OBAC Celebrates 5 Years Supporting Black Artists

OYA Media Group and OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) are asking for your help to continue their mission. Uplifting Black artists in the Canadian film industry. 

Celebrating five years of fostering young talent, the charitable organization is proud to have achieved many accolades in the industry. This includes the 2021 Canadian Screen Award-winning documentary series, ‘Being Black in Toronto’ and the 2023 WIFT-T Showcase best writing and audience awards for ‘REEL BLACK: Our Film Stories’. The organization has also showcased alumni immersive projects at the Canadian Film Centre and produced ‘The Bloom Room’, a dramatic series exploring Black mental health that premiered at the 2023 Inside Out Film Festival. Along with growing partnerships with various organizations, OBAC continues to grow and aspires to do even more in the years to come.

“We are very excited to be celebrating five years,” said Alison Duke, co-founder of OBAC. “Originally we started out with one program that was supposed to run for only 3 years but after seeing great success we were able to expand to what we are today, Oya Black Arts Coalition. This is only the beginning!”

Interview With Co-Founder

Check out our interview with Ngardy Conteh George so if you want to learn more about how OBAC started, why they do what they do and much more please watch.

Every year, OBAC has six programs that aim to support Black artists in the Canadian film landscape, including:

• Career Leap, provides work placements for emerging Black creatives.
• Scale Up Immersive, gives Black-owned media production companies hands-on experience in XR (VR, AR) production.
• Career Bridge, creates industry-ready professionals and builds portfolios.
• Scale Up Business Bootcamp, unlocks Black-owned production companies’ potential for growth and success in the dynamic world of filmmaking.
• Scale Up Masterclass, provides masterclasses from industry professionals to help emerging talent and companies grow within the industry.
• OYA Emerging Filmmakers, kickstarts the careers of Black youth who are post-graduates of post-secondary film, television and digital media programs.

Donations directly benefit OBAC’s programming by helping to maintain a robust support staff and up-to-date equipment. It also helps and affording access to valuable mentors for participants. It also continues to support accessibility efforts to a diverse network through resources like our biweekly newsletter. 

“Donations support us to continue to give back to the Black community,” said Michelle Berry, program manager at OBAC. “We want to maintain the dynamic programming that we have developed over the past five  years!” To donate to OBAC visit https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/oya-black-arts-coalition/

About OYA Black Arts Coalition

OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) is a non-profit charitable organization. It supports Black artists, creators and entrepreneurs within Canada’s entertainment sector. This is made possible by equipping and empowering Black creatives with the skills, support and resources necessary to succeed. OBAC addresses systemic inequalities by providing sustainable solutions, including mentorship, networking, programs, unique initiatives, and industry training by providing a safe space for experimentation oyablackarts.org | @oyablackarts