Latest news with #AbsolutelyCanadian
The Province
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Roots and recipes: Jamila Pomeroy's new doc Muzizi brings African flavours to the forefront
The Vancouver-based filmmaker, presenter and writer's new documentary is streaming as part of the docuseries Absolutely Canadian Jamila Pomeroy's doc Muzizi is screening on CBC Gem. Photo: Brian Van Wyk Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Where: Streaming now on Gem This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Jamila Pomeroy is a Vancouver-based filmmaker, presenter and writer. Her work includes Union Street, a 2023 documentary about the history of Hogan's Alley, and a 2022 CBC series called A Happier Planet with Jamila Pomeroy. In her new documentary Muzizi, which is streaming as part of the 24th season of the docuseries Absolutely Canadian, she talks to home cooks, foodie influencers, farmers and business owners as she makes dishes like Samaki wa Kupaka, which is grilled fish in coconut sauce, and banana mandazi, or banana doughnuts. We talked to Pomeroy about the episode. Q: What made you want to make Muzizi? A: Before I was in film, I used to be a journalist, but I also went to culinary school. Food has always been a big interest of mine. Union Street really dives into the history of everything that's happened with Hogan's Alley and the history of the Black community in the city and some of the things that we're dealing with currently. Muzizi is not a continuation of that story, but we do use history as a springboard to highlight some of the different issues within our food system and to highlight some of the city's incredible chefs, foodies, food bloggers and business owners. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A: That's definitely still a ritual for black Canadians in the Lower Mainland. We just don't have the privilege of going to a conventional grocery store and finding our spices. Maybe you find something that's kind of similar in a more South Asian space, but it's not the same. We're talking different types of curry mixes and different combinations of flavours and different varieties of herbs. Q: You interview Toyin Kayo-Ajayi, a Black farmer in Mission who's trying to grow some African vegetables. Is he having some success? A: He's having such great success that I think it's been surprising for him. It's definitely a journey that hasn't been short of struggle, and it's taken a lot of hard work for him to get there. But so many things that grow in Nigeria happen to grow great in B.C.'s climate. We don't have to be importing all of this. The food system can be a little bit more sustainable and not need to travel through multiple bodies of water just to get agriculturally appropriate foods. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A: No plantains. But he's growing amaranth and lots of different Nigerian herbs. He's growing African maize, which is different than the corn that we have. It's bigger and a bit hardier. It's used to make traditional dishes like ugali. Q: Would you like to see more African and Caribbeans ingredients on store shelves, or more Black-owned restaurants and food businesses, or both? A: Seeing more things on shelves would be helpful, not just for the community, but also just that visibility. No matter what your culture or ethnicity or background is, food is something that we all get to participate in, and we all get to share in. I'm not Thai but I love Thai food so much. And I think carving out that space for enjoyment outside of the Black community is something that will really help craft a diverse food scene. It's less about do we need more — we do need more, and seeing a Kenyan restaurant in the heart of Vancouver would be amazing — but it's also about bringing the African diaspora into the culinary conversation. 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CBC
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Check out regional producers' latest picks of free locally produced indie docs on CBC Gem
Each month Absolutely Canadian regional producers from across the country make their picks of documentaries for you to watch. They release their April picks in time for National Film Day on April 16. Absolutely Canadian is a national series showcasing documentaries that tell unique stories from communities across Canada. All programs are produced locally and highlight the works of independent filmmakers in each region. Here are five picks for this month, all from Season 24 of Absolutely Canadian. Go to CBC Gem and click on the Season 24 to see the complete season. They're free to watch! The Camino A Montrealer walks the physically and spiritually challenging Camino de Santiago trail in Spain for 40 days, a fraction of his decade-long quest to find his place in the world. Directed by: Jordan Coppola Be Taylor A young queer woman from Windsor, Ontario aims to overcome her mental health struggles and regain her confidence by embarking on a journey of self-love, self-discovery, and stand-up comedy. Directed by: Gemma Eva Voices of Freedom Winnipeg composer Tetyana Haraschuk channels Ukrainian refugees' stories in the powerful new documentary, Voices of Freedom. On a quest to understand the war in her homeland, the Ukraine-born musician connects with refugees and transforms their misery into melody. Read More. Directed by: Sam Karney Space for a Scene Space for a Scene highlights the connections in the Halifax music scene, regardless of genre. It features performances from Road to the Junos 2024. Read More. Directed by: Jeff Miller Block Dog A glimpse into the lives of eight dogs brought together in BC's wilderness as the steadfast companions and fierce protectors of a young crew of intrepid tree planters. Directed by: Everett Bumstead Watch Free on CBC Gem Click on Season 24 to see the complete season.
