Antigonish International Film Festival 2007 Descriptions of Films

An Evergreen Island
45 min, 2000
Filmmakers: Fabio Cavadini & Mandy King
In 1989 the people of the Pacific Island of Bougainville closed one of the world’s largest copper mines which was destroying their land. In response, a blockade was imposed around the island. This is a film about a people who survived for 9 years without assistance from the outside world. They built their own schools and colleges, and turned to their traditional bush medicines. Without communications they charged batteries using solar power to run satellite telephones and 2 way radios. They generated their own electricity by harnessing water energy. They even used fermented coconut oil as a substitute for diesel fuel. An inspiring story of courage, creativity, and survival.
Venue: Maritime Inn
4:45 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Central Nova Green Party Association, Coady International Institute, Development & Peace (Antigonish), The Fresh Air Society

A Tribe of His Own; The Journalism of P. Sainath
50 min, 2001
Director: Joe Moulins
When government propaganda and corporate spin are increasingly presented as fact, A Tribe of His Own reminds us what the news media can be. With a groundbreaking series of newspaper articles and a critically acclaimed book, Palagummi Sainath was the first recipient of Amnesty International’s Human Rights Journalist of the Year award in 2000. We follow Sainath to the Indian villages he writes about, and explore his contention that “journalism is for people, not shareholders.” Stephen Hume writes, “Mesmerizing…this film delivers powerful insights into the enduring story of human suffering and its shining corollary, imperishable hope. Chris Award, 2002 Columbus Film Festival.
Venue: Maritime Inn
4:45 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor: Coady International Institute

Betrayed
56 min, 2004
Director: Elaine Briere
Canada is surrounded by three oceans, but has a single deep-sea ship flying the Canadian flag. Sixty years ago, Canada had the fourth-largest merchant fleet in the world and ships brought vital supplies to Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. The men sailing those ships were war heroes who suffered terrible losses. Their union, the Canadian Seaman’s Union (CSU) brought the eight-hour day, sick leave and pay increases to an industry known for low wages and brutal working conditions. After the war, the federal government and the ship-owners initiated a campaign to discredit the CSU by branding them as Communists. It was a time of fear and betrayal. This film traces the history of Canadian shipping from the international strike of 1949 to the globalization of coastal shipping in Australia by Canada Steamship Lines. Briere is also the Award -winning director of Bitter Paradise: The Sell-out of East Timor.
Venue: Health Connections
4:45 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Political Science Department-StFX

Blossoms of Fire
74 min, 2000
Directors: Maureen Gosling & Ellen Osborne
The legendary Zapotec women of southern Oaxaca, Mexico have been described as “guardians of men, distributors of food.” Blossoms of Fire shows them in all their brightly coloured, opinionated glory as they run their own businesses, embroider their signature fiery blossoms on clothing and comment with angry humour on articles in the foreign press that inaccurately depict them as a promiscuous matriarchy. A history of resisting aggressors has resulted in fierce independence and progressive politics. Their acceptance of alternative gender roles is an example of refusing to conform to a macho cultural standard. Fiestas are celebrations which build community. Award for Excellence, American Anthropological Association; Best of Festival, Sunnyside of the Art and Culture Doc Film Market, Marseilles
Venue: Bergengren Credit Union
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Anthropology Program-StFX, Antigonish Women’s Resource Center

Cease! Fire!
49 min., 2003
Director: Saw Eh Doh Wah & Scott O’Brien. Kaw Lah Films (Kaw Lah Films is an indigenous film group from Burma. Karen language with English sub-title).
Saw Eh Doh Wah is Karen from Burma. He was forced to flee into refugee camps in Thailand in 1995. In the refugee camp, he received photo-journalist training and coordinated a photography project with youth in the camp. In 2003, he and Scott O’Brien formed Kaw Lah Films - a group aimed at producing films for/by Indigenous peoples of Burma - and completed their first film, “Karen Education Surviving”. Scott O’Brien is a Canadian who has been working with Karen people for 10 years. His background is in Indigenous community-based education and works with a local Karen education organization along the Thai-Burma border.
Venue: Maritime Inn
11:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor: Political Science Department -StFX

