Festival for Black Nova Scotian filmmakers back on stage for this spring
A film festival created for Black Nova Scotian filmmakers is now open for submissions and its organizer hopes the event will go ahead without COVID restrictions for the first time since 2019.
The Emerging Lens Film Festival is now in its 13th year. Co-founder Shelley Fashan said the idea for the festival first came about in 2010 when she attended the screening of a documentary by East Preston filmmaker Tara Taylor, who eventually became Emerging Lens’ other co-founder.
“We know that our stories haven’t been told in the past,” Fashan said in an interview with the Halifax Examiner. “We know that there’s value and that the stories are interesting, they’re worth telling, and they’re worth being told.”
Festival continues to evolve
Following Taylor’s film screening, Fashan then approached Delvina Bernard, who was the executive director of the Council on African Canadian Education (CACE).
Fashan said CACE gave her and Taylor funding to host a film festival that would provide a platform for Black Nova Scotian filmmakers.
The very first Emerging Lens Film Festival was held in 2011 at the Black Cultural Centre in Cherry Brook as a one-night event.
In its second year, the festival was expanded to two nights and took place at the Black Cultural Centre and at the former North Branch Library on Gottingen Street in Halifax.
Since then the festival continued to evolve and is now a four-night event.
Fashan said the plan this year is to hold the opening night on Wednesday at Pier 21. The second night is expected to be held at the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute for the first time in the festival’s history.
The third night of the event will be held at the former North Branch Library, while closing night on Saturday will be held at the Black Cultural Centre.
Accept other submissions that tell a cultural story
Fashan said the Emerging Lens Film Festival has evolved since its start in 2011 from showcasing films and documentaries from African Nova Scotian filmmakers and the African Nova Scotian experience to encompassing stories that speak also to African Canadian experience in other provinces. The festival also highlights Indigenous Canadian stories and experiences, as well as stories from different filmmakers and cultures from around the world such as Jamaica and Pakistan.
“The Black community, that’s our essence, but it doesn’t mean we have to not celebrate other cultures as well,” Fashan said. “We also will accept submissions from Europeans, however, they must be cultural or tell a cultural story.”
“We had a white guy who did a story on Hogan’s Alley, which was similar to Africville. And that was a story of how they razed a whole Black community for urban development in Vancouver.”
Emerging filmmakers can pitch their stories
In addition to filmmakers, Fashan said the Emerging Lens Film Festival also serves as a platform for local Black artists such as musicians, dancers, visual artists, and spoken word artists who kick off each night with a performance.
Fashan said this year’s festival will also continue with an educational component in the form of workshops.
Last year Fashan said there was a session where emerging artists could pitch their stories. One or more of those artists was selected to receive funding from the Centre for Art Tapes to create a film.
“I think this year we’re going to have some submissions from some of those folks,” Fashan said. “I think we’re going to have some more workshops, and one that we really want to concentrate on is music for film.”
Fashan said they’re still finalizing details of this year’s festival, including booking artist performances and confirming the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute for the Thursday night venue.
This year’s Emerging Lens Film Festival takes place from Apr. 19 to the 22. The deadline for film submissions is Mar. 19.
Click here to learn more about submitting a film for consideration.
Shelley Fashan, left, and Tara Taylor are the founders of the Emerging Lens Film Festival. Credit: Marsman Photographic
