EXCLUSIVE: When we think of key cities associated with the Civil Rights struggle and Black liberation movement in North America, Atlanta, Montgomery, AL, New York, and Oakland come immediately to mind. But we shouldn’t overlook Montreal.
In the 1960s, the metropolis in the province of Québec became a nexus for the movement, seeded by two pivotal events: the Congress of Black Writers at McGill University and the student occupation at Sir George Williams University (now known as Concordia University). That little known story is told in the documentary True North, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michèle Stephenson, which will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. We have your first look at the film in the trailer above.
“Through never-before-seen archival footage and intimate first-person testimonies, the film revisits a charged era of resistance, where Black students and activists challenged institutional racism that sparked reverberations across the globe,” notes a synopsis. “Taking a hemispheric view of Black resistance, True North connects threads from the Caribbean, Canada, and the US, tracing the shared legacies of colonialism and state oppression.
“At the heart of the film are the voices of elders, who lived through this period and whose contributions have largely gone unrecognized. Their stories ground the film’s narrative, offering a rare and poignant perspective on the era. Through their lens, True North becomes both an act of remembrance and a call to action for new generations.”
Stephenson was born in Haiti of Haitian and Panamanian heritage. She spent many of her formative years in Montreal. Now based in Brooklyn, she and her husband Joe Brewster directed Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, which won a Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, as well as the 2023 Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance. That same year, Stephenson and Brewster also directed Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games for ESPN Films; both Black Girls Play and Going to Mars were shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
True North will hold its world premiere at TIFF on Saturday, September 6 at 12:15 pm at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. Its second public screening will take place on Monday, September 8 at 10:00 pm, also at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.
In the TIFF program, the festival’s chief documentary programmer Thom Powers calls True North “searing and galvanizing,” adding the documentary “illuminates a tempestuous moment in Canada’s reckoning with its own racism — and reminds us of the lasting power of collective action.”
Powers continues, “Alternating between intimate interviews with those who lived through the protests and startling archival footage — including powerful statements from activist and future Dominica Prime Minister Rosie Douglas — True North is a moving tribute to the valiant young people who dared to stand up for their rights and forged an impactful contribution to the story of Black liberation.”
True North is directed by Michèle Stephenson and produced by Leslie Norville (The First Wave, Black Life: Untold Stories). Stephen Chung is the cinematographer; the film was edited by Shannon Kennedy, Sarah Enid Hagey. Andy Milne composed the original score.
Watch the trailer for True North above.
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