Cyn of Omission
Tara Taylor & Kimber Wesley, Afromations Media Production Inc.
Language: English
Based On: Podcast, Stage Play, Remake
Project Type: TV Fiction (Scripted)
Genre: Period Noir Crime Mystery / Drama
Stage of Development:
We received script development funding form Screen Nova Scotia and have the season script complete, and are in post production on the proof of concept for Episode 1. We shot this as part of this years Black Above the Line program.
Estimated Length (minutes): 22minutes for the pilot - and 44mins for Ep 2-6
Director: Tara Taylor
Director Bio:
Tara Lynn Taylor is an award-winning director, filmmaker, writer, producer, animator, and cultural storyteller from East Preston, Nova Scotia. Her directing work spans film, television, animation, and theatre, with a strong focus on Black stories, history, identity, family, culture, and representation.
As a screen director, Tara has directed short films, animated projects, proof-of-concept productions, and television pilots. Her recent directing work includes the proof of concept for the social horror thriller Darker the Berry and the black-and-white historical noir pilot Cyn of Omission. She continues to develop original film and television projects through Afromations Media Productions Inc., bringing a distinct visual style and character-driven approach to stories that centre voices and experiences too often absent from the screen.
Tara’s directing practice is also deeply rooted in theatre. As a playwright and director, she has written four original musicals and has directed performers through the development and staging of her own productions. Her musical Love, Peace and Hairgrease received a Robert Merritt Award nomination for Outstanding Production, marking an important recognition of her work as a theatre creator and director.
Her theatre productions have also become an important training ground for emerging performers. Members of the principal and supporting casts who developed their skills through Tara’s musicals have since gone on to perform in five productions at Neptune Theatre, demonstrating the lasting impact of her approach to directing, mentorship, and artist development.
Her work behind the camera is complemented by her experience as an animator, allowing her to approach directing through both live-action and visual storytelling. In 2026, Tara received the Best Story Reel Award for Animation upon graduating from Story Xperiential.
Beyond her individual productions, Tara has played a significant role in strengthening Nova Scotia’s film ecosystem through Black Above the Line and Breaking Through the Screens, helping emerging Black filmmakers gain hands-on experience in directing, producing, writing, performance, and other key production roles. Partnered with ACTRA Maritimes, our talent receive union credits under the IPA agreement for the productions.
Whether directing actors on a film set, shaping an animated world, developing a television pilot, or guiding performers on stage, Tara’s work is grounded in a commitment to powerful storytelling, strong performances, cultural authenticity, and creating opportunities for the next generation of artists.
Proposed or Confirmed Talent:
Confirmed talent for Cyn of Omission include Koumbie, Martina Kelades, and Devon Taylor - in addition, the actors that have shot the pilot, will have the opportunity to audition for the full series.
Total Budget: $6M–$10M
Percent Confirmed:
None. We just wrapped so have not had the chance to pitch yet to get financing or apply for production funding. So far just the 20k to develop the scripts. And 25k to produce the Black ABove the Line 22min pilot with our participants.
Currency: $ CAD
List names of confirmed partners:
None yet.
What is this project seeking?
Financing, Broadcaster, Co-production Partner
Logline:
In 1951 Atlantic Canada, a brilliant Black detective and her warm-hearted partner investigate crimes overlooked by their male colleagues, uncovering a hidden network of exploitation stretching across coastal communities and revealing the stories of women history almost forgot. (Tag - “EVERY SILENCE LEAVES A MARK. - Silence. Atlantic. Unsolved.") - Created by Obediya Jones-Darrell, written for television by Tara Taylor.
Synopsis:
Set in Atlantic Canada in 1951, Cyn of Omission is a six-part historical noir crime drama following Cynthia Richards, a sharp, determined Black detective working inside a police system that routinely underestimates her and overlooks the women whose cases cross her desk.
When a seemingly isolated theft involving a mink coat leads Cynthia to a frightened young woman and a trail of inconsistencies, she begins to suspect the case is connected to something much larger. With the help of Cleo James, a persistent journalist who refuses to accept official explanations, Cynthia discovers a disturbing pattern stretching across several Atlantic communities.
At the center of the mystery is Mike Fraser, a charismatic and celebrated crooner whose music has made him a household name. His photographs, records, performances, and personal connections repeatedly surface in the lives of women who have disappeared, been exploited, or died under suspicious circumstances. What initially appears to be coincidence slowly reveals itself as a network protected by influence, reputation, and the willingness of powerful people to look the other way.
As Cynthia and Cleo move deeper into the investigation, each episode exposes another layer of the system surrounding the women: businesses that kept records but asked no questions, institutions that dismissed complaints, men who protected one another, and communities that learned silence was safer than speaking out.
The investigation becomes increasingly personal as Cynthia confronts the limits placed on her by her own department. She must decide how far she is willing to push when the very institution she serves becomes part of the obstruction. Cleo, meanwhile, risks her reputation and safety to bring the women’s stories into public view.
Across the series, the mystery expands beyond one suspect or one crime. What emerges is a portrait of how exploitation survives when respected people, businesses, institutions, and communities each choose not to see what is directly in front of them.
By the final episode, Cynthia and Cleo have assembled the pieces connecting the victims across Atlantic Canada, but solving the case forces them to confront a more unsettling truth: the greatest crime was not simply what happened to these women, but how many people knew enough to stop it and chose silence instead.
Cyn of Omission is ultimately a story about memory, justice, and the people history leaves unnamed. Told through a stylized black-and-white noir lens, the series combines mystery, crime, music, and social history while centering Black women as investigators, truth-tellers, and keepers of stories others tried to erase.
Every silence leaves a mark.
Contact Information: afromationmedia@gmail.com; kimberwesleycreative@gmail.com