Dead in the Water
52min, 2006
Director: Neil Docherty
One quarter of the world’s population has no access to clean drinking water. Many governments lack either the resources or the will to provide this essential commodity to their citizens. In recent years, a number of powerful companies have spotted this crisis and seen a business opportunity. In thousands of cities and towns throughout the world, often with the involvement of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, these corporations have attempted to privatize the water supply. Dead in the Water investigates the results of these efforts at privatization in several key locations, and chronicles what many see as the first in a wave of battles in the years to come.
Venue: Wong’s Restaurant (2nd Floor)
11:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Central Nova Green Party Association, OXFAM Canada, Wishing Wells

Favela Rising
80 min, 2005
Filmmakers: Jeff Zimbalist & Matt Mochary
Documents a man and a movement, a city divided and a favela united. A favela is a Brazilian squatter settlement. Haunted by the murders of family and friends, Anderson Sa, a former drug-trafficker, turns to music to rally his community to oppose the violent oppression of the drug armies and corrupt police. Just as Anderson’s grassroots Afro Reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement. Favela Rising celebrates the strength of the human spirit to assert itself in the face of human rights violations, social injustice, and unexpected adversity. Gritty and inspiring. Numerous awards including: Film of the Year, International Documentary Association; Best Emerging Documentary Filmmaker, Tribeca Film Festival.
Venue: Health Connections
9:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Political Science Department-StFX

Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand)
60 min, 2004
Filmmaker: Jill Friedberg
For over 20 years, global economic forces have been dismantling public education in Mexico, but always in the constant shadow of popular resistance. Granito de Arena is the story of that resistance. The story of hundreds of thousands of public schoolteachers whose grassroots, non-violent movement took Mexico by surprise, and who have endured brutal repression in their 25-year struggle to defend public education. Interviews with internationally recognized figures, such as Eduardo Galeano and Maude Barlow, place the Mexican teachers’ struggle in a global context, clearly spelling out the relationship between economic globalization and the worldwide public education crisis. Nominee: International Documentary Association’s 2005 Pare Lorentz Award.
Venue: Bergengren Credit Union
11:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Lorefice Insurance, Project Accompaniment

Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train
78 min, 2004
Filmmakers: Deb Ellis & Denis Mueller
Narrated by Matt Damon • Featuring music by Pearl Jam, Woody Guthrie & Billy Bragg.
In these turbulent times, Howard Zinn is inspiring a new generation. This acclaimed film looks at the amazing life of the renowned historian, activist and author. Following his early days as a shipyard labour organizer and bombardier in World War II, Zinn became an academic rebel and leader of civil disobedience in a time of institutionalized racism and war. His influential writings shine light on and bring voice to factory workers, immigrant laborers, African-Americans, Native-Americans and the working poor. Featuring rare archival materials, You Can’t Be Neutral captures the essence of this extraordinary man who has been a catalyst for progressive change for more than 60 years.
Venue: Maritime Inn
1:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Antigonish NDP Association, Bob Zecker (History Department-StFX), Canadian Auto Workers Union, Lorefice Insurance, Elaine MacLean & Jennifer Sullivan & Tara Taylor

Mi’kmaq Family / Migmaoei Otjiosog
33 min, 1995
Director: Catherine Martin
Mi’kmaq filmmaker and mother, Catherine Anne Martin takes a reflective journey into the extended family of Nova Scotian Mi’kmaq society. Members of her community share their stories about the recovery of First Nations values, particularly through the teachings of elders. The wisdom of experiene and the collective responsibilities of the Mi’kmaq community play a major role in the way their children are raised. An enlightening and inspiring resource for both First Nations and non-First Nations audiences who are looking for ways to strenghten and explore their own families and traditions.
Venue: Maritime Inn
10:15 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Anthropology Program-StFX

Money as Debt
47 min., 2004
Director: Paul Grignon
A clear and concise animated explanation of money and how it works in society and for whom. A short history of how lending came into being from ancient times; how banks don’t actually lend existing deposits, but materialize money out of thin air. Fascinating for all ages.
Venue: Health Connections
4:45 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Bergengren Credit Union

