salt spring film festival 2016 guide

Salt Spring Film Festival Guide

March 4 - March 6, 2016Gulf Islands Secondary School

112 Rainbow Road

7

Salt Spring Island

Islanders Serving Islanders since

1972

presented byCountry Grocer

Among the many absorbing documentaries in this years program are a group of films whose intent is to open our eyes and hearts to the history, culture and present day social justice challenges of First Nations. Films such as Elder in the Making, The Pass System, Highway of Tears and others reveal the historical context and social implications often obscured by brash news headlines. At a time when our government has declared a commitment to redefine Canadas relationships with its indigenous people, the Festival is proud to present films that contribute to a clearer understanding of the need for such a change.

On the international stage in areas where conflict is rife and change for the better is hard to find, East Jerusalem West Jerusalem, is a breath of fresh air,

an antidote, perhaps, to the chilling Among The Believers. Expect to be moved and dismayed watching 50 Feet From Syria as the unstinting and heroic efforts of one volunteer doctor unfold.

We strive for balance in our programming and we want you to be entertained, as well as informed. Go to The Yes Men Are Revolting if you feel in need of some light relief, or escape into the music of gospel, soul and freedom songs in Mavis!. As always, lots to choose from. We hope your time at the Festival is both memorable and rewarding.

Patricia LockiePresidentSalt Spring Film Festival Society

Welcome to the Festival

The Salt Spring Film Festival

James Cowan - Festival ManagerJane Aitken - Festival Administrator

Patricia Lockie Co ChairTherin Gower Co ChairNeil Martin - TreasurerMelissa Searcy SecretaryKatharine Atkins DirectorBruce Eggertson - DirectorJanine Gowans DirectorKahsia Hartwell DirectorCliff Knox DirectorNoni Peck DirectorDave Vollrath DirectorMaggie Ziegler Director

Box Office Neil Martin, Patricia LockieCommunications James Cowan, Patricia LockieDecor Noni Peck, Diana Morris KnoxFood Kahsia HartwellFundraising Rick MacKinnonGraphics Jane AitkenHospitality Therin GowerLogistics Cliff KnoxMembership Therin GowerProjectionists Judy McPheeSocial Justice Bazaar Maggie ZieglerTechnical Dave VollrathVenue set-up Katharine AtkinsVolunteers Therin GowerWebsite Alastair Aitken

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

COMMITTEE LEADERSSTAFF

Festival PassesAdmission to the 2016 Festival is by Weekend, Day or Gala Night pass. The passes may be purchased in the following ways:

WEEKEND PASS ($35) Available in advance through the ArtSpring Ticket Centre, and at the door. Includes Friday Night Gala.

DAY PASS ($15) and GALA NIGHT only ($10)Available at the door. No advance sales.

PASS PRICESWeekend Pass - Gala Night, Saturday and Sunday $35 Weekend Pass - Saturday and Sunday $30Day Pass - Saturday OR Sunday $15Gala Only - Friday night $10

The purchase price of a pass includes your Salt Spring Film Festival Society 2016 membership.

Subsidized PassesA number of subsidized passes, supported by the Salt Spring Island Royal Canadian Legion, are available through the main reception desk at Community Services main office (268 Fulford Ganges Road). Subsidized passes are also available at the Festival box office. Please inquire at the door.

Special thanks to the Salt Spring Island Royal Canadian Legion and Salt Spring Community Services for their support in our subsidized passes program.

Sarah Robertson, directorSea Blind (Saturday March 5, 2:30pm)Sarah Robertson is an independent wildlife and science documentary producer and director with 20 years experience. Drawn to remote places, Sarah first went to the Arctic in 1991 with a 16mm camera and filmed whales and walrus under the ice, subsistence Inuit hunting, and polar bears emerging from their dens. Since then, Sarah has returned

frequently to the Arctic, working on award winning films and series for major TV networks worldwide. In 2007 Sarah received the Lowell Thomas Award in recognition of excellence in exploring climate change. Through her Canadian company Arctic Bear Productions, she produces and directs content for broadcast, film and multimedia.