CBC
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Extraordinary true stories of survival on the land fill Northlore with 'magic of the Yukon'
Five storytellers sit around a campfire, and as their stories weave together they grow, through animation, into lore. "I think we were trying to grasp a bit that magic of the Yukon, the spell of the Yukon," said Melaina Sheldon, a Tlingit actor and writer who, alongside David Hamelin, co-created and co-produced Northlore, the National Film Board, Northwestel and CBC Absolutely Canadian documentary. "It's a bit elusive, what we've done, because it's not paranormal," said Sheldon, adding it's "somewhere in between. We pinned down as magical realism." The spark for the 54-minute film was a live-action and animated short shown at the 2020 Available Light Film Festival: The Provider told the story of Gary Sidney Johnson's first moose hunt as an adult. "It was kind of like the pilot for Northlore," said Johnson, an entertainer and cultural ambassador in Carcross, Yukon. The stories of Northlore involve meetings with animals and survival experiences: An unexpected goose sighting while skiing a glacier, a wolf trailing a river journey, a life-or-death illness linked to a beaver, and a meeting with a group of rams that bullets won't touch. Sheldon says the animation, created with Winnipeg-based Dene artist Casey Koyczam and his team, allowed the film to recreate parts of the storytellers' pasts without having to hire actors, especially for the moose or eagle. Melissa Matheson Frost's story goes back to her childhood at her family's camp, when she got seriously ill, thousands of kilometres from any hospital. Her grandmother, Alice Frost, drew on traditional knowledge to help her heal. "To see her grandmother Alice Frost in animation — she's passed on, but she's like, for me, a Yukon superhero," said Sheldon. "That's what it feels like to see young Dennis [Shorty, one of five storytellers in Northlore], to see Gary [Johnson]. These are heroes within the territory." The film came full circle for its premiere at the Available Light Film Festival in Whitehorse on Feb. 7, but heroes still sometimes get nervous before the big day. When he first shared his story, Johnson was worried hunters with more traditional knowledge might look down on him, "but if anything it's had the opposite effect," he said. Men thank him for his story, and share their worries: 'I went hunting one or two times and I'm embarrassed about letting people know I've only went a few times,' or things like that." For Frost, who's from the Vuntun Gwichin First Nation and grew up in the Yukon, the film fits how oral history keepers share their knowledge. "We don't tell people this is how you do things. You tell them a story, and … it encourages them to ask questions, it encourages them to research and wonder, and that's the kind of magic in it, is the empowerment." "The First Nations of this land have a lot of stories and legend," Sheldon added. "This is how legends come to be, is you make your own legend … and these stories grow in their epicness and in their telling." Sheldon hopes Northlore inspires others to make and share their own stories:
CBC
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Want to watch free Absolutely Canadian docs? 'Absolutely!'
Locally produced docs on CBC Gem Absolutely Canadian is a national series showcasing documentaries that tell unique stories from communities across Canada. All programs are produced locally and highlight the works of independent filmmakers in each region. Here are five picks from our Absolutely Canadian regional producers for you to view this month. Watch now for free on CBC Gem. New Blood Chief Vincent Yellow Old Woman went to residential school at age five. Now, his grandkids and the next generation of Siksika Nation find healing through dance, theatre, and the music of Peter Gabriel. Watch free on CBC Gem Apex: The Black Masters Embed | YouTube Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data more than 50 years the Apex Invitational Golf Tournament has grown into a community celebration that breaks barriers, showcases athletes, and acts as an annual homecoming for Truro's Black community. Watch free on CBC Gem Relationship Remix Bridging the Gap: Legacy in Harmony My Friend Omar: The Struggles of a Seasonal Worker
CBC
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
How do mixed-race couples make it work? New documentary shares the ups, downs and a soundtrack for each
Chris Sharpe knows firsthand of the many challenges in mixed relationships, so in 2023 he turned the camera on his own marriage, along with a cast of other couples, to find the "secret sauce" for a successful cross-cultural match. That journey led to Relationship Remix, a 44-minute Black Space Manitoba film co-created and co-produced by Sharpe for CBC's Absolutely Canadian documentary series. Relationship Remix shares advice from a wedding planner working with mixed couples and from couples like Sharpe and his wife Sonya. "I think people will get an inside look that they're not alone, and that there's a lot of couples that are going through these kind of things, and we definitely want them to reach out and start the conversation and break down barriers and stereotypes," Sharpe, a producer and multimedia specialist, said in an interview. "You know love is just resilient, it just can't be stopped." In the film, Chris, who's Jamaican, sat down with Sonya's parents, who are Pakistani and opposed his dating their daughter. In the beginning, Sonya's parents simply called him "that guy." It was the first time Sharpe asked his in-laws about those early days. "It was really like closure, and then also unity at the same time," Sharpe said, as he better understood their motives. "I really never had animosity for my in-laws.… I just wanted them to understand that everything was going to be OK, and that we just needed your support." The film's concept began in a meeting with Sharpe's friend and co-producer Lino Martinez Jr., who's in a mixed relationship with his wife Charlene Gaskin-Martinez. "I said, 'How cool would it be for people who were born in Canada to see how it is, to get a fly-on-the-wall kind of view, perspectives of two non-Canadian cultures coming together to figure things out,'" said Martinez Jr., who's a proud Latin American and Canadian. True love can conquer all. I'm sure it's already been put on a keychain. It's on a bumper sticker out there. - Lino Martinez Jr. While he's usually a private person, Martinez Jr. agreed to help Sharpe with the project. In the film, Martinez Jr. and Charlene dance at a salsa club — a highlight he wanted to share — and also discuss their marriage's difficult history. Martinez Jr. reflects on how cultural customs are "ingrained in who you are, and really structure who you are as a person." His expectations of women's roles at home surprised Charlene, and that conflict could have ended their marriage. Instead, it led to reflection and change. "True love can conquer all. I'm sure it's already been put on a keychain. It's on a bumper sticker out there." "You create new customs and a new way of thinking and a fresh way of living," Martinez "You're coming together to create something new.… It's OK to let go of old things to accept new things for your new life with your partner." Sharpe also helped create something new for each couple in the film: a custom-produced song blending elements from both their cultures. He got his start DJing, planning concerts and seeing music bring people together. "It's one language that I feel really does speak to everything." As a companion to the film, Relationship Remix the Album is available on most streaming platforms.
