Equity audit by Knowledge Network reveals depth of racial inequities
After over a year of intensive advocacy work, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, the Racial Equity Screen Office and the Documentary Organization of Canada are pleased to see the public release of the racial equity audit of British Columbia’s Knowledge Network (KN).
The report provides stark quantitative evidence to what many have experienced personally: the gross racial inequity in funding at British Columbia’s sole provincially funded broadcaster.
“These numbers implicate Knowledge Network in a system of racial injustice that has hampered the careers of a generation of Indigenous, Black and racialized filmmakers. Knowledge Network has centred white-led narratives in a brazen dismissal of the Indigenous lands that we occupy and the Indigenous, Black and racialized peoples who live here. It is time to centre work owned by Indigenous, Black, and racialized creators, and to invest in the Indigenous, Black, and racialized producers,” states Nilesh Patel of the Documentary Organization of Canada’s British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories Chapter and Interim Executive Director of the Racial Equity Screen Office.
“This report is the result of an enormous amount of labour by the Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s Barbara Lee, and myself along with my Board at the Documentary Organization of Canada’s BC, YT and NWT Chapter with the support of our National DOC office and the CMPA-BC. This is certainly a beginning but there is a long road ahead to dismantle the systemic forms of injustice we have been living with in the production industries in Canada” says Patel, who adds that numerous other organisations supported this important work. “Our efforts have benefitted from the invaluable support of the Black Screen Office, BIPOC TV & Film, Coalition M.E.D.I.A, the Racial Equity Media Collective, and Creatives Empowered, who are part of a broad coalition toward racial equity in our industry.”
“Audits like this one by Knowledge Network are indisputable proof of what creators from marginalized communities have always known. We need more funding to be equitably distributed to creators who are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour. We encourage more institutions to conduct their own racial equity audits as this is a key way to build accountability and demonstrate transparency. Having such data is crucial, but it’s only the starting point. Concrete actions need to be taken to follow up on these findings. BIPOC TV & FILM, with the support of our partners and collaborators, will be offering more opportunities over the next two years to support companies and institutions with tools and resources to accelerate the journey towards a more just and equitable industry.”