A film with ties to the area will be making its premiere in Chatham.
"Black Gold" is a short film written and directed by Aaron Huggett, a native of Oil Springs, Ontario. The movie explores the fallout of establishing the oil industry in southwestern Ontario in the 1800s and the hardships that came with it.
It will be shown on Saturday, February 9 at the Capitol Theatre.
"Black Gold" has won over 25 awards at competitions and festivals across the globe, including being named "Best Picture" at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards in 2018. Huggett said it's been great to showcase local history on an international scale.
"It's been fun to see the local history get out there, beyond our community and people get an awareness of it that didn't realize the impact that Southwestern Ontario had on the energy industry," said Huggett.
Filming took place at historical site locations across Southwestern Ontario and Huggett said viewers can expect to recognize many locations. Several scenes were shot in Dresden. Most notably, Huggett used Uncle Tom's Cabin, the former African-American settlement site that Reverend Josiah Henson helped to found. Huggett said he couldn't give up the chance to weave Henson as a character into the movie's plot.
"Josiah Henson's story should be one that more people are familiar with," said Huggett. "I don't think he's really gotten the kind of exposure the story deserves. When we got the opportunity to pull it into this film and tell it on the big screen, we couldn't pass that up. Filming in the Dresden area, we realized how important that piece of history is."
The screening of "Black Gold" will be followed by a showing Huggett's 2017 film, "Black Donnellys." After the movies, cast and crew will take part in a question and answer session, to give a chance for viewers to learn more about the history of the film and the process of making it. Huggett added that many of the actors in the film are from Chatham-Kent.
"We hope people come out to see the show, get a chance to say 'hi' to them there," said Huggett.
For more information and ticket details, click here.