Oscar winner filmmaker Ben Proudfoot turns the objective eye of the camera on the powerful story of Chris Hesse. A man of the cloth, Hesse was once a filmmaker and cinematographer in his home country of Ghana.

He was with Ghana’s first president, Kwarme Nkrumah, from his inauguration to the coup that removed him from power. We learn that those who seized power destroyed all the film he shot, but the negatives… well, we learn history lives on.

Hesse mentors and works with an up-and-coming young filmmaker, Anita Afonu. Preparing to share and pass on his legacy. A legacy that Proudfoot documents showing both Hesse’s and Ghana’s work in film, as well as their histories.

The story is echoed in a lone, desolate theater, The Rex, which is slowly being revitalized.

As a testament to the beauty of film, it’s a moving piece. As a document showing the transition from colonial rule to democracy and to something more troubling, it illuminated a corner of history I didn’t know about. And as a film, it soars.

It flies because of its enthralling subject matter and an incredibly powerful scored delivered by Kris Bowers. Sweeping and emotional, it reaches operatic heights with the emotions it generates. It’s gorgeous.

Hesse is eminently likable, his story powerful, and his love of cinema, shared, by countless others around the globe. This is a moving film, and Hesse, Anita and the wonderful Rex theater remind us of how powerful cinema can be – that shared experience around the flickering, story-telling light.

Sadly, you may have missed this one at TIFF, but keep your eyes open for this one should it get a theatrical release, and definitely track it down on streaming platforms. It’s a beautiful ode to the power of cinema, the legacy of film, and the importance of documenting history.