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African Rifles

The story of the first Black pioneers to leave the US, racism, and slavery behind to immigrate to Canada's Vancouver Island and form BC's first official military corps. They arrived to this new land with a renewed sense of purpose filling the region with a sense of community and diversity. That was the dream, that was the goal. This is the story.

  • Mia Golden
    Director
    Tied to a Lie
  • Mia Golden
    Writer
    Fragile Seeds
  • Kelly Conlin
    Producer
  • Mia Golden
    Producer
    Fragile Seeds
  • Tarak Kjartanson
    Producer
  • Kelly Conlin
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    36 minutes 17 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 5, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Red
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • International Black & Diversity Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    May 30, 2024
    Ontario Premiere
    Best Producer
  • Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival
    Halifax
    Canada
    April 18, 2024
    Canadian Premiere
  • Calgary Justice Film Festival
    Calgary
    Canada
    November 21, 2024
    Alberta Premiere
Director Biography - Mia Golden

MIA GOLDEN - DIRECTOR
Mia Golden is a Jamaican born, Canadian actor and filmmaker who has written, produced and/ or directed numerous projects including features, short films, and documentaries. Mia’s background as a counsellor and understanding of human behaviour allows her to delve deep into her subjects and storylines. Mia has several awards for her directing and producing. She currently has a docu-series in production, a feature length documentary in post-production and looks forward to getting her next projects which include two features, a documentary, and a series, green-lit.

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Director Statement

This documentary came from a casual chat with a crew member on set for another film where he said, "I read about these Black pioneers recently". I hadn't heard about it. I did a bit of digging and discovered this significant piece of our Canadian history that I had never learned about. I felt compelled to bring it to light so our team began exploring and researching and the end result is our documentary, African Rifles. An important piece of Black and Canadian history.