Leslie Norville, showrunner and executive producer behind CBC’s new docuseries Black Life: Untold Stories, says the series was an opportunity to allow its participants to “speak their truth.”

The new documentary series, which explores the Black experience in Canada from the country’s days as a European colony right up to the present, makes its linear debut on the CBC on Wednesday (Oct. 25), where each of its eight episodes will be released weekly.

The linear premiere comes a week after the first four episodes dropped on CBC’s Gem streamer on Oct. 18, with the remaining four hitting the platform concurrent with the show’s linear debut on Oct. 25.

The series adopts something of an anthology approach, with eight directors helming one episode each and bringing their own unique approach to their subject. The stylistic range on offer can be seen early on, in the contrast between the subdued black-and-white cinematography of the second episode, “Revolution Remix” — Michèle Stephenson’s look at civil rights battles in Montreal in the late 1960s — and the colorful ’90s vibe of the third, “Northern Beats” from Will Prosper, which follows the fight to have rap and hip hop acknowledged by the Junos, Canada’s music awards, and the overall impact of Black music in Canada.

The mission of the project is perhaps most powerfully embodied in the very first episode, Alicia K. Harris’ “Haven, But No Heaven” (pictured top). A response to many Canadians’ received notions about their country’s stance on race and racism, the episode dismantles the oft-repeated myth that there was no slavery in Canada as it examines stories of racial injustice that many Canadians prefer to believe are primarily the province of the U.S.

“I really think this was an opportunity to give the people who are sharing their stories an opportunity to speak their truth. This is an opportunity for us to really disrupt what we think [about] who we are as Canadians,” Norville told Playback sister publication Realscreen. “And I think the only way to do that is to be as honest and authentic as possible to the lived realities of people living in Canada, and a lot of times that is really difficult.”

Black Life: Untold Stories is produced by Studio 112 in association with Northwood Entertainment and Ugly Duck Productions. Norville, P.K. Subban, Miranda de Pencier and Nelson George are the executive producers, with Sandy Hudson serving as co-executive producer. Consulting producers include The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Shadrach Kabango, Dr. Rinaldo Walcott and Ravyn Wngz.

Ahead of the series’ linear premiere, Norville (pictured left) discussed how the project came about, the collaborative process with the CBC, and the diversity of experience within Canada’s Black community.

This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.

How did the idea of an anthology-style project, with individual directors bringing their own unique styles and approaches to each episode, come about?

Leslie Norville: It was never the idea to have one creative voice kind of driving the series; [it] felt counter to the idea of trying to tell this massive, broad, sweeping history. Black folks are not a monolith, and everybody’s experiences are different depending on where you’re from, when you were born, which part of the country you grew up in. It would have been easy — well, easy is not the right word — but we could have done a Ken Burns-esque tome, but that’s a singular vision. This way allowed multiple voices and perspectives to shine through.

Several of the episodes very directly confront and debunk myths about racism in Canada, and bring up stories that have largely been lost to history. How much of that was a conscious decision going into the project?

That was very intentional, and those were the words that we [used] to pitch to the CBC. We really wanted to wake people up. There’s this narrative that Canadians like to tell about themselves [in regards to race], and it was really important [for this project] to have an honest look at Black experiences in Canada — and when you’re being honest, that means disrupting that narrative.

Were there conversations with the CBC about the content or tone of the series?

Honestly, it really wasn’t an issue. [The CBC] were really supportive of all of the things that we were trying to do with the show, having this non-traditional format and not having that kind of continuity running through the episodes. With all relationships with broadcasters, there’s a conversation to be had, but there was never any point during that creative process [or the] research process where there was ever a “no.” And I really appreciate that, because I think this [project] is stepping a little bit outside of the box for CBC, and they were definitely up for it. I can’t say it was carte blanche, but definitely there were never any roadblocks put in our way.

The series features episodes on pop-cultural subjects like music, art and sports, as well as ones on topics like police racism, slavery and colonialism. As showrunner, how did you seek to balance the range of subjects across the series?

Well, I think it was the subject matter, right? Black folks in Canada, Black people living across the country, we’re not always defined by oppression or racism. We have diverse, vibrant and multifaceted lives, and I think, just by the nature of telling these stories, you’re going to get that inherent balance. You’re going to be able to tell those really difficult stories, but then you’re going to have episodes where you have moments of joy and resilience and community and fun, because that is the lived experience.

You’ve got some big names on board the series as EPs, in [NHL star] P.K. Subban and [former Governor-General] Michaëlle Jean. Could you talk about how they came to the project, and what they meant to the series?

Norville: This was a big project, and we wanted to have support from as many people as possible to give feedback, and [to] lend their ear as well as their voices to the series. So when we were brainstorming at the beginning not just the directors we were going to work with, but who else did we wanted to round out our team, people like the Right Honourable Madam Michaëlle Jean came top of mind. She’s very much involved in the Black community in Canada, obviously, [and when] we reached out and told her about the project, she was onboard immediately — [she] saw the importance of the series, [and] just jumped in right away.

Same thing with P.K., it was just a matter of reaching out and pitching the series to him. He comes from a family of educators, he has his own experiences growing up Black in Canada, and he saw the importance of this project and really wanted to lend his support. It was just making sure that we had a big and diverse team so that we could tell the stories fully and properly. All these folks kept us honest.

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Photo by Duane Cole/CBC; Leslie Norville photo by Oskar Landi