For 10 years, the Halifax Black Film Festival has been showcasing and amplifying Black directors, actors, and stories. In celebration of their anniversary, the film festival is returning with films from local creatives, Canadian greats and international icons.
From Feb. 20-24, 35 films will be shown virtually and in-person at the Park Lane Cineplex, with special events scheduled throughout the weekend-long festival.
Included in this year’s programming are three international films, all focused on how work shapes identity: Of Mud and Blood (2024) by Jean-Gabriel Leynaud, Snake (2024) from director Meg Rickards, and Pasa Faho (2025) from Kalu Oji.
The opening film, Of Mud and Blood, tells the story of miners in Numbi, many of whom were impoverished child fighters or Rwandan genocide survivors, and their attempts to stay afloat while violence is at their doorstep. Narrative feature film Snake, set in South Africa, is the story of a stranger who comes into the life of Stella and her family. Although it seems he is making their lives better, his own dark wounds threaten her and her parents. The closing film, Pasa Faho, is the story of a struggling shoe salesman reconnecting with his 12-year-old son, balancing fatherhood and his business.
This will be coupled with the world premiere of short films from 30 emerging Black creators across Canada, including two Being Black in Halifax filmmakers: Chanice Lorde and Damini. Lorde presents her short film Crowned, reflecting on the targeted shame and evolving pride and knowledge around Afro-centric hair. Damini showcases Hyphenated, a film exploring the concept of identity within Canadians whose cultural identities are hyphenated and the pride, pressure and tensions that come along with it.
A panel on the cinema industry and bringing awareness to social issues, titled the HBFF Black Market, will be held at the John W. Lindsay YMCA on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 11am to 3pm. Several free in-person events are also scheduled, such as a welcome event for the Atlantic Federation of Documentary Filmmakers, a retrospective on Black cinema and advocating for Black voices over the last decade, and a film industry Q&A series with acclaimed filmmaker Dr. Sylvia Hamilton. There will also be an online event on grant-writing.
All-access passes for the Halifax Black Film Festival are available for $45, while the In-Person All-Access Pass is going for $39. Individual in-person film tickets are $12 for film screenings, $20 for opening night and $15 for the closing night film. A full list of films and events is available on the Halifax Black Film Festival website.