Revealing cinema
Filmfest highlights issues related to free trade and globalization
Jeanne Fronda Staff
Unemployed auto parts employees sprawl across mats, refusing to vacate a factory. People dance in the street as a demonstration of protest. A woman sits at a sewing machine for 10-hours straight to tailor jeans. These are just some of the images you’ll see if you attend the HAG Filmfest, a festival that focuses on issues related to free trade and globalization.
The festival was created in response to Hemispheria, an upcoming trade summit planned for Winnipeg in May. Along with several U of M student groups, the Hemispheria Action Group (HAG), a Winnipeg-based collective, planned the event with the hope of getting people to think about the effects of globalization through the use of film.
“Films are a way of communicating all kinds of information,” said Troy Stozek, one of the festival organizers. “It’s an interactive way to engage people [and their] low attention spans . . . and get relevant information into people’s minds.”
With the idea of attracting as many people as possible, Stozek said the group’s aim was to include a variety of issues in the festival. Throughout March, a film will be shown every Thursday — five films in total — and each will be followed by a discussion led by guest speakers. The films include The Take, a documentary about Buenos Aires auto workers struggling with factory owners; Working Women of the World, which focuses on how the garment industry is affecting the globe; The Bottom Line, which addresses the impact of privatization; As Long as the River Flows, a movie about how clear-cut logging affects the environment, and The Fourth World War, a documentary about the different resistance or activists groups around the world.
“We wanted to get some of the truths about free trade to the public,” said Stozek, who hopes that some people will walk away from the festival wanting to take action. “We would like to see people mobilize and see a need to oppose this agenda.”
On other hand, he said that it’s fine if people just want to watch the films and think about some new ideas or topics.
“We wanted something that wasn’t just going to preach to the converted . . . We have no expectations and try to make it as open as possible and get a good discussion out of these things,” he said. “People can come if they want to wave a flag [if they want to.] . . . It’s all about participation and transparency.”
But above all, Stozek said the main reason for the festival is to create a sense of belonging.
“[The festival] is really important for what HAG stands for — community,” he said, as the festival was also organized with groups such as the Iceberg Public Research Interest Group, the Womyn’s Centre and UMREG.
Rather than being screened in a traditional theatre setting, the films will be shown in cozier areas, such as the UMSU council chambers office.
“We wanted to have full rooms and an interactive setting and not have people tuned out with each other,” said Stozek. “It’s always very satisfying [to know] that our feelings are real and we’re not alone in our struggles, and it’s always more effective to do those things collaboratively.”
For more information, visit http://www.hemispheria-action.org
