Doc about being Black in Chatham-Kent gains attention at film festivals across North America
'To see it go in all these directions is beautiful,' says the doc's director
A documentary about being Black in Chatham-Kent is gaining attention at film festivals across North America.
The North Star: Finding Black Mecca explores the stories of the Black community in the southwestern Ontario municipality. The film has been picked up by the Baltimore Black International Film Festival and the Montreal Independent Film Festival and this weekend, it heads to the virtual Denton Black Film Fest in Texas.
The film's director and producer Angel Panag told CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre that the documentary captures the history of the area.
"We wanted to get the history out to the young people ... it's not something that's really talked about in schools," Panag said. "I think it's great that the story resonates with someone as far as Texas, as far as Baltimore ... To see it go in all these directions is beautiful."
The film got its name, Panag said, because the north star is something that slaves followed in the Underground Railroad to guide them to Canada and 'Finding Black Mecca' relates to what Chatham was once called.
"Chatham was ... a mecca for Black art, entertainment, education, you know it was the place to be for culture and so much more," Panag said.
One of the locals featured in the film is Shannon Prince, a resident of North Buxton — a neighbourhood in Chatham-Kent where slaves from the Underground Railroad settled.
"When people arrived it was the people that helped each other build their homes and start their businesses," Prince said.
"So we did everything as a community and that strong sense of family is important because I think people know their history, roots and are very grounded and family was and still is very important to keep those connections, memories and legacies for that next generation."
When the community was founded in 1849, it was met with a lot of opposition, Prince said, with people saying "those Black people, they're unintelligent, they're lazy, they're dirty. What skills do they bring?"
She said people feared that their land would depreciate or that Black people would soon run for office and take over the region.
Despite that, she said the region is one where Black people finally found freedom and could take ownership of themselves and their families.
"We are such a significant role in the Underground Railroad story and it would be not completed until you have that Canadian story so we are very excited to share that Canadian story with them," she said.
WATCH: Tap on the player below to see the trailer for the documentary, along with more from Shannon Prince
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
