In a powerful story of healing and forgiveness, Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin re-imagines mothering after being abandoned by her own. In a journey to seek out her elusive mother, Staceyann travels across Brooklyn, Montreal, Cologne, and Jamaica while building a new sense of home with her own daughter. This film is presented to honor Women’s History Month and is a collaboration with POV, the award-winning independent non-fiction film series on PBS, and PBS Utah.
Black, Bold & Brilliant
A Mother Apart
Wed, March 4, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Utah Film Center 375 W 400 N (west entrance)
FREE
Featuring a pre-recorded Q&A moderated by the Black, Bold & Brilliant team with director Laurie Townshend and participant Staceyann Chin.
Directed by Laurie Townshend
Runtime: 89 MIN
Year: 2024
Country: Canada
Content warning: Depictions of family abandonment, sexual assault
Language: English, German
Cast: Staceyann Chin, Zuri Chin
Official Selection
2024 Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival, 2024 Vancouver Queer Film Festival, 2024 Blackstar Film Festival, 2024 Reel Q Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival, 2024 HotDocs, 2024 DOCNYC, 2025 BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
Awards
Best Feature, Best Canadian Feature, Audience Award|Best Documentary Film-Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film FestivalPortrait Documentary Competition Winner-2024 Cleveland International Film FestivalJury Prize-2025 Newark LGBTQ Film Festival 2025
Honors
Nominee-2025 Canadian Screen Awards
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