Ali Harris, directorXwaaqwum (Saturday March 5, 12:30pm)Ali Harris started her filmmaking journey by making live music videos. Shortly thereafter, she began creating grassroots documentaries about environmental issues along BCs West Coast, in collaboration with friends. While studying Geography at UBC, Ali makes films that tell stories about various groups, projects

and people who are taking a stance for environmental and social justice in unique ways, in hopes to inspire others. Her two most recent films, Sailish and One Big Coast, have collectively been screened more than 75 times across the province.

Jennifer Abbott, editor Sea Blind (Saturday March 5, 2:30pm)Jennifer Abbott is a Canadian multi-award-winning filmmaker drawn to projects that explore the most pressing environmental and social justice issues of our times. She is best known as one of the directors and editor of The Corporation. Most recently, she co-directed Us and Them, a portrait of 4 homeless and addicted street people and co-wrote and

edited Sea Blind. She is also the executive producer and editor of I Am. Abbott is especially interested in creating emotionally powerful works that inspire people to think differently about our world. Currently, she is in development with the NFB on a documentary about the psychology of climate change.

Selwyn Jacob, producerNinth Floor (Saturday March 5, 12:30pm)Selwyn Jacob has produced close to 50 films since joining the National Film Board in 1997. Based in Vancouver, some of his recent productions include Crazywater (Dennis Allen), Hue: A Matter of Colour (Vic Sarin), Mighty Jerome (Charles Officer), and Circa 1948, an app for iPad and iPhone, created

by Stan Douglas. Prior to joining the NFB, Jacob was an independent filmmaker who directed two award-winning NFB releases, Carols Mirror, and The Road Taken, which won the Canada Award at the 1998 Gemini Awards. Ninth Floor, directed by filmmaker Mina Shum, is his most recent production.

Chris Hsiung, directorElder In The Making (Sunday March 6, 12:30pm)Business consultant, software engineer, video storyteller or student of the human venture, Chris Hsiung refuses to be defined by titles. Instead, he prefers to be guided by a spirit of learning about the world around him. Chris is the owner of Hidden Story Productions, a small video company that helps people use video as a tool to

educate, engage or advocate for social issues through short documentary stories or creative projects. Chris spends much of his time presenting and researching curriculum through Leadership Calgary, a program studying the successes and failures of human civilization, and hes also the Creative Production Director for TEDxCalgary.

Daniel J. Pierce, co-directorFor Our Daughters (Sunday March 6, 2.30pm)Daniel graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BFA in film production and screenwriting. His undergraduate film, In Transit, received a warm response from audiences at VIFF 2008. He got his first taste of docs while working on the series

Monster Moves in northern Quebec, then pursued a rare and bizarre opportunity to cover the restoration of the iconic Hollow Tree in Vancouver. The Hollow Tree premiered at DOXA 2011 in Vancouver and was broadcast on CBC Documentary and Knowledge Network. Daniel is also the co-founder of the Junction Media Collective in Vancouver, a shared workspace for emerging filmmakers.

John Bolton, directorDebris (Saturday March 5, 12:30pm)John Bolton is an award-winning filmmaker from Vancouver, preoccupied with revelation, consolation and transcendence, sometime even in that order. He produces, writes and directs dramas, documentaries, performing arts pieces and the occasional disaster film. John is currently in post-production on the musical docudrama Aim For The Roses, about

Canadian musician Mark Haney and Canadian daredevil Ken Carter, and in production on the feature documentary The Rankin File, about the colourful life of Vancouver lawyer, politician and socialist icon Harry Rankin. John regularly produces and directs Knowledge Networks Knowledge: Partners campaigns, and he regularly co-produces dance films with Kenneth Sherman/karma 2000.

