Above: Still from THE LITTLE BLACK SCHOOL HOUSE by Sylvia Hamilton
Cinema Politica On Demand features a number of films that critically intervene in a society plagued by racism by chronicling some of the struggles and triumphs experienced by Black folks from North America and Europe. The following five hold a crucial place in our catalogue for their stirring portrayals of Black identity in wider racist cultures and histories. Each title is available on our pay-per-view platform and/or as part of our subscription service.
Filmmaker Sylvia Hamilton accessed rare archival footage and conducted interviews to piece together the oft-untold stories of teachers and students at Canada’s racially segregated schools. THE LITTLE BLACK SCHOOL HOUSEis an unflinching reminder of the African-Canadian fight to achieve dignity through education, using the past to confront ongoing problems when it comes to the treatment of racialized peoples in Canada.
Above: Stills from RIOTS REFRAMED by Fahim Alam and BLACK MEN LOVING by Ella Cooper
RIOTS REFRAMED sheds light on the 2011 England riots. Spiralling outward from the police killing of African-Caribbean man Mark Duggan, this riveting film fuses the mostly brown and black voices of prisoners and political activists to reframe the media narrative of the riots in order to reveal the underlying social, political and economic inequities that spurred the unrest in the first place.
After the heavy double-bill the two former films make for, we recommend veering into uplifting territory with Ella Cooper’s BLACK MEN LOVING. Set in the Regent Park neighbourhood of Toronto, the doc profiles a number of fathers who take on parenthood in full stride—refuting the antagonizing media stereotype of Black dads.
Above: Stills from AYITI TOMA, IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING by Joseph Hillel and SPECIAL FLIGHT by Fernand Melgar
Another triumphant reclamation of the Black experience can be found in AYITI TOMA, IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING, which presents the nation of Haiti through the eyes of Haitians themselves. “Every nation has to create its own course,” declares one of the Port-au-Prince locals showcased in this highly affecting documentary, which also displays historians, humanitarians and voodooists as they carve out their own place in the world.
Last but not least, complete your Black History Month viewing with SPECIAL FLIGHT, a chilling documentary zeroing-in on African asylum seekers who find themselves at a Swiss detention centre. Faced with inhumane treatment from the government and prison staff, the film shows the undocumented migrants over the course of 9 months as they await their fate.
The CP On Demand catalogue is constantly updated with new and essential radical documentary works finely curated by our team. Like our Facebook page and subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop as #CPONDEMAND continues to grow.
