Mini Women's Rights Film Festival
The Forum is now over, but we encourage you to check the "Latest News" section of this site for selected session writeups, transcripts, and other post-forum information. Updates will be posted throughout December and January.
Forum Programme
Thursday, October 27 at 20:00
Moolaade (Ballroom 1)
Dir. Ousmane Sembene | 124 min | Fiction | Jula/French/English Subtitles | Burkina Faso
Written and directed by 81-year-old African master filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, "Moolaadé" tackles the subject of female circumcision and changing traditions in a small village in Burkina Faso. The movie features a woman Collé who leads a rebellion against the female circumcision ritual by invoking the age old tradition of moolaadé (protection). Stunningly beautiful, this is a story about the courage to change and the social turmoil that ensues.
No More Tears Sister: Anatomy of Hope and Betrayal (Ballroom 2)
Dir. Helene Klodawsky | 78 min | Documentary | English | Sri Lanka
No More Tears Sister recreates the life and death of Dr Rajani Thiranagama, a Sri Lankan human rights defender who was murdered in 1985. Beautifully shot and rendered, the film recounts Rajani's deeply human struggle as a wartime mother, university professor, wife and political activist. Stunningly photographed, using rare archival footage, intimate correspondence and poetic recreations, the story of Rajani and her family delves into rarely explored themes – revolutionary women and their dangerous pursuit of justice. No More Tears Sister is produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Go Home Baby Girl (Ballroom 3)
Dir. Audrey Huntley | 46 min | Documentary | English | Canada
Director present – screening to be followed by a Q&A session
One family's heart-wrenching journey to find closure to the death of Norma George, one of hundreds of Native women who have been murdered or gone missing in Canada in the last thirty years. Through the eyes of her family, we learn how Norma's culture and home were stripped from her and how she ended up in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Sponsored by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News Sunday this is the international premiere of this important and deeply moving film that exposes one of Canada's darkest secrets.
Thursday, October 27 at 21:30
Heart Cry ~ Heart Karai (Ballroom 2)
Dir. Robin Slarke | 45 min | Documentary | English | Papua New Guinea
Director present – screening to be followed by a Q&A session
The only thorough documentation of its kind of the 2002 Papua New Guinean national election this work represents an invaluable international record and is a world premier. Filmed by Robyn Slarke, a long time Australian community worker in the highlands of the Chimbu Province Heart Cry ~ Heart Karai demonstrates the strength and determination of PNG women to try to gain parliamentary representation in the face of apparently insurmountable odds. It is an authentic, inspiring and powerful document of courage.
Thursday, October 27 at 21:30
New visions, unsung heroes: Short documentaries (Ballroom 3)
Six groundbreaking documentaries by women and girls from around the world reflect on the struggle for equality, freedom from oppression, sexual autonomy and social justice.
Featuring:
1. Speak Out! Girls, Creative Vision and Globalisation
Breakthrough | 5 min | Documentary | English | Canada, South Africa, USA
The result of a collaborative video project in which girls from three countries made short videos to reflect on topics important to them, including the "F" word (feminism), sexual violence, influence of media on their lives, racism, and the struggle for a better world.
2. Clean Shit/Alice Lives Here
Dir. Ong Ju Lin | 23 min | English/Malay | Philippines
Ong Ju Lin's Clean Shit which has since been renamed as Alice Lives Here is a Reel Power Production and Ju Lin's maiden foray into film-making and film activism. It documents the response of residents in Broga, Malaysia when they find out that the largest waste incinerator of its kind in Asia is going to be built near their village. Winner of the amateur category at the Freedom Film Festival it profiles the unsung heroism of Alice, a clerk in a furniture factory, and her role in her community's tenacious struggle for justice.
3. In Women's Hands
Global Campaign for Microbicides | 11 min | Documentary | English | USA
In Women's Hands focuses mostly on the personal stories of people whose lives speak to the need for microbicides. It is an important tool for creating discussion and awareness around the HIV/STI epidemic among women, how microbicides could make a difference and the importance of advocacy for microbicides.
4. Out of Silence
Dir. Jane Munene | 23 min | Documentary | English | Kenya
Out of Silence is a short documentary produced by Jane Munene, a local Kenyan filmmaker, as part of International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF)'s Rights for Working Women's Campaign. It documents the personal experiences of women workers who face sexual harassment and abuse while working in Kenya's coffee, tea, flower and textile export industries. The film challenges us to examine the relationship between international economic policies and the rights of women workers.
5. Ibu
Renas Makki | 5 min | Fiction | Indonesian/with English Subtitles | Indonesia
This short tells a simple but powerful story of one woman's struggle to support her family.
6. Feminism: Speak Up!
Dir. Valentina Homem | 2 min | Documentary | Spanish/English | Brazil
This short film features opinions/comments of diverse people (from different cultures, backgrounds, levels of engagement, and knowledge about the feminist movement) about feminism.
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