P.O. Box 6100, Station Centre-ville, Montreal (Quebec) H3C 3H5 |
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