The 12th annual Toronto Black Film Festival – #TBFF24 – marks Black History Month with bold, diverse, innovative and meaningful programming from February 14 -19, 2024.

(Black PR Wire) TORONTO – The Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF), presented by TD Bank Group (TD) in collaboration with Global News, announces the official program and events lineup running February 14 – 19, 2024. Founded by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, the game-changing Toronto Black Film Festival will bring innovative, powerful, diverse, and bold programming to Toronto audiences.    

The Festival is honoured to present legendary, award-winning actress PAM GRIER with the Toronto Black Film Festival’s 2024 Career Achievement Award during an intimate evening that will include a screening of the iconic film Foxy Brown at the Isabel Bader Theatre – February 15, 2024, 7:30 PM.

Hailed as the Queen of Blaxploitation and the first female action hero, Pam Grier’s incendiary performances became pivotal moments in the industry for both Black representation and the representation of women on screen. The tribute ceremony will celebrate Grier’s trailblazing career and its impact on cinema, which has paved the way for others and provided bold inspiration and impetus for the industry to be more inclusive.

#TBFF24 will present 28 World Premieres, 6 International Premieres, 1 North American premiere, 21 Canadian Premieres, 18 Ontario Premieres and 1 Toronto Premiere. #TBFF24, Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month through films and other engaging public programming, showcases over 80 films from 20 countries, including Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, Finland, USA, Germany, France, Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Ghana, Spain, Jamaica, and more. The Festival’s opening night will take place on Wednesday, February 14th at 8PM at the Isabel Bader Theatre with the Ontario Premiere of Goodbye Julia. Sudan’s selection for the 96th Academy Awards, Goodbye Julia tells the story of an impending divorce, which resonates with larger political events leading up to South Sudan’s independence.

The Toronto Black Film Festival will pay homage to Charles Officer in a Tribute event at the Carlton Cinema on February 17, 2024, 5 pm. Celebrating the remarkable life, enduring legacy, and timeless talent of award-winning filmmaker, producer and writer Charles Officer who often centred Black voices and stories, the tribute will include a screening of Akilla’s Escape, a cinematic testament to Charles’ unparalleled impact, talent and narrative prowess.

#TBFF24 will close at the Carlton Cinema with the Canadian Premiere of The 50. The 50 is a powerful study of trauma and repair, a universal look at the long and winding road to healing, and an exploration of how the most marginalized among us built one of the most powerful models of rehabilitation we have.

The TBFF All Access Passes and individual tickets are on sale now on the Festival’s website.

“Welcoming and paying tribute to the legendary icon Pam Grier at the 2024 Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF) is a true privilege for us all and quite a coup for Toronto and the Festival. She has blazed a trail for so many Black women in cinema and has left an indelible mark not only on the Blaxploitation genre but on the film industry as a whole. #TBFF24 is more than a film festival; it’s a movement. We strive to spotlight important Black figures in cinema and beyond for their remarkable work.”— Fabienne Colas, President and Founder of the TBFF.

“The Toronto Black Film Festival is an incredibly vibrant and impactful showcase that helps amplify Black voices while celebrating the rich tapestry of Black culture in Canada. TD has been a Presenting Sponsor since 2015 and we’re proud to work alongside TBFF and the Fabienne Colas Foundation to support the Black creators and storytellers who are helping drive change for future generations,” says Alicia Rose, AVP Social Impact, Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank Group. “Through our corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, we’re dedicated to supporting events and initiatives for Black History Month – as well as year-round programming – that aim to foster unity and help open doors for a more inclusive and equitable tomorrow.”

“Global News has been a proud partner of the Toronto Black Film Festival for over a decade. We want to send a huge congratulations to the Festival for elevating the work of Black filmmakers and helping share vital stories. It has been a privilege to see the TBFF continue its important work and inspire so many people in the GTA.” – Mackay Taggart, Ontario Regional Director of News at Global News.

TBFF is Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month, attracting hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers of all ages and ethnicities both in-person and online. Year after year, through its bold and diverse programming, the Toronto Black Film Festival has been a catalyst and necessary platform for Black artists who would otherwise remain invisible. The Toronto Black Film Festival is a movement that allows members of the Global Majority and other communities to come together to learn about and better understand one another.

