Submissions closed

2023 Nominees

The Black West: A Counter History of the Wild West (Black Far West: Une contre-histoire de l'Ouest)

CAPA Presse, ARTE France, Blue Ant International, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, Procirep-Angoa

CANADA, FRANCE, UK

- History & Biography


In 1875, one in four cowboys was Black. The Wild West also had Black sheriffs, trappers, soldiers, and women. Many African-Americans forged alliances with Indians; others became their slaves. All of them took the risk of seeking adventure in the West to gain freedom. Every iconic Far West figure – the cowboy, female sharpshooter, desperado, fearless sheriff – had its Black counter-part. They've been erased from the history books, whitewashed on the silver screen.