Mr. Mergler’s Gift
31 min, 2004
Director: Beverly Shaffer
The girl sits at the piano and plays the opening bars of Für Elise. Daniel Mergler has heard the Beethoven bagatelle countless times over the decades, but this is different. He listens with surprise, and delight lights up the old man’s eyes. The young pianist is Xin Ben, the 9-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants. Fate has brought her to Mr. Mergler, a music teacher whose career is drawing to a close. Mr. Mergler’s Gift is the moving account of a student and her mentor, and a lyrical homage to the transcendent power of music. Xin Ben illuminates Mr. Mergler’s final months with her youthful talent, and in return he lovingly guides her towards a life in music. Oscar-winning filmmaker Beverly Shaffer crafts a film of elegant simplicity and deep emotion, gracefully documenting a dying man’s dedication to his young prodigy.
Venue: Bergengren Credit Union
9:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): StFX Chinese Association

Reema: There and Back
52 min, 2006
Director: Paul Émile d’Entremont
With a Canadian mother, who until recently was the only family she knew, and an Iraqi father who wants to get to know his daughter after a 16-year absence, young Reema is confronted with difficult questions about her identity. During Reema’s two-month visit with her father in Jordan, director Paul Émile d’Entremont adopts the point of view of this sensitive and lively young girl who exhibits all the contradictions typical of someone her age. When Reema returns home to Nova Scotia after a visit with her father, she realizes that she will always have a double identity, and that it is both a burden and a treasure. In French and English with subtitles.
Venue: Wong’s Restaurant (2nd Floor)
4:45 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
80 min, 2005
Soda Soap Productions
This film tells the story of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who came together to form a band while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea. Forced from their homes in Sierra Leone, the members of the band represent the thousands of untold stories that exist amongst the survivors of the Sierra Leonean civil war. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars is an inspiring story of survival and rebirth in the wake of the horrors of war and a triumphant testament to the power of music.
Venue: Wong’s Restaurant (2nd Floor)
1:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Lyghtesome Gallery

Street Nurse
45 min, 2002
Director: Shelley Saywell
For years, as one of Toronto’s 50 or so street nurses, Cathy Crowe has visited the habitats of the homeless, tending to their blistered feet, infected wounds and often fragile psyches. She helps find night shelter for them when temperatures reach lethally low levels. That’s the silent, unseen, part of what she does. But it is her passionate advocacy on behalf of the homeless that has brought her into the spotlight in Toronto. This sensitive film introduces some of the people in our Canadian communities we often do not take the time to get to know. A call to action on a critical social issue.
Venue: Health Connections
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, School of Nursing-StFX

Sunset Story
73 min, 2003
Director: Laura Gabbert
Sunset Story is a funny and intimate documentary that will make you think differently about growing old. Set against the backdrop of a retirement home in Los Angeles for “free-thinking elderly”, the film follows Irja (81) and Lucille (95), whose feisty engagement with life draws them together inextricably. Irja and Lucille explode familiar stereotypes of doddering “old ladies”. Sharp-witted, up-to-date, and often provocative, the two are not afraid to weigh in with opinions on men, sex, gender roles, and social attitudes toward the elderly. They operate as an odd couple, with Irja (the eternal idealist) and Lucille (the irreverent skeptic), cracking ironic dry jokes .
Special Jury Award: 2003 Tribeca Film Festival.
Venue: Health Connections
1:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, Sisters of St. Martha (of Antigonish)

The Amasong Chorus: Singing Out
55 min, 2002
Director: Jay Rosenstein
Kristina Boerger’s struggles as a lesbian activist and musician, in Champaign, Illinois led her to form the award-winning Amasong Chorus, a Lesbian/ Feminist choir dedicated to the pursuit of choral excellence within an atmosphere that celebrates all forms of women’s devotion to their communities. Singing beautiful arrangements of folkloric music from around the world, Amasong Chorus members explore their personal needs for expression and mutual support. This music-filled documentary has been shown to acclaim at major film festivals in Turin Italy, Sydney Australia, and San Francisco. Enjoy!
Venue: Health Connections
11:30 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): LGBT Advisors and X-Pride

The Collector of Bedford Street
34 min, 2003
Director: Alice Elliott
Dubbed the “feel good” movie of the year, this Academy Award nominee follows Larry Selman, the filmmaker’s 60 year old neighbour. A community activist and fundraiser with developmental disabilities, Larry raises thousands of dollars for charity every year while he lives at the poverty level. Because of Larry’s 20 years of service to his neighbourhood, the community created a supplemental need adult trust fund for him. The film humanizes the story behind the abstract statistics of developmental disability, revealing how a community welcomes and celebrates all of its diverse members. Numerous awards.
Venue: Health Connections
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Antigonish NDP Association, L’Arche Antigonish

