Canfield Roots
Director/Producer Graeme Bachiu graduated from NC’s Broadcasting program in 2003.
Photo: Courtesy of Windecker Road Films
Documentary filmmaker Graeme Bachiu, who graduated from NC’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program in 2003, is behind a new docuseries Canfield Roots which debuted early during Black History Month and will continue to air on PBS and Bell through February and March. The docuseries shares stories of Black families who made rural Southern Ontario their home after escaping enslavement, whose descendants now work to save an abandoned cemetery.
Through his company Windecker Road Films, Bachiu produces broadcast and branded documentaries and works on projects from other producers on a work-for-hire basis. Prior to 2015, he had a career in broadcast news with CHCH-TV and, earlier in his career, he worked for Rogers in community television as a producer, director, and more.
View Windecker Road Films’ February 23 news release about Canfield Roots below.
Celebrate black history month with homegrown Canfield Roots docuseries
Windecker Road Films invites you to add the Canadian-made documentary series Canfield Roots to your Black History Month viewing this February and March. The six-part docuseries is premiering on WNED PBS Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., as well as a dozen other PBS stations, as part of the Public Media station’s offering of Black History Month programming – and will air a second time starting in March. The series is also available 24/7 on TV1 to Bell Fibe TV On Demand subscribers and available for rental or purchase at www.windeckerroadfilms.com.
Sharing the history of some of the Black families who lived and thrived in a small rural town, Canfield Roots follows present-day descendants in Canada and the U.S. as they learn about their family history, share their early experiences, and fight to preserve the Street cemetery, now the focus of a restoration project. Located on private land, the cemetery is the final resting place of freedom seekers and the last remaining evidence that Black people lived in Canfield.
“Canfield Roots details efforts to save an abandoned cemetery – only an hour from Buffalo – where formerly enslaved people, including Harriet Tubman’s niece, were buried. The series uncovers the history of freedom seekers and the lives they led following their escape into Canada that should not be forgotten, and we’re excited to bring it to our viewers on both sides of the border,” said Kathryn Larsen, VP of Broadcast Services, Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
“I expect the majority of viewers will be very surprised to learn the history of the area,” said Director/Producer of Canfield Roots, Graeme Bachiu. “As a filmmaker, I find it meaningful to shine a light on lesser-known history. And, in this case with Canfield Roots, if I can help elevate the voices of those working to save the Street cemetery, I’m proud to do so.”
To view the Canfield Roots trailer, visit windeckerroadfilms.com.
A still from the docuseries Canfield Roots shows Aileen Duncan (a descendent of the Street family) and siblings at Street cemetery.
Photo: Courtesy of Windecker Road Films
The History
In the mid-1800s, Black American freedom seekers journeyed north to Canada on the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses and hiding places that took people north. Some families put down roots near the small village of Canfield, building homes, raising families, and contributing to the cultural fabric of the community. Over time, the children of those families married into other families across Ontario and the United States, including a connection with the family of Harriet Tubman, the heroine known for making 13 return trips on the Underground Railroad to help liberate other freedom seekers.
“One of the inspiring people you’ll hear about in Canfield Roots is Lucy Street, who was born into slavery, made the perilous journey to Canada via the Underground Railroad, with children in tow no less, and then established her home in Canfield, becoming a wife and mother to 13 children, founding a Baptist Church, and becoming a substantial landowner with her husband,” said Bachiu. “We should all know about heroines like Lucy, just as many of us already know and celebrate more well-known freedom leaders like Harriet Tubman.”
The first episode of Canfield Roots garnered over 10,000 viewers on WNED PBS alone. The station has since added a second run for the series beginning March 15 and running weekly until April 19. This is the second documentary series PBS has aired from Windecker Road Films. The first was the four-part docuseries Making Things Count: Pandemic Postcards which aired in November 2020.
“I hope everyone gets as much out of watching Canfield Roots, as we did filming it,” said Bachiu. “Similar to Pandemic Postcards, much of this project was created during the pandemic, and we were heavily affected by COVID-19, so I’m especially happy to be sharing it with audiences now.”
The February/March airing of Canfield Roots on WNED PBS (Southern Ontario and Western New York) and on a dozen other PBS stations including WPBS (Eastern Ontario and Northern New York) and WXXI (Rochester) will be the first time American viewers have seen the series. Canadian viewers with Bell Fibe TV On Demand have enjoyed the docuseries on TV1 since October 2021 (available in cable packages on the mobile app), but this will be the first time all Southern & Eastern Ontario cable subscribers can access the series. The docuseries is also available for purchase (DVD or digital download) or rental at wwwwindeckerroadfilms.com.
Buffalo Toronto Public Media (BTPM) is a trusted public media resource that enriches its audiences by providing educational, entertaining programming and services, as well as engaging the Western New York and Southern Ontario communities through cultural and civic involvement. BTPM‘s media properties include three television stations (WNED PBS, PBS Kids and Create) and three radio stations.
Windecker Road Films is a Cayuga, Ontario-based media production company focused on character-driven short films, broadcast, and branded documentaries. Founder and Filmmaker Graeme Bachiu was named a 2021 Breakthrough Fellow by the Documentary Organization of Canada. While Bachiu’s films have been screened at film festivals around the world, they remain rooted in the rural area he lives in. Current projects include Canfield Roots and Music From Windecker Road, a six-part TV series featuring local songwriters and celebrating a different locale in each episode. Join the email list at www.windeckerroadfilms.com to stay updated on all the latest projects. Follow Windecker Road Films on Facebook at @windeckerroadfilms and on Instagram @graemebachiu
