Conquering Lion Pictures

Conquering Lion Pictures (CLP) is an independent Canadian film production company founded by Clement Virgo and Damon D'Oliveira.[1] Virgo and D'Oliveira met in 1991 while studying at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), and formed CLP while working on Rude, their first feature film at the CFC.[1]

CLP have produced or co-produced a number of noteworthy films. Their first feature film, Rude (1995), was the first feature film produced by an African-Canadian director,[2][3] and premiered at Cannes to critical acclaim.[1] Poor Boy's Game (2007), directed by Virgo, premiered at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival as a "Panorama Special Selection", and was later presented as a Special Selection at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.[4] Lie with Me (2005) premiered at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival as a "Panorama Selection". It caused a stir at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival for its portrayal of explicit sexual themes,[5] and has since been distributed internationally in over 30 territories and sold to Showtime.[6]

CLP's latest project is The Book of Negroes, based on the Lawrence Hill novel of the same name.[7] Hill's novel won the 2009 Canada Reads contest as well as the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2008.[8] CLP's six-part miniseries adaptation premiered on BET in February 2015 and won nine Canadian Screen Awards in 2016, as well as an award for best miniseries by the NAACP.[9][10][11][12][13]

Other upcoming feature projects include the lesbian western I Shot the Sheriff, and an urban music drama, Enter the Cipher, which was selected for the 2010 Tribeca All Access program.[14]

In September 2018, it was announced that CLP, along with fellow Canadian film company Hawkeye Pictures, had acquired the rights to Brother, an award-winning novel by David Chariandy.[15]