A Black Heritage Film Showcase

Presented by the Black Heritage Committee

Join us this Black History Month for a special day of film screenings that celebrate Black brilliance across generations. This showcase features powerful films by Black filmmakers that explore real stories of resilience, culture, family, and vision. From short documentaries to full-length features each film offers a unique lens on Black life—past, present, and future.

Whether you’re coming with family, friends, or on your own, this is an opportunity to experience dynamic storytelling and connect with the richness of Black heritage in Canada and beyond.

Event Outline

A Black Heritage Film Showcase

Program 

11:00am 

• Title: We Remember Amber Valley 
• Length: 25 minutes 
• Synopsis: We Remember Amber Valley is a documentary about the settling of the community of Amber Valley.  In 1909, a group of 160 African American settlers led by Parson H. Sneed, a clergyman and mason settled the community.  Amber Valley is about 100 miles north of Edmonton on the Athabasca River 
• Director: Selwyn Jacob 

11:30am 

• Title: The Saint From North Battleford
• Length: 17 minutes 
• Synopsis: A thrilling look at the early NFL career of 2 time Pro Bowl running back Rueben Mayes, great grandson of Saskatchewan Black settlement founders Mattie and Joseph Mayes 
• Director: Selwyn Jacob 

11:55am 

• Title: The Road Taken 
• Length: 52 minutes 
• Synopsis: This 1996 documentary presents the experiences and struggles of Black sleeping car porters who worked on Canada’s railways from the early 1900s through the 1960s. 
• Director: Selwyn Jacob 

1:00-2:30pm: Feature Program 

• Title: Lanier Family Documentary- Descendants of Daniel & Beather Lanier 
• Length: 30 minutes 
• Synopsis: Documenting your family’s history ensures that younger and future generations understand where they come from. By knowing their lineage, struggles, challenges, and accomplishments, they can better understand what is possible for them—and their responsibility to carry the legacy forward. This short film is the second one done for the Lanier Family. The first talked about the 14 children of Jesse and Candace Lanier, who were born in Bath, NC, beginning in 1898 with the birth of William Henry Lanier. 
• Director: Dean Radcliff-Lynes 
  • Dean Radcliff-Lynes Biography: Dean brings over 30 years of experience in storytelling through filmmaking, non-profit video production, awards show production, media relations, stage management, and community engagement campaigns. She has collaborated with both Baltimore-based and national organizations, including the 400 Years of African American History Commission, Hearst Broadcasting, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Mayo Clinic, the National Returning Citizens Conference, My Brother’s Keeper Irvington, Healing Cities Baltimore, Baltimore Outreach Services, Out for Justice, the Job Opportunities Task Force, and Baltimore Center Stage. She is a graduate of the Yale University School of Drama and lives in Baltimore, MD.
• Title: For Caesar
• Length: 30 minutes 
• Synopsis: For Caesar is a documentary by historian and filmmaker Cheryl Foggo, exploring Leander Keith Lane’s journey to uncover his great-grandfather Julius Caesar Lane’s legacy. Through personal reflections and the restoration of the Shiloh Baptist Church and Cemetery, the film sheds light on Black migration to Canada and the resilience of early Black pioneers. 
• Director: Cheryl Foggo 

Join us for a panel discussion with Brian Lanier, as he reflects on the roots that shaped him in this deeply personal short film – Lanier Family Documentary – Descendants of Daniel & Beather Lanier, tracing his family’s journey from rural North Carolina through three generations of perseverance and purpose.  Our other panelist, Cherl Foggo, presents her film For Caesar, the story of how Leander Keith Lane uncovered his Great-Grandfather’s legacy and helped preserve a crucial site of Black Prairie history.  The panel will be moderated by Black Heritage Committee Chair Essence Martinelli. 

2:30pm 

• Title: Walking with Ghosts on John Ware’s Land and Shifting Earth and Shifting Ground: John Ware’s Homestead 
• Length: 5 minutes and 8 minutes 
• Synopsis: These two short cinematic explorations follow the ongoing archaeological dig on legendary Alberta cowboy John Ware’s Millarville ranch. 
• Director: Cheryl Foggo 

2:45pm 

• Title: Traxx 
• Length: 40 minutes 
• Synopsis: A tap dancer returns from Harlem to her home province of Alberta and discovers unknown Tap Dance ancestors, which sends her on a journey exploring the borderless Black History unimaginable right beneath her feet. 
• Director: Lisa La Touche 

3:30pm 

• Title: Keystone Is. 
• Length: 41 minutes 
• Synopsis: A collective of Black Alberta artists known as the Prairie Place-Ancestors visit the historic Black community of Keystone, Alberta in search of connection to the land and their history. 
• Co-Directors: Cheryl Foggo, Lisa La Touche, Joel Varjassy 

The Black Heritage Committee (BHC) is a group of community members who guide Heritage Park in strengthening representation, expanding historical narratives, and creating inclusive experiences that honour Black history past, present, and future. Formed in January 2025 and publicly launched in July 2025, the committee plays a vital role in ensuring the stories and contributions of Black people across the Prairies are meaningfully reflected throughout the Park. 

Guided by the pillars of Inclusion & Representation, Storytelling & Heritage, and Celebration & Connection, the committee works to highlight the legacies of Black individuals and communities whose contributions have long shaped Prairie history. Through ongoing collaboration, research, and community engagement, the Black Heritage Committee helps shape interpretive practices, exhibits, and programming so that Heritage Park more fully reflects the diversity of the region’s past and present. 

Black Heritage CommitteeBlack History and StoriesBlack History Month

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Join us this Black History Month for an inspiring evening of film screenings by Black filmmakers, followed by a panel discussion exploring Black stories, creativity, and legacy across generations.

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