REELS OF RESISTANCE: an evening of cinema in the park

A series of short films on migration, (in)security, and 911
GRANDVIEW PARK (Commercial Drive and Charles)
Thurs Sep 21 and Wed Sept 27 @ 7:30 pm/ Free

Dress in warm layers! Snacks will be served.
For more information, contact NOII-Van at: noii-van@resist.ca or 604-220-0451

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21 @ 7:30 pm

“11’09’01”:  Alaiin Brigand invited 11 renowned international directors (Samira Makhmalbaf, Claude Lelouch, Youseff Chahine, Danis Tanovic, Idrissa Ouedraogo, Ken Loach, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Amos Gitai, Mira Nair, Sean Penn, Shohei Imamura) to look towards their own cultures, their own memories, their own stories and their own language, and create a film lasting 11’09″01 around the consequences of Sep 11. We will be screening 4 of these films.

“Momiji- Japanese Maple” (23 mins) A personal documentary tracing three generations in a Japanese Canadian family, from immigration to internment in British Columbia during WWII, to the filmmaker’s own childhood in a white Montreal suburb. Directed by Nancy Tatebe, 1994.

“Whose Rights Anyway” (23 min): The film revolves around the security certificate case of Mohamed Harkat, who has been detained since December 10, 2002. It also deals with the racism felt by the Arab and Muslim community since the events of September 11, 2001 and how the Canadian government is allowing itself to limit certain rights in the name of “national security.” Directed by Anice Wong, 2005.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 27 @ 7:30 pm

“Detained in Guelph” (12 min) With no film-making experience six University of Guelph undergraduate students and a Sheridan College student created a project using the medium of film to engage a wide audience in dialogue about the role that post-9/11 security consciousness has had on the detention and deportation of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Produced and directed by Reel Alternatives Productions, 2004.

“No Time to Stop: Stories of immigrant women” (29 mins) The struggles of working immigrant women in Canada, as seen through the lives of Kwai Fong Lai, Alberta Onyejekwe, and Angela Williams. At home and at work, they speak about the conditions that shape their lives. By tracing the self-organizing of working immigrant women in domestic worker and hospital worker associations, this documentary is a powerful call to action. Directed by Helene Klodawsky, 1990.

“Threadbare” (20 min): In the summer of 2003, 23 Pakistani and one Indian man were arrested by Canadian law enforcement under Project Thread, a purported anti-terror investigation. The charges crumbled under scrutiny yet the men were quietly deported. Threadbare is the story of these men and the activist campaign  – Project Threadbare- in its struggle to exonerate, compensate, and naturalize the detainees. Produced and directed by Arshad Khan, 2005.

“Sanctuary” (12 min): Sanctuary tells the story of Sergio Loreto, who has lived in Canada for 18 years, but is now seeking sanctuary in a Toronto church in defiance of a deportation order to Guatemala. Directed by Jamie Escallon-Buraglia, 2005.