A Canadian Screen Award winner (including Best First Feature, 2025), Village Keeper is a powerful testament to the strength of Black motherhood and a stirring love letter to the Black women who serve as the bedrock of their communities. Jean, a widow haunted by grief and determined to protect her children, finds herself at a breaking point. When a therapist gently asks, “How will you help your children without having helped yourself first?” she begins a path toward healing. The latest jewel of Black Canadian cinema, Village Keeper is a beautifully crafted, sensitive, and unforgettable story of resilience, sacrifice, and emotional truth.
From the islands to the city, Village Keeper celebrates a mother’s unbreakable spirit, a family’s enduring love, and Black healing.
Canada, 2024, 82 mins, drama in English, Karen Chapman, dir.
“Village Keeperis a film that goes beyond trauma into the story of recovery and connection to joy, setting a new standard in storytelling. Writer-director Karen Chapman has taken a well-worn single mother story to a new level of relevance that is, in a word, outstanding."~ Jeanine T. Abraham, Medium.com
“Karen Chapman’s tender and empathetic Village Keeper... her love for the people in front of her camera evident in every frame.” — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
“A heartfelt portrait of a family in Toronto’s underprivileged Thorncliff community deals with generational trauma and the insidiousness of grief.” — Collider
“Village Keeper isn’t a film about Black trauma; it’s a celebration of and journey towards Black healing.” — Kevin Bourne, SHIFTER Magazine
“What happens when the caretaker needs the most care? Village Keeper was one of our highlights... and it did not disappoint.” — Stacey Yvonne, Black Girl Nerds
“Chapman’s ability to balance the delicate tightrope of emotions the film walks is aided by the sensational performance by Olunike Adeliyi.” — Courtney Small, Cinema Axis
