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NFB celebrates Black History Month in February with screenings and activities. National Film Board of Canada highlights Black musical trailblazers.

PRESS RELEASE
29/01/2025

January 29, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada

Black History Month activities by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in February will feature screenings and events in the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles and communities across Canada—along with a rich selection of special online programming.

The legacy of trailblazing Black musicians will be in the spotlight this month thanks to two new major works by NFB filmmakers: Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee’s multi-award-winning Banger Films/NFB documentary Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story and Graeme Mathieson and Chris Flanagan’s short doc series Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land.

Black History Month Video

Black History Month at the NFB’s Alanis Obomsawin Theatre in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles

Free screenings presented at 1500 Balmoral Street. Original English versions with French subtitles.

Thursday, February 6, at 7 p.m.
Presented as part of the NFB screening series Hello Film!
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/any-other-way-jackie-shane

  • Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story—40 years after vanishing from public view, trailblazing Black trans soul singer Jackie Shane finally gets her second act.  
  • Accompanied by Marie-Josée St-Pierre’s animated short doc Oscar about Montreal’s Oscar Peterson.

Friday, February 7, at 5 p.m.
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/sounds-pressure

  • Sounds & Pressure, featuring five compelling stories from reggae revolutionaries, in a night of film, music, food and community.
  • Features a panel discussion with filmmakers alongside Montreal’s own reggae voices. Organized by Afrosonic Innovation Lab. Music provided by CKUT DJs and delicious food on offer by the Caribbean Food Factory. Entry to the event is free, and food and drinks are available to purchase.
  • Get your free tickets here.

The String Up: Celebrating Reggae Histories and Sound System Culture, photo exhibition in the NFB Space, throughout February

  • The String Up is a multimedia exhibition sampling elements of Montreal’s rich reggae music histories. It is designed to honour and salute the many selectahs, sound systems and deejays that have made the scene so vibrant and memorable.
  • Curated by the Afrosonic Innovation Lab, the exhibition will feature iPad stations with sound archives from CKUT.

Community screenings across Canada

The NFB is also working with partners across the country to present Black History Month screenings in Canadian communities.

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story and Sounds & Pressure are the featured films this year, along with such recent and classic works as John Ware Reclaimed, A Mother Apart, The Road Taken, Someone Like Me and True North: Inside the Rise of Toronto Basketball.

In Ontario

  • A wealth of NFB Black History Month events in communities large and small, including at Harbourfront and the Toronto Public Library, plus libraries and community spaces in Ottawa, Barrie, Brampton, Niagara Falls and more.

Quebec

  • Along with the NFB events in the Quartier des Spectacles, confirmed screenings to date in Westmount, Dorval and Beaconsfield.

British Columbia

  • Public screenings in Vancouver and North Vancouver City, as well as events in BC coastal communities.

In the Prairies

  • In Manitoba, screenings include the Carol Shields Auditorium in Winnipeg, while in southern Alberta, there are two NFB screenings scheduled in Cochrane.

In Atlantic Canada

  • Confirmed screenings to date include The Rooms in John’s.

The NFB’s Black History Month schedule continues to grow. For a complete and up-to-date list of screenings near you, visit the NFB’s Black History Month events page.

Special online programming at nfb.ca

The NFB website is featuring a wealth of programming for Black History Month, including online screenings, playlists, channels and new blog posts by NFB curators.

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French version here | Version française ici.

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.