The Devil’s Miner
82 min, 2005
Filmmakers: Kief Davidson & Richard Ladkani
This is the story of 14-year-old Basilio Vargas and his 12-year-old brother Bernardino, who work in the dangerous Cerro Rico silver mines of Bolivia. Raised without a father and living in extreme poverty, the boys assume many adult responsibilities. The Vargas boys chew coca leaves to stave off hunger and keep their wits about them during their long hours in the mines, where they also present offerings to El Tío, the malevolent spirit of the mines. According to local legend, El Tío is a miner’s only hope of salvation; people believe that the spirit of God does not exist in the hellish underworld inside the mountain. A moving portrait of a world where children risk their lives daily in hopes of an eventual better life. Film Critics Award: Hot Docs Festival; Best Documentary: Chicago Int’l Film Festival.
Venue: Bergengren Credit Union
1:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Anthropology Program-StFX, Development & Peace (Antigonish)

The Disenchanted Forest
52 min, 2001
Director: Sarita Siegel
Narrator: Brook Shields
Note: Family Friendly
Orangutans, like humans, have “culture.” The destruction of orangutan habitat and the illegal pet-trade threaten the lives of orangutans. Dr. Willie Smits directs the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Project, and his team rescue hundreds of orangutans. They are committed to preserving orangutan habitat and returning captives back into Bornean rainforest homes. At Wanariset the orphans learn the vital skills they need to survive when they are later released into protected rainforest. Without mothers and more knowledgeable elders, strange “Lord of the Flies” communities evolve in the forest. Eventually the orangutans learn to sustain themselves independently of human aid. This beautiful film makes us think about the values of culture and nature.
Appropriate for all ages. Merit Awards, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula; Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival.
Venue: Bergengren Credit Union
9:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): The Fresh Air Society

The Fight for True Farming
90 min, 2005
Director: Eve Lamont
In this documentary, crop and animal farmers in Quebec, the Canadian West, the US Northeast and France offer solutions to the social and environmental scourges of factory farming. Driven by the forces of globalization, rampant agribusiness is harming the environment and threatening the survival of farms. The proliferation of GMO crops is a further threat to biodiversity as well as to farmers’ autonomy. In Europe as well as North America, a current of resistance, bringing together farmers and consumers, insists that it is possible, indeed imperative, to grow food differently. The Fight for True Farming is a film of grim lucidity but also irrepressible hope.
Venue: Wong’s Restaurant (2nd Floor)
9:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Central Nova Green Party Association, Pleasant Valley Nurseries Ltd.

The Future of Food
88 min, 2004
Director: Deborah K. Garcia
The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From Saskatchewan to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into the food supply. A complex web of market and political forces are changing what we eat. Alternatives such as organic and sustainable agriculture offer real solutions to the farm crisis today.
Venue: Bergengren Credit Union
4:45 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Antigonish NDP Association, Central Nova Green Party Association

Their Brothers’ Keepers: Ophaned by AIDS
56 min, 2005
Director: Catherine Mullins
Millions of children in Africa have lost their parents to AIDS. Filmed over a seven month period, Their Brothers’ Keepers goes inside Chazanga Compound, a shantytown in Lusaka, Zambia. The crew focuses on two families headed by children, and their ongoing struggle for food, water, schooling and health care. Local community and aid workers offer support but lack any real resources. Throughout the film, excerpts from speeches by Stephen Lewis fill in the broader social context. Stunning photography and an exquisite musical score contrast sharply with the surreal lives of these heroic children. “Their Brothers’ Keepers” powerfully conveys the sense of hope grounded in the human spirit to survive. Many Awards: Best Social/Political Documentary, Yorkton Film & Video Festival.
Venue: Wong’s Restaurant (2nd Floor)
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Anthropology Program-StFX, Prudential Highland Properties, StFX Chinese Association, Xtending Hope Partnership

The Road to Hope: Potters for Peace
23 min, 2004
Director: Francesca Roveda
The Road to Hope documents the tragedy and hope of the people of Nicaragua, from the Contra war and Hurricane Mitch to current economic injustices. Through the images and stories of Nicaraguan potters, this documentary details the training and informational exchange between Nicaraguan potters and the organization Potters for Peace, which has assisted in the design and production of ceramic water filters as well as developing international markets for Nicaraguan pottery. Creative alternatives are improving people’s lives. Inspiring!
Venue: Maritime Inn
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Art Department-StFX, Cakes & Berries, Development & Peace (Antigonish)

