The inaugural Ottawa Black Film Festival has finally arrived. To be presented online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival, which begins tonight and extends through to Sunday, will feature 30 films and various panels over four days. The lineup also includes 20 films from the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s BEING BLACK IN CANADA short film series which saw young Black Canadian filmmakers from Montreal. Toronto and Halifax create 20 documentary short films with the help of professional coaches.
Here’s a bit of what you can expect to see at this year’s edition of the Ottawa Black Film Festival.
The Special – The festival opens with a story about CHUO, a profoundly charming young man who must navigate the challenges of early adulthood with Down Syndrome as he seeks to build a life of independence from his troubled father.
Black Boys – Executive produced by activist and two-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins, a documentary film that celebrates the full humanity of Black men and boys in America.
Dope is Death – The festival will close with Dope is Death, the story of how Dr. Mutulu Shakur, stepfather of Tupac Shakur, along with fellow Black Panthers and the Young Lords, combined community health with radical politics to create the first acupuncture detoxification program in America.
For more information about OBFF 2021 or to purchase a pass visit ottawablackfilm.com.
SHIFTER Film & TV
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