Cinema and social justice The film festival that is causing quite a discussion Zack MacRae
"People are saying that every film they see, they come away with something that has changed the way they look at the world" Carolyn Meili, venue and communications coordinator, Guelph Festival of Moving Media.
"Getting out of your comfort zone and connecting with the world as a whole is fabulous. I felt so inspired watching the films and hearing the experts talk," he said.
Tom Dowd, owner of Alma Gallery, reflects on the Guelph Festival of Moving Media that happened this past weekend in his and several other galleries around town.
"I think it's fantastic for Guelph to have a festival of this sort," said Dowd, who voluntarily lent out the space in his gallery for the screening of four films. The festival ran all weekend, showing 15 films that raised questions and brought people together.
The festival is unique in that it is run almost entirely by volunteers such as Dowd. Carolyn Meili, venue and communications coordinator for the event, was one of only three part time staff working with the festival.
"We have about 40 volunteers who do incredible work," said Meili. "Without them, we would not be able to function. We have incredible volunteers that give their enthusiasm and talent throughout the entire weekend."
For Dowd, letting the festival present films in his gallery gives him the opportunity to play a role in the community, and to provide people with a space to have meaningful discussion.
The films in the festival were the catalyst for much discussion over the weekend. Following every screening, a representative either from the film, or someone involved in the issue addressed, was available to talk and further the ideas presented in each screening.
This unique interaction created a discourse that took the viewer out of the usual passive role, placing him/her in a more active position – making the festival about more then just observing.
The subject matter of the films was not something you would see watching the CBC. Instead, each film placed the viewer into a position where they were likely to gain a different perspective. This is precisely how the festival was able to localize international topics, making them relevant and interesting to anyone with an open mind.
The reaction Meili has received from festivalgoers was overwhelmingly positive.
"People are saying that every film they see, they come away with something that has changed the way they look at the world," she said.
In a society that is constantly becoming more connected, the festival recognized the importance of gaining varied perspectives, and placed an emphasis on humanity and unification.
Carts of Darkness
reviewed by Zack MacRae
Picture yourself racing down one of the steepest hills in North Vancouver, the grey pavement under you, and the trees and homes on either side pulling away faster and faster. You reach a top speed of 70km per hour, with eyes squinting and hair blown back. As you pass pedestrians, for some reason they give you a funny look – they aren't used to seeing a shopping cart move so fast.
In Carts of Darkness, director Murray Siple depicts the extreme lives of several homeless men who have adapted a sport into a lifestyle. Siple, who requires a wheelchair as a result of a car accident which left him partially paralyzed, attempts to document the lives of these homeless men as they collect bottles and cans on the streets of Vancouver in order to survive.
The film comments on the cycle of homelessness in Vancouver, with first hand accounts of the conditions of homeless shelters and the effects of homelessness, including criminal activity and alcoholism.
The freedom these men find in racing down impossible hills, in carts that would usually hold eggs and bananas, is inspirational to the few who seem to notice. Some of the values that these vagrant men carry are at the essence of human existence. These men are not "prisoners of the economic system" - they are free from obligation.
The film focuses on the struggle these peaceful yet adrenalin-seeking men have on a daily basis, with hilarious footage and completely candid conversation. I will never look at a shopping cart the same way again.
The Strangest Dream
reviewed by Iris Hodgson
The world of The Strangest Dream is one of absurd scientific ambition. The urgency of scientists to build the atomic bomb for the Allies becomes the rush to build bigger, faster, and more effective atomic weapons- seemingly without considering the humanitarian, health-related, or environmental consequences. In this world, Joseph Rotblat is alone in his understanding that science becomes politics. He asserts that scientists must seriously check their thirst for knowledge in a discipline that whets military and political powers' thirst for bloodshed.
The film relies heavily on archival footage to show the atrocities of nuclear war – and the misguided optimism of the scientists who produce these weapons. Bombs explode, seemingly in slow motion. A group of fishermen, inadvertently too close to a test site, develop burns on their body days after exposure to radiation. American soldiers watching nuclear tests have "fallout particles" brushed off their uniforms with giant brooms.
As a response to this incredible reality, Rotblat founded the Pugwash Conferences in Pugwash Nova Scotia. In this small maritime town, Rotblat brought together a revolutionary group of internationally-based scientists to strategize for nuclear disarmament. Though their countries were at war with one another, individual Pugwash members worked – and still work - for peace. The organization is now in its 52nd year, and is avidly working to pressure Obama to make good on his promises of increased nuclear disarmament.
Nollywood Babylon
reviewed by Zack MacRae
The actors are budget, the camera gear cheap and the storylines impossible, but in the bustling streets and television sets of the Nigerian city of Lagos, Nollywood is telling the stories of traditional Nigerian oral histories.
Nollywood, the third largest national cinema in the world is growing rapidly and is giving voice to Nigerians who are proud that they are hearing their own stories, not the ones told by elitists in Hollywood.
The film focuses on and refers back to Nollywood director Lancelot as he bangs out his 157th film in a few short weeks. Through telling the story of Lancelot, the film brings up many issues that surround the people of Lagos, namely the adoption of Christianity into an economically deprived country.
A growing trend in Lagos, Christian churches have infiltrated the traditional beliefs of the people and are promising prosperity and success while draining the wallets of a majority of the population.
Nollywood Babylon is an eye opening look into a world that the viewer may not have otherwise heard about, and provides a meaningful commentary on the struggle between tradition and modernity.
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