Films to expand the mind to fit the world

What do Congolese freedom fighters, the Manitoba hog farming industry and human trafficking all have in common? Well, in addition to being subjects of documentary films playing at the upcoming Winnipeg Global Justice Film Festival, they are, moreover, global issues that affect and resonate with people right here in our community.

“It's really important to see what's happening elsewhere, and recognize that there are connections to how we are living our lives here,” said Janice Hamilton, executive director of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC). “For instance, Shock Waves, a film about human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo will speak to the experience of the many Congolese refugees now living here.”

The MCIC is just one of a coalition of organizations responsible for bringing the festival, which is scheduled to show 18 films over two days, to local theatre screens. Other groups include Amnesty International, the United Church of Canada and Project Peacemakers. For Hamilton, the festival presents an important enterprise.

“We want to call together people who are curious about or committed to the [ . . . ] necessity for global peace and justice and to engage them in dialog and information sharing through the film.”

Which begs the obvious question: what makes the film medium particularly well-suited to such an expansive and important venture?

“Well, I think film is an accessible way for people to find out more information,” Hamilton said. “But it can also be very challenging, as well as inspiring and it's a creative medium which can engage a lot of issues that aren't necessarily covered in mainstream media.”

A couple new Manitoban-made features are scheduled to screen. The first is the premiere of At the Trough, a new documentary exposing the destructive nature of Manitoba's corporate hog industry. The second is a human trafficking exposé and St. Mary's Academy Theatre Arts production The Oldest Oppression.

Other notable features screening at the festival include The National Film Board’s drug prohibition rumination Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey, Mexican director Arturo Perez Torres' creative Lucha Libre wrestlers-as-social-justice-asskickers documentary Super Amigos, and 2007 Sundance award-winner War Dance, a musical look at the lives of Northern Ugandan child soldiers.

Hamilton says that although the films tackle deeply moving, often distressing, issues, they are framed within a constructive context.

“We did choose a lot of films with serious topics, but often many of them have a very positive message in them. It's not all doom and gloom.” She asserts, “In fact, it's empowering. We see people doing things to improve their lives, and see that we can be a part of it.”

Hamilton says that certain screenings, including the At the Trough premiere, are scheduled to feature discussion panels afterward.

The annual Winnipeg Global Justice Film Festival takes place on Nov. 7 and 8. All showings are at the University of Winnipeg, with half-price admission for students/low income. Further details can be obtained at www.globaljusticefilmfestival.ca.