New Cross-Industry Partnership Supports Expansion of Being Black in Canada

MONTREAL, July 22, 2020 /CNW/ – Today, the Fabienne Colas Foundation announced new support for the Being Black in Canada program from presenting sponsor Netflix, in collaboration with National Bank, and the support of Canada Media Fund.

As a result of this cross-industry partnership, the 2020 program will expand to include 20 new participants from Montreal, Toronto and Halifax. Over the following two years, the program will further expand to include Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver and support a total of 70 new filmmakers and 55 alumni in 2021 and 2022.

Program participants benefit from mentorship and training by established experts across multiple areas of film production including screenwriting, directing, editing and post-production. They will also be provided with the opportunity to create individual documentary shorts that address the issue of social integration of people from Black communities in Canada.

In 2019, the program included 15 filmmakers, ages 18 to 30, from the Black communities of Montreal, Toronto and Halifax. All of the filmmakers presented their documentary shorts as world premieres at last year’s Montreal International Black Film Festival as well as an Ontario premiere at Toronto Black Film Festival and the Atlantic Canadian premiere at Halifax Black Film Festival.

Fabienne Colas is available for interviews regarding this new partnership.

Quotes

“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.”

– Fabienne Colas, President and CEO of the Fabienne Colas Foundation

“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.”

– Stéphane Cardin, Director of Public Policy, Netflix Canada

“By promoting the inclusion of black filmmakers and supporting the next generation, we can help demonstrate that the future is promising, economically and socially, for the black community and beyond. As a major partner of audiovisual production in Canada, National Bank is proud to work with a number of other organizations to support the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada incubator program.”

– Louis Vachon, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank

“The CMF recently made a commitment towards combating systemic racism in Canada’s screen-based sector. 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.”

– Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF