Toronto Film School Celebrates Black History Month with Lineup of Special Events and Other Exciting Content

Every February, Canadians take time to honour Black History Month – a celebration of the many contributions of Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today.

Here at Toronto Film School, we, too, are proud to commemorate Black History Month. We celebrate and honour the achievements of all Black Canadians and Canadians of African/African-Caribbean descent, especially those in the creative industries.

Toronto Film School is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, ensuring that the unique experiences of our students, faculty and staff are highlighted, and that diverse narratives are always amplified.

To those ends, we have planned a month-long celebration of Black History Month, featuring the following series of special webinars, panel discussions, and other exciting content:

To kick things off, our multi-talented Class of 2011 Film Production grad Ho Che Anderson, a graphic novelist, created a special illustration to help the Toronto Film School community celebrate Black History Month by highlighting the achievements of some very special Canadians – civil rights activist Viola Desmond, legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and Canada’s first Black Governor General Michaëlle Jean. Anderson also took time to document his creation process on film, which we’ll share at the end of the month for February’s instalment of our ongoing How I Made This.

We also reached out to numerous Toronto Film School faculty, alumni and students to help us compile a 28 Days, 28 Films, Series & Documentaries for Black History Month. Be sure to check out all the recommended films here.

On Thursday, Feb. 18, Toronto Film School’s In Conversation speaker series will mark its 2021 debut with special guest Trey Anthony – the award-winning writer behind da Kink in My Hair. Learn more about the event here.

Join Toronto Film School’s Andrew Moodie on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. as he leads a special Black History Month panel discussion, featuring alumni including Caleigh Bacchus and Jhanik Bullard. Stay tuned for more information about the event and how to register.