Calgary Black Film Festival aims to improve inclusion and diversity
A showcase of the Black film industry in Calgary kicked off Friday night.
People who work in the industry walked the red carpet outside the Globe Cinema on Eighth Avenue.
Organizers said the goal of the weekend-long event is to amplify Black voices in the creative industries.
"It was important to give them a platform to be seen," said festival president Fabienne Colas. "Because Black people, Black artists, they don't lack talent. They just lack opportunities.
"And this festival – the Calgary Black Film Festival – really comes to complement every other festival that already exists in the city because we want more inclusion and more diversity in the film and TV industry."
In-person screenings will happen this weekend at the Globe, the Plaza Theatre and the Memorial Park Library.
Forty films will be screened in-person and online.
There are also conferences and panels.
Organizers said Calgary has Canada's fourth-largest Black population, after Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and that it's important to provide this platform.
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