Program
All film screenings, Q&As, and panels take place at the Arts Court Theatre (2nd floor, 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa ON). Doors open 30 minutes prior to the screening time.
DISCLAIMER
Some films may contain graphic content, harsh language, or material that may trigger distress for audience members. Viewer discretion is advised.
Saturday, March 18th - 2:00pm
Documenting Life, the Self, and Identity
FANTASSÚT / Rain on the Borders
Documentary | 2016 | Federica Foglia | Canada | 15 min.
Arabic and Kurdish with English subtitles
For the first time since World War II the number of displaced people has surpassed 65 million. Among them are 20 million refugees, 51% of whom are children. There are also 10 million stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic human rights. 1 in every 113 people in the world are forcefully displaced. This film has been shot in Idomeni, the makeshift refugee camp (Greek/Macedonian border) in April.
Over 11,000 refugees from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries lived for months in dismal conditions hoping for the borders to open, and to continue their journey through the Balkan route.
Lady in the Garden
Documentary | 2014 | Dina Salha | Canada | 21 min.
Based on Ottawa filmmaker Dina Salha’s memory from her childhood in Lebanon of a socially rejected and reclusive artist Wadad Rawdah El-Balah, the film follows her to Lebanon to discover what happened to the artist after over thirty years of rumours surrounding her controversial life and the resurfacing of her long lost paintings in Canada.
A passionate letter addressed to the artist structures the film’s story-telling. Combining the stunning restoration process of art pieces with the renewal of an artist’s marginalized voice and life, Lady in the Garden is an emotionally and visually charged documentary of a personal journey.
Armed by memories, pictures, and connections to aging relatives, the director follows clues and stories told in interviews that guide her back to the artist’s garden in a Lebanese village where she exhumes a long hidden secret.
Please visit the film's website for trailer and more information, http://ladyinthegardenfilm.weebly.com/
The Body I Live In
Documentary | 2016 | Sam Davis-Boyd | USA | 8 min.
Haunted by childhood memories of an eccentric artist, Ottawa filmmaker Dina Salha unburies a family secret after thirty years of silence and rescues treasured works of art that have long disappeared.
A personal-narrative documentary that follows Sam Boyd on her journey of self-love and acceptance, in a world that tells fat women they don’t deserve it. There is a large cultural narrative about female attractiveness, especially fat woman’s attractiveness (or lack thereof) that pervades fat women from feeling like they deserve to be loved, respected and wanted by another human being in a romantic way. This short documentary show’s one fat woman’s loving relationship to dissuade the ever-increasing trend of telling fat women that they don’t deserve to be loved. Following Sam and her fiancé Jenny Davis, this short tells the story of how they met and fell for each other and ultimately, how Sam is working to accept herself and her body within the scope of her relationship.
Muneeza in the Middle
Documentary | 2014 | Hoda Elatawi | Canada | 50 min.
The story of a 2nd generation Canadian Muslim trying to reconcile her religious values with her cultural and western values. Her religion urges modesty in all facets of life. She's a beautiful, confident, outspoken lawyer who dresses well and turns heads. But don't be fooled.
Muneeza is a devout worshiper, bound to challenge common stereotypes about Muslims. But her modern interpretation of the faith is catching up with her. Is her fight to maintain a unique identity justified? Does religion create a double standard for women? These are some of the questions that torment Muneeza once she has her first child. She wants to change for her daughter, but doesn't want to lose herself. Muneeza's story resonates with every women who has become a mother.