Celebrate the Black Creators Edition Summer Premiere

TELUS STORYHIVE and the Black Screen Office are thrilled to launch the Black Creators Edition Summer Premiere. 

Explore 11 new projects filmed across British Columbia and Alberta and produced by new and emerging Black content creators. From dramas, documentaries and more, there is something for everyone. 📺 Tune in now on TELUS Optik TV Channel 9 and STORYHIVE's YouTube. 

Each emerging Black content creator was provided $20,000 in production funding, training, one-on-one mentorship (provided by the National Screen Institute) and distribution support.

With the generous support of Creative BC, the BC-based projects were also provided top-up funding. 

Watch the trailer video: 

British Columbia projects

The Pace

The Pace is the heart of the black community in Vancouver and the only building left from the first black settlement. It took passion and dedication to build The Pace and it’s going to take the whole community to keep it.

SHARING THE WEALTH

A small group of Cubans enrich their Vancouver home doing what they love most. We follow Yula, Toto, DJ Kubanito, Julio Montero and the Julio Avila Cuban Band, as they show us how their passions impact our community.

Tommy and the King 

Tommy Ntumba, a mischievous boy, is sent to Vancouver where discovers Congo's former Kid journalist, King Boba. Making it his mission to be the next great Kid Journalist himself. 

Orchidaceae

After being outed and disowned by his family in Nigeria, Cathalaya immigrates to Vancouver, Canada as a refugee to find safety but ends up facing a very traumatic situation.

The Victoria I Know

A Black photographer feels conflicted about winning an award after having an uncomfortable conversation with its previous winner. Things soon become even stranger when she is visited by a ghostly figure. 

Alberta projects 

Jinn Julian 

After years in the same routine of troubling dreams, spirits and strange paintings, Julian indulges in the memories of his past he tries to keep at bay. In doing so, he is pushed towards his great destiny.

Black Mustard Seeds 

Like mustard seeds in unyielding soil these seven visionaries conquer the underestimation had for arts in the city of Calgary.

Untouchable Crew

In the 80s, Edmonton had a thriving breakdance scene where b-boys practiced in basements, warehouses, and street corners. The need to be the best led to a very competitive scene, but one battle would change everything.

Unpacking Black Trans Legacy

After being silenced and jailed for his gender identity, A Black Trans Prince and Leader in Alberta shares his story and unpacks the legacy of hope, joy and resistance of other Black Trans people and  2SLGBTIQ+ Refugees

(The Rise of) Afro Beats in the Prairies

Two African creatives find belonging in Afrobeats on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton, sparking a celebration of its impact on those searching for home through its movements and rhythms.

Out of Frame

A former freedom fighter and a resilient new mother - displaced by war, embark on a harrowing pursuit of refuge in Lethbridge, Alberta. What of their culture is preserved and what is lost through this liminal experience?

Watch these films and more on TELUS Optik TV Channel 9 and STORYHIVE's YouTube. Happy viewing!