21 Black Futures
21 Black Futures is a Canadian film and theatre project, broadcast by CBC Gem in 2021.[1] Created in conjunction with the Black Canadian theatre company Obsidian Theatre to mark both Black History Month and the 21st anniversary of Obsidian,[2] the project commissioned 21 short film adaptations of theatrical monologues on the theme of "the future of Blackness" by Black Canadian writers,[3] each performed by a Black actor on the stage of Meridian Hall in Toronto.[1]
The project was commissioned in part because the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada had prevented the staging of a traditional theatre festival.[1]
The project aired over three weeks in February 2021, with seven films premiering each week on February 12, 19 and 26.[4]
Films
[edit]| Film | Director | Writer | Actor | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Death News | Charles Officer | Amanda Parris | Lovell Adams-Gray | A man performs and records his own obituary on The Death News, a television show which airs testimonials by the recently deceased, to be broadcast in the event of his future death. |
| The Sender | Leah-Simone Bowen | Cheryl Foggo | Amanda Cordner | Cil Brown is a Sender with a project that exiles racists to their own island society. |
| Jah in the Ever Expanding Song | d’bi.young anitafrika | Kaie Kellough | Ravyn Wngz | |
| Beyere | Lisa Karen Cox | Shauntay Grant | Natasha Courage Bacchus | |
| Madness with Rocks | Jamie Robinson | Peace Akintade | Dion Johnstone | |
| Witness Shift | Sarah Waisvisz | Donna-Michelle St. Bernard | Uche Ama | |
| Sensitivity | Mike Payette | Lawrence Hill | Sabryn Rock | |
| Special | Jay Northcott | Keshia Cheesman | Avery Grant | Eight-year-old Zari has moved with her mother to an all-Black town, but finds that although she fits in with her classmates at school she misses the feeling of being special and different. |
| Umoja Corp. | Leighton Alexander Williams | Jacob Sampson | Pablo Ogunlesi | A corporation that works to amass and defend Black knowledge and strength steps in to help Adrian after he runs into trouble with the law. |
| Notice | Ngozi Paul | Luke Reece | Lisa Berry | Inspired by the global anti-racism protests that took place during her childhood in 2020, the now-adult Crystal Hinds rises into a position to make a powerful difference in 2045. |
| Blackberries | Alicia K. Harris | Miali-Elise Coley-Sudlovenick | Adeline Bird | Effie, a woman of mixed African and Inuk heritage, travels to Nunavut for her grandmother's funeral. |
| Emmett | Tanisha Taitt | Syrus Marcus Ware | Prince Amponsah | Medgar, one of the few survivors of a catastrophe that largely wiped out human civilization seven years earlier, talks about his life and recalls his relationship with his lover Emmett. |
| Georgeena | Weyni Mengesha | Djanet Sears | Virgilia Griffith | After fleeing her wedding when she realized she was marrying into an all-white world, Georgeena believes she is going to die because her car is being followed. |
| Rebirth of the Afronauts: A Black Space Odyssey | Jerome Kruin | Wendy Motion Brathwaite | Chelsea Russell | In 2059, Chariott receives a mysterious call that leads her on an exploration of whole new vistas of experience. |
| Cavities | Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu | K. T. Dennis | Alison Sealy-Smith | |
| 40 Parsecs and Some Fuel | Lucius Dechausay | Omari Newton | Daniel Faraldo | |
| The Prescription | Alison Duke | Lisa Codrington | Akosua Amo-Adem | |
| Chronologie | Mike Payette, Katia Café-Fébrissy | Stephie Mazunya | Sheila Ingabire-Isaro | |
| Y&N Ara Asaase Ni (This Is Our Own Native Land) | Dorothy A. Atabong | Tawiah M'carthy | Peter Fernandes | |
| Builders of Nations | Kimberley Rampersad | Joseph Jomo Pierre | Philip Akin | |
| Omega Child | Ahdri Zhina Mandiela | Cherissa Richards | Emerjade Simms |
Awards
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Screen Awards | 2022 | Best Web Program or Series, Fiction | Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, Lucius Dechausay, Fatuma Adar, Michael Sinclair, Myekah Payne, Grazyna Krupa | Won | [5] |
| Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series | Lovell Adams-Gray | Won | |||
| Lisa Berry | Nominated | [6] | |||
| Best Supporting Performance, Web Program or Series | Chelsea Russell | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction, Web Program or Series | Lucius Dechausay | Nominated | |||
| Charles Officer | Won | [5] | |||
| Best Writing, Web Program or Series | Lawrence Hill | Nominated | [6] | ||
| Amanda Parris | Won | [5] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Victoria Ahearn, "Black creators explore 'the future of Blackness' in '21 Black Futures' on CBC Gem". CityNews, February 17, 2021.
- ^ Lauren Malyk, "Obsidian Theatre, CBC reveal talent for 21 Black Futures project". Playback, January 20, 2021.
- ^ Kelly Townsend, "How 21 Black Futures merged the stage and screen". Playback, February 12, 2021.
- ^ Glenn Sumi, "New work imagines a world without white supremacists" Archived 2021-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. Now, February 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Brent Furdyk, "Canadian Screen Awards: Winners Announced In Sports Programming, Digital & Immersive Categories". ET Canada, April 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022.