International Women’s Day

Notes from the curator:

My name is Maddy Jantz and I’m a student of sociology, musician and aspiring filmmaker. I’ve lived in Winnipeg my whole life, and am just beginning to step into the marvellous film scene that shines so brightly in our city. While choosing the pieces for this year’s International Women’s Day online screening, I saw it as crucial to choose pieces that would help us reflect on our world’s current state, as well as on our individual reactions and our shared humanity.

The world has taken us down a strange path— one where sexism, racism and environmental disregard dominates and continues to persist. Many have risen up and fought for a more compassionate world, but despite this, we have found ourselves in a time where a man who embodies these exploitative ways runs the most powerful country in the world.

Marginalized groups have felt the weight of this exploitation since its inception— its deep roots are not easily ignored. For groups at the intersections of marginalities, this weight is even heavier. But never in modern times has our collective reality been so blatantly dismal.

In these turbulent times, the creation and appreciation of storytelling is increasingly important. Not only can rich stories restore our spirits, they may also offer us direction on how to reflect upon and express our inner turmoil. I hope that the specks of humanity within these stories resonate with you.

As the increasingly common protest chant goes, “people gonna rise like the water, gonna calm this crisis down.” We have risen in the past, both distant and recent, and we will continue to rise.  With chaos comes movement, and with movement, an opportunity for change. Its up to us to make the change a positive one.

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Video Pool’s online screenings are made possible through the financial and volunteer support of individuals and organizations that contribute to the preservation and restoration of the 2200 titles in our archive. Your donation will directly support the preservation activities of more than 34 years of video making in Winnipeg, the Prairies and Canada, and will ensure Manitoba Video Art remains a significant part of the International dialogue.