John W Comerford, producerThe Breach (Saturday March 5, 4:15pm and Sunday March 6, 12:30pm)John W. Comerford is a recognized writer/producer of independent media. He is president of Seattle based Paradigm Studio. John served on the board of the Seattle International Film Festival, now serving at the Northwest Film Forum. He is on the adjunct faculty at Seattle Universitys film studies department

having graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder studying with experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage and documentarian Jerry Aronson. His work includes the award winning coming-of-age drama Around the Fire, critically acclaimed trans-media series, Icons Among Us: jazz in present tense and recently wrapped narrative mass-shooting exploration Wallflower. His collaborations are available worldwide via digital, television and limited theatrical outlets.

Filmmaker Series sponsored by Stonehouse B&B and Hastings House

Opening Night GalaSponsored by Purica

Friday March 4Special dinner and desserts menu from 6:00 pm

Feature film at 7:30 pm

Landfill HarmonicGISS Multipurpose RoomTickets $10 at the door

Landfill HarmonicBrad Allgood & Graham Townsley, USA, Paraguay, 2015, 84 minsTurning trash into hope and joy. The astonishing story of how the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay did just that. Full of unforgettable characters, from the creative garbage engineer turned music director, and the gifted trash collector able to re-purpose plastics and metals from the dump into flutes, trumpets, saxophones and more, to the children who lose themselves in the magic of musical discovery and an invitation to dream, even amid the misery of an environmental disaster. The orchestra changes lives as it wins international recognition, spotlighting both the transformative power of music and the urgent need for environmental action.Spanish with English subtitles

50 Feet From SyriaSkye Fitzgerald, USA, 2015, 39 minsThis short film follows a Syrian-American doctor, Hisham Bismar, who volunteers as a surgeon at a hospital on the Turkish side of the border. 50 Feet From Syria offers a doorway into the suffering of war as well as portraying the resolve of those committed to humanitarian assistance. In

addition to Bismar we meet a Turkish man endangering himself as he transports wounded across the border, and a Syrian committed to not leaving his beleaguered hospital. The film offers a backdrop to understanding the situation of Syrian refugees being welcomed into Canada. With Flight Of The RefugeesSunday March 6 2:30pm Maxwell

Above All ElseJohn Fiege, USA, 2014, 95 minsThis inspiring story from the front lines of pipeline resistance in Texas tells a great tale: David Daniel, a former stunt man whose peaceful rural existence is threatened by a pipeline project, discovers that his family has no legal recourse when the company comes onto what he

thought was his private sanctuary. He rallies a band of neighbours, friends and climate activists to save his forest and creek from the bulldozers. As a desperate final action, this band of feisty comrades engage in a tree-sit blockade and what they see from their bird-eye view is astonishing.

Saturday March 5 4:15pm Tuam

After The Last RiverVicki Lean, Canada, 2015, 88 minsIn the shadow of a De Beers diamond mine, a remote indigenous community lurches from crisis to crisis, as their homeland transforms into a modern frontier. Filmed over five years, After The Last River is a point of view documentary that follows Attawapiskats journey

from obscurity and into the international spotlight during the protests of Idle No More. Filmmaker Vicki Lean connects personal stories from the First Nation to entwined mining industry agendas and government policies, painting a complex portrait of a territory that is an imperilled homeland to some and a profitable new frontier for others.With XwaaqwumSaturday March 5 12:30pm Fernwood

Al Purdy Was HereBrian D. Johnson, Canada, 2015, 92 minsBoth colourful biography and entertaining foray into the realm of Canadian culture, this film examines the extraordinary life and wide influence of poet Al Purdy. Focusing on recent efforts to make Purdys infamous A-Frame cabin on Ontarios Roblin Lake into a writers

retreat, it utilizes a whos who of CanLit and music, from Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje to Gord Downie and Sarah Harmer. Fitting for a man with Voice of the Land etched on his tombstone, a complex portrait of Purdy emerges with countless contradictions: the sensitive fighter, the blue-collar poet, the wine-stained mentor to generations. Pure Canadian poetry!

