Mosiah: “Before Malcolm. Before Martin. There was Marcus Mosiah Garvey.”

Mosiah, starring the charismatic Samuel Lee Fudge as the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr., written by Fudge and Jirard, and premiered in 2023, is the first narrative feature film about the legendary Pan-Africanist leader.

The film was featured at a private movie screening and meet the filmmaker event held on July 25th, 2025 at The Ajax Centre for the Arts. A second screening followed the next day, hosted by Knowledge Bookstore’s Brampton location.

The ÀṢẸ – The African School of Excellence team, founded by Dwayne Genus, made it their mission to bring Mosiah to the community, and it was both empowering and inspiring to witness that Garvey’s name still fills rooms with different generations who are drawn to his legacy.

Photo Courtesy of https://mosiahthemovie.com/

Mosiah focused on the 1923 court trial in New York where Garvey defended himself against the US government who plotted to silence and destroy his movement by charging him with mail fraud in connection with selling stocks for the Black Star Line, a shipping line designed to serve as a link between North America and Africa.

While this was dramatically reenacted, it felt personal watching Garvey defend himself and his vision against racism and white supremacy. Although these same injustices still disproportionately afflict our communities, it moved me to reflect on what Marcus Garvey courageously stood for: African unity, self-determination, economic independence, self-respect and dignity, and an unwavering trust that Black people possessed everything needed to shape their own future.

I was raised knowing why the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey is our first Jamaican National Hero. While I watched Fudge, who bares a strong resemblance to Garvey, passionately channel his energy, I reflected on the values that Garvey possessed to persist, the inner wisdom that he immovably trusted and dutifully shared, and the importance of the vision that outlived him to inspire leaders who came after him.

Watching the audience during the movie and listening to them afterwards was almost as captivating as watching the film itself. At both screenings, everyone remained remarkably engaged. Children and teens sat with their parents in the company of elders who had immigrated to Canada in the 1960s. One audience member spoke about her mother collecting Marcus Garvey’s autograph when she met him in Toronto in 1937. Another elder reflected on growing up under colonial rule in Jamaica. A young man asked about trusting the police. Educators and community leaders also added to the conversation, reminding me that community is strengthened when generations gather not only to celebrate history, but to speak honestly about the challenges that still affect us.

Following the second screening, writer, actor, and activist Fudge had to swiftly head to the airport to catch his flight. Once back home in Atlanta, he graciously took the time to connect with me and while we spoke about the event, Jamaica, and our connections to the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, he shared something that reshaped how I viewed the film.

I asked him, “When did Mosiah stop feeling like a film project and become a responsibility?” His answer pleasantly surprised me when he said, “It always felt like a responsibility from the beginning.”

Samuel explained that he intentionally steered away from production-related responsibilities so he could focus more on his writing, acting and connecting with Garvey. He and the film’s team were aligned. Then he described the moment he realized the work had become something larger than filmmaking. It wasn’t during production, but after the screenings. He noticed that no one asked him what cameras were used, or why a scene was lit a certain way. Instead, audiences asked about the problems facing Black communities today.

“They weren’t asking me about filmmaking. They were asking me about real problems that our people are facing.” That realization transformed the film into something else entirely.

The film Mosiah became a catalyst, and the conversations became the event, where questions and comments turned toward education, identity, personal experiences, economic empowerment, community investment, faith, and the future of Black communities worldwide.

Samuel repeatedly referred to himself as “A vessel.” He spoke openly about praying, preparing, and intentionally removing personal distractions so that Garvey’s spirit, instead of the man portraying it, would remain front and centre. His humility and commitment were clear demonstrations that leadership is also about creating a space where others finally feel comfortable enough to speak, and it was exciting to watch discussions spark when the movie credits rolled, then slowly but intentionally grow as people joined the queue to engage. As we prepared to leave, it was fitting that Genus left us with the proverb, “Many hands make light work.”

Photo Courtesy of https://mosiahthemovie.com/

Once I sat down and processed everything, I appreciated that the greatest achievement of Mosiah is not only that it brings a chapter of Marcus Garvey’s extraordinary story to life, but that it is also a vessel, one that connects the audience to his legacy and epic vision.

How do we honour that remarkable legacy and selfless vision as a community? Not solely by remembering what the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey accomplished. Not by reducing him to a quotation or a commemorative month. It can be done by protecting those who are brave enough to accept the calling to lead and champion on behalf of the collective. It can be done by making a conscious effort to prioritize principles that he embodied to unite us and uplift each other, to provoke groundbreaking conversations, and to galvanize leaders within each generation to carry forward the vision he started in a meaningful way. That is how we can truly honour an ancestor like him.

Thank you to Samuel Lee Fudge and his team for introducing the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey to a new generation and thank you to ÀṢẸ for recognizing that our community deserved to grow together because of it.

You can view this independent short film on Amazon Prime.​​ To support the movement directly, visit mosiahthemovie.com