Winter Watchlist
Still from To Kill A Tiger (Nisha Pahuja, 2022)
A Digital Hogan’s Alley by Vicky Plancher (Short Film)
A short film that explores how a local virtual Facebook group has successfully managed to create a strong Black virtual community in Vancouver.
Where to watch: CBC Creator Network on YouTube
Tales from the Mandem by Lost People Pictures (Short Film)
On a Wes Craven type night, Grungy ventures out into the darkness, tryna find some munchies. On the way, he encounters, 'Bodmind people," rising costs of living and other dangers that your average Toronto, 'Wasteman,' must avoid.
Where to watch: YouTube
Talk by Chrysalis Films Inc (Short Film)
A successful businessman’s fight with years of internal trauma has come to a suicidal breaking point. After an encounter with demons of his past, the man is left to wrestle with one question: is it too late to fix this?
Where to watch: CBC Canadian Reflections on CBC Gem
Multiple Horror Films by Jamieson England (Short Films)
A short horror filmmaker from the East Coast, Jamison England has a handful of bite-sized horror stories on his channel, including The Night She Rose, Kilmer’s: 09/19/89, Dental Care, and Seen. We suggest checking out the trailers for their upcoming Death by a Thousand Cuts and See You Soon.
Where to watch: YouTube
Shiva/Shakti – Eternal Lovers by Shivani Joshi (Short Film)
This piece is inspired by a traditional Bharatnatyam dance in which two bodies move as one. The short film exhibits the fluidity of their shared and separate identities, the balance between their creation and destruction, and their relationship's equality and respect.
Where to watch: Guelph Dance
Yolanda the Goddess by Giselle Miller, Orange Rose Productions (Web Series)
This queer comedy web series blends African mythology with Afroqueer storytelling. It features African jewellery, African fashion, Afrocentric hair and makeup.
Where to watch: YouTube
Season 2: Lights, Camera, Inclusion by Canadian Media Fund (Video Series)
After a first season dedicated to representation and diversity on Quebec screens, season 2, titled Transforming the Industry, focuses on dynamic creative duos at the forefront of inclusive practices, both in front and behind the camera.
Where to watch season 2: YouTube
To Kill a Tiger by Nisha Pahuja (Documentary)
One of the most celebrated Canadian documentaries of the year follows an Indian farmer’s unprecedented fight for justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the survivor of sexual assault.
Where to watch: NFB
CUT TO BLACK: Celebrating Black Cinema on MUBI
From acclaimed classics to hidden treasures, social critiques to genre pleasures, these films powerfully articulate the struggles, resilience, and joy experienced by the Black community all around the world. The series has a few new additions that can be watched along with their 30-day free trial. Our current recommendation is Alain Gomis’ REWIND & PLAY.
Where to watch: MUBI
Black Life: Untold Stories
Black Life: Untold Stories is an eight-part documentary series that reframes the rich and complex histories of Black experiences in Canada. Episode 1: Haven, but no Heaven by Alicia K Harris examines the history of slavery, dispelling the myth of Canada as a utopia for Black people. But amid the tragedies, there are also instances of hope and resilience, including the remarkable account of the Blackburns, a couple who escaped enslavement and persecution in the US and unwittingly put Upper Canada’s new slavery laws to the test for the first time. The principle established in their landmark case remains foundational to Canadian extradition law to this day.
Where to watch: CBC Gem and YouTube
Bria Mack Gets a Life by Sasha Leigh Henry (TV Series)
This series follows a Black woman who has recently graduated from university and is navigating a chaotic and mostly white world with the help of her invisible hype girl.
Where to watch: Crave
Little Bird by Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch and Jeremy Podeswa (TV Series)
LITTLE BIRD is a limited series centres on an Indigenous woman who was adopted into a Jewish family during the Sixties Scoop, as she attempts to reconnect with her birth family and heritage
Where to watch: Crave
Still from Little Bird (Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch, 2023)