A deep archival dig tells us about 1969’s Black student protests at Montreal’s Concordia University. In teaching us history, it teaches us about our presents. Presented by Panta Rhea Foundation.
Director: Michèle Stephenson
Runtime: 96
Fest Year: 2026
Canada has long been sought out by Black diasporas when looking to rebuild their post-colonial lives. As did a group of young Haitians escaping the brutal regime of President François Duvalier and attending Montreal’s Sir George Williams University in the 1960s. When the land that promised to be a refuge showed itself to be a seat of extreme racism, the students demanded rightful equality and mounted a protest in 1969. The students faced police violence, demonization by the media, and even deportations. Michele Stephenson’s True North has the protest at its core, but she places it within the larger wave of resistance led by the Black diaspora in the 1960s. She sees the students as civil rights activists who compel us to think about today’s USA, where protesters continue to be attacked for demanding their rights. (BC) Presented by Panta Rhea Foundation.