The 2nd annual Calgary Black Film Festival is on its way!
Dying to hit up the theater? This year, the Calgary Black Film Festival [CBFF] will run both online and in-person from May 26 - 29. While film selection hasn’t been announced yet, bet on touching, insightful films to lift your spirit and ponder the world we live in. Here is what festival Founder Fabienne Colas has to say about the importance of nurturing film production talent within local Black communities and beyond.*
Q1: Can you talk about your background and how it led to founding the CBFF?
By the time I was a teenager, I was already one of the most successful actresses in my native country Haiti. So, Hollywood seemed like the logical, albeit ambitious, next step for me. But along the way, I got sidelined in Montreal. I arrived in Quebec in my early 20s to visit friends, and fell in love with Montreal’s diversity and “joie de vivre.” I was convinced to stay in town and try my luck in Montreal before moving on to Los Angeles. Remember it was 2003, and one of the first things I noticed when watching film and TV, in my newly adopted home, was that Black people seldom appeared. The industry didn’t seem to reflect the city’s diversity.
I thought this could mean one or two things for my career. I would either be in high demand as one of the few actresses of colour available, or producers and casting directors would ignore me because they didn’t know what to do with a Black actor.
I could not find auditions for great roles and understood very quickly that I would not have the successful acting career I had hoped to have in Montreal.
So, I came up with another plan. I would bring in some Haitian films, including ones that I starred in, to be screened at a local festival. That was sure to drum up interest in both my acting abilities and Haitian films in general. But I soon discovered that no festivals would screen them.
This propelled me to create my own, and two years after landing in Montreal, I launched both the Fabienne Colas Foundation and the Montreal Haitian Film Festival. It eventually became the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF), the first of 12 festivals that now operate under the banner. MIBFF is now Canada’s largest Black Film Festival today. We have also founded events in Brazil, Haiti and New York City.
Over the years, lots of people from the film industry were asking when we were going to have a Black Film Festival in Calgary - and we knew that it was important for us to be here because of the lack of opportunities and platforms for Black filmmakers in the city. It was a natural choice to come and make sure that Calgary could enjoy a great Black Film Festival and join the movement because it is an inclusive movement.
Q2: What are you looking forward to the most now that some programming is in-person?
I am looking forward to seeing people come out to support the movement, watching some of the most amazing Black films and discovering local Black filmmakers. I also look forward to their feedback and reaction to the diverse programming presented during the festival, both in-person and online. A selection of great films by Black filmmakers will be presented, and for some, it may be the first time they see these types of films. It is important for us to showcase films on the Black experience so that people can understand and witness the realities and stories of Black communities. But overall, we’re looking forward to welcoming as many film-lovers as possible, both online and in-person.
Q3: What does it take to run a film festival?
First and foremost, it takes passionate filmmakers telling powerful and unique stories. You need a clear vision, determination, and a solid team that believes and works towards the same vision. It also takes loyal partners who believe in diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera. We want to thank Global News, Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, Calgary Arts Development, Calgary Economic Development, all our local partners and community ambassadors for their support. It takes a village! We invite more partners to join us in this inclusive movement so we can change our industry for the better.
Q4: Why was it important for you to found a Black Film Festival?
It was important for us at the Fabienne Colas Foundation to create a platform that would give unique voices in cinema the opportunity to present audiences with new ways of looking at the world. To encourage the development of the independent film industry and promote more films on the reality of Black people from around the globe. To shine the light on Black films and filmmakers who normally wouldn’t be seen or heard. They don’t lack talent; they lack opportunities. These festivals allow us to celebrate them by going beyond ‘awareness’ with concrete actions to foster diversity off and on camera.
Q5: The CBFF program will be unveiled on May 5, 2022. Is there anything you can tell us to look out for already?
Yes, you simply cannot miss the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada film series – which includes Being Black in Calgary. This yearly program, co-presented by Netflix in collaboration with National Bank, mentors 35 new emerging Black artists in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver in the creation of their first documentary short films. Some of these films in the past have won Canadian Screen Awards and show the power of the next generation of Black filmmakers telling their unique stories – a must see at the 2022 Calgary Black Film Festival from May 26 to 29.
*interview lightly edited for brevity