What is the future of Blackness in the film industry? Black creators respond in this compelling anthology three-season series written by 21 Black playwrights, directed by 21 Black directors and performed by 21 Black actors.
Arts organizations are paying closer attention to the barriers facing Black creators in Canada, especially when it comes to on-screen representation and a lack of leadership positions behind the scenes.
Obsidian Theatre artistic director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu conceived the idea for the “21 Black Futures” series. She told the Canadian Press that it is “almost like a catalogue of an example of who’s out there and saying, ‘Look at their work, see what they have to say, listen to their stories and contact these individuals,’ so that there’s never an excuse in the future of ‘I have no idea who to reach out to or who to connect to’ in the future.'”
Toronto Star reports that the “21” represents both the year of launch and also the anniversary of Obsidian, a Toronto theatre that focuses primarily on the works of acclaimed Black playwrights.
This series is available on the free CBC Gem streaming service to continue the conversation of racial reckoning sparked by a lack of justice for the Black community in the media industry and beyond. The series features stories of Black death, police brutality, racism, slavery, and every-day microaggressions.
These creative episodes are just the beginning of a bigger conversation around the future of Black creators.
