Canada and Canadians need to 'do better for immigrants,' says documentary director
The filmmaker explains why she shared the intimate stories of migrants in Black Life: Untold Stories
Black Life: Untold Stories is an epic eight-part documentary series that reframes the rich and complex histories of Black people in Canada over 400 years. Watch now on CBC Gem. Each episode is directed by a different director who shares their experience in a series of video essays.
Filmmaker Nadia Louis-Desmarchais didn't shy away from difficult stories when directing the "Migrations" episode of the CBC docuseries Black Life: Untold Stories.
"When we talk about immigration, we only want to talk about the success stories — the people that had to come here, and it was hard, but they made it," she said. "And they become, you know, people that we know.
"But it was really important for us [to] tell the stories of people that wouldn't be in front of the spotlight. You don't need to be someone that's out there in the public for your story to matter."
"Migrations" paints an intimate portrait of Black migration to Canada. The episode examines the arrival of thousands of Caribbean people beginning in the 1950s, through work initiatives like the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the West Indian Domestic Scheme, and it explores the challenges facing the more recent waves of Somali and Haitian migrants. The documentary unearths the roadblocks Black migrants have faced — and continue to face — on Canadian soil, as well as the extraordinary gains they have made in search of a better life and a place to call home.
"I think we have this common belief that Canada is really multicultural and it's really positive, and immigrants that come here, they come and they have a better life," Louis-Desmarchais said. "But the things that they have to go through on a regular basis, you feel that we're back in the 1800s.
"I think it will probably shock a lot of viewers, but we need Canadians and Canada to wake up and to understand that they need to do better for immigrants."
About Nadia Louis-Desmarchais
Afro-feminist director Nadia Louis-Desmarchais shines a light on voices that are not often heard. She directed the short documentaries Raconte-moi mon corps (Tell Me All About My Body), Urban and the controversial Rated X. Her most recent fiction short, Nid d'oiseau (Bird's Nest), earned a special mention from the jury for best Canadian short film at the Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie (FICFA), and the Prix André-Melançon at the Carrousel international du film de Rimouski in Quebec.
Louis-Desmarchais is developing her first fiction web series, Les Météorites (The Meteorites), for Ici Tou.tv. Her documentary, Black and White, is currently in production.
"Migrations" is streaming now on CBC Gem. You can also watch it on CBC-TV on Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT).
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
