Sci-fi, satire and surrealism aren't words we usually associate with Black History Month every February.

But on a Sunday afternoon at the Yellowknife Public Library, as a projector plays Sorry to Bother You, a 2018 film about telemarketing, the failings of capitalism and half-man-half-horse hybrids created by a nefarious multinational corporation bent on productivity, it's safe to say the script has been flipped SA国际影视传媒� thanks to Chris Vaughn, the organizer behind the Black Futures Month Film Series.

SA国际影视传媒淚 deliberately made the 's' on that because who knows what the future holds,SA国际影视传媒� said Vaughn, who launched the series after joining a book club that focused on speculative fiction and sci-fi written by people of colour.

Drawn to stories that explore the experiences of black people facing futuristic, often dystopian realities in which theySA国际影视传媒檙e forced to adapt, Vaughn decided to bring similar stories to life through film. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 no grainy images of embattled civil war soldiers; no black-and-white photos of U.S. segregation and the millions that marched against it.

And thatSA国际影视传媒檚 the point.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 a space for the history and talks about the Civil Rights Movement, the Underground Railroad -- I think thatSA国际影视传媒檚 important. But I want to make sure that we see these stories as evolving, which includes today, which includes tomorrow,SA国际影视传媒� said Vaughn.

Vaughn said he made a conscious decision to present contemporary films to Yellowknife audiences in acknowledgment of Black History Month because SA国际影视传媒渟tories should move through time and space.SA国际影视传媒�

By selecting the bright, bold and unabashedly different Sorry to Bother You, Vaughn hoped guests would gain a different viewpoint when looking at black history.

SA国际影视传媒淚 feel like a lot of these stories have repeated themselves throughout history and will repeat themselves, and sometimes you need a little shift in perspective, whether itSA国际影视传媒檚 just through an identity switch, through the eyes of a woman or a black person. (It) helps to kind of re-establish missing links and kind of figure out how weSA国际影视传媒檙e all connected in this,SA国际影视传媒� said Vaughn.

By exploring the imaginative and the abstract, we can come to better understanding of the SA国际影视传媒渟olid,SA国际影视传媒� said Vaughn. SA国际影视传媒淭he everyday life that we live together.SA国际影视传媒�

Vaughn, who moved to Yellowknife from Montreal in 2016, draws parallels between his own experiences as a black man living in the North and the journeys of the black characters he explores through film and literature.

SA国际影视传媒淢y being here in Yellowknife is in a sense a sci-fi futuristic story,SA国际影视传媒� he said, imagining out loud his grandmotherSA国际影视传媒檚 reaction to learning he has settled North of 60.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 important for (his family) to claim Yellowknife as our home, even though we are racialized settlers in this place, we also have a lot to give to Yellowknife,SA国际影视传媒� said Vaughn. SA国际影视传媒淲e need to recognize that SA国际影视传媒榟ey, there were people here before us, but that we also have a space here to tell our stories and to make sure our voices are heard.SA国际影视传媒�

Vaughn told Yellowknifer relocating to the North, away from his circle of like-minded friends in Montreal, pushed him to hear and learn from the different cultures and opposing viewpoints that make up the SA国际影视传媒渇abric of Yellowknife.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 think itSA国际影视传媒檚 nice to see a community where youSA国际影视传媒檙e forced to bump into people that donSA国际影视传媒檛 look like you, donSA国际影视传媒檛 have the same ideology and I think itSA国际影视传媒檚 very healthy and Yellowknife should take advantage of that,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Vaughn will be showing another contemporary film, Brown Girl Begins, at the Yellowknife Public Library on Sunday.

Once the two-film series is complete, Vaughn has his sights set on continuing the program on a more sustained basis, with contributors from all cultural backgrounds.

SA国际影视传媒淪o itSA国际影视传媒檚 important to have the black identity but what is the black identity without the LGBTQ identity? Without the working class identity? ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 definitely room for intersectionality,SA国际影视传媒� said Vaughn.

If the program is continued, expect the title SA国际影视传媒淏lack Futures Month,SA国际影视传媒� to remain unchanged.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 important to know as black folk where we have come from. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 just as important to know where weSA国际影视传媒檙e going.SA国际影视传媒