The OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) has released a report detailing best practices and strategies to better support Black creatives in the film and television industry.

OBAC partnered with the Canada Media Fund to create the report, which compiles data from one-on-one interviews with 17 emerging Black filmmakers from B.C., Alberta, Toronto, Montreal and Nova Scotia. The Toronto-based non-profit worked with Dr. Emmanuel Tabi, an assistant professor of Black and African Studies at McGill University, to serve as lead researcher and write the report.

“When you’re talking with Black emerging filmmakers across the country, their stories are very similar, but they’ve never met,” said Tabi during a panel on the report at the Prime Time conference in Ottawa.

Seven themes and narratives emerged from the data, starting with the need for mentorship on set, particularly for those in B.C. and Alberta. The report recommends that mentorship should be continuous and not abrupt, as well as via people with similar experiences to them.

“My experience has been exciting in terms of connecting with the Black creatives in my city of Calgary, but at the same time in Alberta, most of the time I’m the only person of colour on set, and most of the time I’m the only Black person on set, or one of five,” said filmmaker Kamika Bianca Guerra-Walker during the panel.

Another theme from the report was the power of storytelling for emerging Black filmmakers, providing opportunities to speak to the Black experience that are often left out of the wider public discourse.

To this point, Guerra-Walker discussed her experience after seeing Clement Virgo’s Brother (Conquering Lion Pictures, Hawkeye Pictures).

“I’ve never seen someone make sugar water on TV,” she said. “I’ve seen it in my kitchen. I’ve seen it at home. I’ve never seen it on screen. I’ve never seen mental illness be depicted in a Jamaican home like [in] that film.”

The report also includes themes on the importance of building community and creating support systems through sharing opportunities and contacts. It notes that emerging Black filmmakers in Western Canada specifically are asking for more support while those in Nova Scotia “see their heritage as a strength and a wealth of stories that need to be told.”

“I wish that the emerging filmmakers know that community in those networks is so important for you to thrive, for your mental health, for your networking, for your growth and for mentorship,” said OBAC mentor Orla Garriques.

The report recommends a move away from stereotypical depictions of Blackness, noting that Blackness is not a monolithic experience. Emerging Black filmmakers interviewed spoke of only being asked their opinion on Black issues or for help in developing Black characters.

“I remember one person said, ‘I’m tired of playing a gang member.’ And when you speak to this person, they’re not a gang member, right?” said Tabi. “But that’s the only role that they get.”

The report also urges production companies to conduct anti-Black racism workshops once a year.

Emerging Black filmmakers interviewed stated it was important to support organizations that specifically aided Black youth, including mentorship and opportunities for them to learn in a safe space. Filmmakers specifically mentioned Black Women Film! Canada, Reelworld and OYA’s Emerging Filmmakers Program as those that supported their development and knowledge base.

A survey of the OBAC Emerging Filmmakers Program revealed 83% of alumni are currently working within the film industry. As well, 92% of alumni have had new opportunities within the film industry since the program’s completion.

Olly Azeez, the program coordinator for OYA, stressed the importance of mentorship during the panel discussion.

“The film industry is a tight-knit community, but it is tight-knit to get in as well. Gatekeeping is on any side of the gate,” he said. “Being able to get your foot into the door is an achievement on its own.”

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