Official Trailer for Canadian Doc ‘Black Ice’ About Black Hockey Players
by Alex Billington
June 12, 2023
Source: YouTube
“This is our sport.” Roadside Attractions has revealed the official US trailer for a documentary film titled Black Ice, about Black hockey players. Of course this first premiered in Canada last year, playing at both the 2022 Toronto Film Festival (winning the People’s Choice Award) & Vancouver Film Festival, opening in February up in Canadian cinemas. It’s now set for a July release in AMC Theaters. The doc film exposes a history of racism in hockey through the untold stories of Black hockey players, both past and present, in a predominantly white sport. Hubert Davis’ doc Black Ice masterfully navigates the challenges, triumphs, and unique experiences faced by these athletes through poignant firsthand accounts from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) hockey players past, including Willie O’Ree, the very first Black player in the NHL, and former professional hockey player Akim Aliu, with the stories of present stars, including P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds. Reviews have all been positive, saying: “It’s a well-told story that’s likely unknown even to most diehard hockey fans, but absolutely demands telling.” This looks great – check it out.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Hubert Davis’ documentary Black Ice, direct from YouTube:
Black Ice masterfully navigates the challenges, triumphs, and unique experiences faced by these athletes through poignant firsthand accounts from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) hockey players past, including Willie O’Ree, the first Black player in the National Hockey League, and former professional hockey player Akim Aliu, with the stories of present stars, including P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds. The film explores the deep BIPOC roots of the game, dating back to 1865 and the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHL), the first all-pro league, which not only introduced the slapshot but shaped the game of hockey we know today. Director Hubert Davis exposes racist patterns that span generations, even highlighting stories of how sports institutions have exerted pressure on players seeking change to remain silent. Black Ice is directed by Academy Award and Emmy-nominated Canadian filmmaker Hubert Davis, director of the films Invisible City, Darkness and Hope, and Giants of Africa previously, plus many other short films. Produced by Vinay Virmani. This initially premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival last year. Roadside will debut Black Ice in select US theaters starting on July 14th, 2023 this summer. Interested?
