Union Street
In celebration of Black History Month
Official film selection of Vancouver International Film Festival 2023
Interspersing interviews with archival footage, Jamila Pomeroy’s Union Street documents the history of Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley, the formerly Black neighbourhood which was destroyed by the construction of the Georgia viaduct in the 1970s. This local history speaks to systemic racial injustice towards Vancouver’s Black community that has continued to this day. Revelatory conversations are had in the film surrounding the erasure of Black history in Canada, and the proliferation of hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan which had chapters in Vancouver. Histories of now-closed Black-owned businesses in Hogan’s Alley such as Vie’s Chicken and Steakhouse have inspired a new generation of Black business owners in the neighbourhood, and the Black Lives Matter movement has reinvigorated discussion surrounding the destruction, as well as the history and memory of Hogan’s Alley. This beautifully shot portrait commemorates legacies, but also celebrates a new generation of Black Vancouverites working to rebuild community, reclaim cultural space, and facilitate Black joy.
"This beautifully filmed portrait of a community conjures important discussions about the past and the present” — Vancouver Sun
"This outstanding feature film tackles some of the most heart-wrenching experiences of Black Canadians both today and throughout history, while still centering Black joy and leaving us inspired about the future. Expertly directed, Pomeroy's feature-length debut is nothing short of beautiful, emoting the resilience and reclamation of a community once forgotten" — Toronto Reelworld Film Festival
CREDITS
Jamila Pomeroy - Writer, Director, Executive Producer
Mack Stannard - Producer, Executive Producer
Maddy Chang - Associate Producer
Liam Mitchell - Cinematographer
Coline Debray - Editor
Amine Bouzaher - Composer, Original Score
Official film selection of Vancouver International Film Festival 2023
Interspersing interviews with archival footage, Jamila Pomeroy’s Union Street documents the history of Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley, the formerly Black neighbourhood which was destroyed by the construction of the Georgia viaduct in the 1970s. This local history speaks to systemic racial injustice towards Vancouver’s Black community that has continued to this day. Revelatory conversations are had in the film surrounding the erasure of Black history in Canada, and the proliferation of hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan which had chapters in Vancouver. Histories of now-closed Black-owned businesses in Hogan’s Alley such as Vie’s Chicken and Steakhouse have inspired a new generation of Black business owners in the neighbourhood, and the Black Lives Matter movement has reinvigorated discussion surrounding the destruction, as well as the history and memory of Hogan’s Alley. This beautifully shot portrait commemorates legacies, but also celebrates a new generation of Black Vancouverites working to rebuild community, reclaim cultural space, and facilitate Black joy.
"This beautifully filmed portrait of a community conjures important discussions about the past and the present” — Vancouver Sun
"This outstanding feature film tackles some of the most heart-wrenching experiences of Black Canadians both today and throughout history, while still centering Black joy and leaving us inspired about the future. Expertly directed, Pomeroy's feature-length debut is nothing short of beautiful, emoting the resilience and reclamation of a community once forgotten" — Toronto Reelworld Film Festival
CREDITS
Jamila Pomeroy - Writer, Director, Executive Producer
Mack Stannard - Producer, Executive Producer
Maddy Chang - Associate Producer
Liam Mitchell - Cinematographer
Coline Debray - Editor
Amine Bouzaher - Composer, Original Score