To Play and To Fight (Tocar Y Luchar)
70 min, 2006
Director: Alberto Arvelo
There is a wonderful renaissance in classical orchestral music today centered in Venezuela, where nearly 250,000 children and youth are participating in the Youth and Children’s Orchestra System project. What began as a modest program to expose rural youth to music as a means of personal and social development has become an amazing phenomenon. Teaching musical harmony is also a means of educating people in human harmony, building community and spirit. This inspiring film weaves together impressive performances and interviews with renowned musicians, such as Placido Domingo, who reflect on the impact of this remarkable social project. Today the program is expanding to include youth with disabilities, including hearing impaired youth. To Play and To Fight is an inspirational story of courage, determination, ambition, and love; it shows that only those who dream can change the world.
Venue: Nicholson Hall 138 StFX
7:30 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Bergengren Credit Union

A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday
30 min, 2007
Director: Peter Murphy
The rich tradition of singing and storytelling in Newfoundland can be traced back directly to Ireland, and the people of the Codroy Valley have been doing it for several centuries. This film is the story of a musical bond between the aging Jerome Downey, who is recognized by folklorists as an important figure in this unique oral tradition, and his nephew, Hector MacIsaac, an Antigonish County singer. The film offers an intimate glimpse into the passing on of this unique song tradition from one generation to the next.
Venue: Maritime Inn
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Danny MacIssac,
Lorefice Insurance

Rudy Haase
51 min, 2007
Director: Neal Livingston
Rudy Haase is Black River Productions newest film, after 3 years in the making. It is a biography about Canada’s great unknown environmentalist, Rudy Haase, who turns 85 in 2007. Haase’s life long work has included many successful campaigns and preservation of wilderness. He was a close colleague of the famous American back-to-the-land gurus, Helen and Scott Nearing. The film serves as a primer on environmental action.
Venue: Nicholson Hall 138 StFX
7:30 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Bergengren Credit Union

The Little Festival That Does:
The Labrador’s Creative Arts Festival
5 min, 2007
Director: Peter Murphy
For 31 years, Labrador’s Creative Arts Festival has brought students from the most remote communities of Labrador together with artists from all over Canada in one of the most ambitious and interesting Arts festivals in Canada. The students include Innu, Inuit, Metis and “white settlers”; they write and direct an original play on important issues in their remote communities (e.g. suicide, alcohol, drugs, teen pregnancies, cultural history and clashes). They travel by bush plane to Happy Valley Goose Bay for the one week festival, in November, where they present their plays and take part in workshops with visiting artists from all media. Of special interest at last year’s festival was an Acadian percussion ensemble, Contemperc, who collaborated with Inuit drum dancers in Nain.
Venue: Maritime Inn
3:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Art Department-StFX

Welcome to the Atlantic Canada Straw Bale Builders Community
30 min, 2007
Director: Marley Parker
This film is an insightful look at best practices and challenges faced by straw bale builders in Canada’s Atlantic region. It addresses issues like driven rain, fire, rodents, and rot while highlighting the importance of community and the environment. It is a unique opportunity for people who are interested in building with straw bales to sit in on intimate conversations with previous builders about their personal experiences with building with straw bales.
Venue: Maritime Inn
9:30 a.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Chapel Woods Properties

Yesterday’s News
5 min, 2007
Director: Cara Jones
The story of a single mother’s choice to bring life into this world, her inner struggle to forgive, and the abundance she experiences from her strong faith. Yesterday’s News was written, directed and edited by Antigonish filmmaker Cara Jones, for the 2007 International Documentary Challenge. The challenge was to make a five minute documentary in only five days, with the genre revealed to the filmmaker on the first day. Over 95 participants from nine countries took part in the challenge, and Yesterday’s News was chosen as one of the top twelve finalists. It later went on to win three awards at Hot Docs, Canada’s largest International documentary festival, for Best Use of Genre, Best Original Song, and Best Writing for a Documentary. It is now traveling internationally and will be shown this month at Silver Docs in Washington.
Venue: Health Connections
1:00 p.m. Program
Film Sponsor(s): Antigonish Regional Development Authority, Sisters of St. Martha (of Antigonish), Student for Life Society