FreeUp! Freedom Portraits are a series of short biographical videos where artists, celebrities, athletes, community leaders and young changemakers explain what freedom means to them as they connect to the here and now. Produced as docu-portrait style monologues, the portraits explore each subject’s relationship to freedom, leadership, and community activism.
This year, our interview subjects will take us across the country to historical and contemporary Black neighbourhoods, sites, and streets to share with us their rich cultural stories and heritage.
We’ll meet the artists on their level, handing them the mic to engage with culture from a broad perspective, beyond the everyday, locating themselves in the present as they reflect on the past and envision a better future. We will feel the heartbeat of the artists and the places they call home come alive across the screen, as together we uncover hidden gems along the way — all set against the backdrop of Canada’s rich and vast landscape.