Additional programming, including the must-see FCF’s Being Black in Canada series, includes:

THE TBFF BLACK MARKET
Presented by Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada, Canada Council for the Arts
Carlton Cinema – February 17-18

The Black Market series returns in-person and online with an exciting blend of progressive and innovative thinking FREE panel discussions and workshops with renowned industry professionals who will share real-world experience on today’s most critical filmmaking and social issues.

In-Person Panels
• MASTERING GRANT WRITING: A PRACTICE WORKSHOP
• WELCOME TO BELL MEDIA
• HOW TO CREATE A STRONG CHARACTER (ACTORS, DIRECTORS & WRITERS)
• IS THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY LOSING THE FIGHT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION?

Online Panels
• CAREER PATH – THE SKILLS OF A STRONG LINE PRODUCER 

FABIENNE COLAS FOUNDATION’S BEING BLACK IN CANADA
Presented by NETFLIX, in collaboration with the National Bank, and supported by Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts.
February 16 – Carton cinema 7pm – 11pm & ONLINE Tickets on TorontoBlackFilm.com

30 emerging Black filmmakers from Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver of the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada program will present their WORLD PREMIERE short films in person at TBFF on Thursday, February 16th. Thanks to the support of Netflix, National Bank, Telefilm Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Creates and various local partners.

The TBFF Kids Festival is back this year with new and exciting in-person activities for the whole family on Family Day, February 19, at the Carlton Cinema from 11:15 to 7 pm.

Finally, festivalgoers can cap off their day with the TBFF Live Performance Series – February 15 – 19, 10pm – Rooftop on College. Showcasing different genres of music and Spoken Word representing the Afrocentric community. This line-up includes Simone Smithson and Anthony Marshall, Robert Ball, Joseph Callender, Rudy Ray, Warrior Love Band, Shaddah Jack, Nathan Baya, Lamoi (The Wild Woman).

This year’s line-up consists of remarkable films, highlighting important topics such as migration, social issues, woman issues/empowerment, identity, family, history/politics, romance, music, dance, racism, mental illness, and mystery among others.

A few #TBFF24’s must-see feature films are Manga D’Terra, Goodbye Julia, Semret, Sway, Dancing in a-yard, Who I am Not, A Story of Bones, It Takes a Village, The 50.

The #TBFF24 All Access Passes are available on the Festival’s website

The All Access Pass (for the Online program) $129.00 +Tx + fees, gives access to the festival’s entire online program.

The All Access Pass (for the In-Person program) $149 +Tx+ fees, gives access to all in-person programming.

Individual tickets to the in-person opening film are available for $25, closing film for $20, regular films for $12 and film series are available for $12. 

The 12th annual Toronto Black Film Festival, founded by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, is presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Global News from February 14 to 19, 2024 – IN PERSON & ONLINE.

For full programming and events, visit www.TorontoBlackFilm.com

Get Social #TBFF24

Facebook.com/torontoblackfilmfestival | Twitter @TOBlackFilmFest | Instagram @torontoblackfilmfest 

About the Toronto Black Film Festival

Founded by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, The Toronto Black Film Festival is Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month through films and engaging public programming. TBFF is dedicated to celebrating the very best in cinematic work dealing with the experiences of black people from a diversity of communities. Our mandate is to provide an opportunity for filmmakers from all ethnic backgrounds to shine a spotlight on authentic stories that reflect the realities of black experiences. Along with its sister festivals, the Montreal International Black Film Festival, Halifax Black Film Festival, Ottawa Black Film Festival, Calgary Black Film Festival and Vancouver Black Film Festival, TBFF showcases new voices in cinema and encourages audiences to see the world in new ways. In connecting black films with diverse audiences, we recognize the differences that make us unique while celebrating the shared values that bring us together.

About the Fabienne Colas Foundation

The Fabienne Colas Foundation is Canada’s largest Black cultural organization. Created in 2005, the FCF is a not-for-profit artistic organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in Cinema, Art, and Culture in Canada and abroad. Along with Zaza production, the Fabienne Colas Foundation is also the creator of Festwave Institute and 12 Festivals, including the highly successful Montreal Black Film Festival, the hugely popular Toronto Black Film Festival, the Halifax Black Film Festival as well as several other successful Festivals in Canada, the USA, Haiti and Brazil. These initiatives/festivals have showcased and supported over 5,000 artists and attracted over 2 million festivalgoers. The Foundation is also the creator of the FCF’s Being Black in Canada program, Canada’s largest incubator dedicated to Black Filmmakers.

Source: Toronto Black FIlm Festival