Saturday March 5 12:30pm Bruce

Among The BelieversHemal Trivedi & Mohammed Naqvi, USA, 2015, 83 minsAn intimate and shocking exploration into the spread of the radical Islamic school Red Mosque in Pakistan, which trains legions of children to devote their lives to jihad from a very young age. Charismatic cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi, an ISIS

supporter and Taliban ally, is waging jihad against the Pakistani state. His dream is to impose a strict version of Shariah law throughout the country, as a model for the world. Opposition against Aziz comes to a head in December 2014, when he insults a grieving nation by trying to justify the brutal massacre of 132 school children in Peshawar by the Taliban.English, Urdu with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 10:00am Erskine

The Armor Of LightAbigail Disney, USA, 2015, 87 minsRob Shrenk, an evangelical pro-life American pastor with a history of demonstrating outside abortion clinics, becomes increasingly troubled by gun ownership, gun violence and the attitudes of his conservative congregation. When abortion doctors are murdered, he

wonders why some pro life advocates are cavalier about murder. Shrenk is at odds with himself and with those around him. He begins a dialogue with Lucy McBath, the mother of murdered teenager Jordan Davis, an unarmed shooting victim. Filled with dramatic moments, this film is ultimately a thoughtful and engaging reflection on conscience, morality, and the possibility of transformation.


A Ballerinas TaleNelson George, USA, 2015, 85 minsSneak backstage into the world of Misty Copeland as she works to become a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. Ballet fans will appreciate the insider view and dance footage. But the glamour and artistry come with a public face that remains almost exclusively white, and a set of bodies that are coerced

to conform to a particular vision of feminine beauty. Muscular, black, working-class Misty doesnt conform, and her struggles as she upsets stereotypes, moves up through social classes, and battles personal injury give depth to her eventual triumph. A little ballet history shows how this art started: we are challenged to consider how we can help ballet mature.

Sunday March 6 4:15pm Erskine

Banking NatureDenis Delestrac & Sandrine Feydel, France, 2014, 90 minsWhos behind the new environmental wave of interest in planting forests in Africa, making you buy rainforest and climatic quotas to offset pollution? Surely it wouldnt be the same people responsible for the last financial crisis in sub prime loans? Banking Nature investigates the

commercialization of the natural world. Protecting our planet has become big business with companies promoting new environmental markets. This involves species banking, where investors buy up vast swathes of land, full of endangered species, to enable them to sell nature credits. Companies whose actions destroy the environment are now obliged to buy these credits and new financial centres have sprung up, specializing in this trade. English, French, Spanish with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 10:00am Tuam

Bikes vs CarsFredrik Gertten, Sweden, 2015, 90 minsIn his film, Bananas!*, Swedish documentarist Fredrik Gertten took on agribusiness. Now his sights are trained on the global disaster of the automobile. Filming in Los Angeles, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Copenhagen, he looks at activist movements to make cities more bicycle friendly

and at the efforts of the powerful automobile lobby to stop them. There are a billion cars on the road today; two billion are expected by 2020. Are we headed for permanent gridlock? Bikes vs Cars looks at the seemingly insurmountable problems but also presents some clear-minded solutions.English, Spanish, Portuguese with English subtitles

Saturday March 5 4:15pm Erskine

The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The RevolutionStanley Nelson, USA, 2015, 114 minsIn changing 1960s America, peaceful civil rights protests were escalating while a violent and official pushback came from those in power. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, counter

the often brutal police presence with its own show of force. With electrifying archival footage and a raw funk soundtrack, Stanley Nelsons comprehensive documentary charts the impact of the Black Panther Party, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when the movement derailed. In todays world of the Black Lives Matter movement, the straightforward power of this message remains undeniable.

Sunday March 6 10:00am Maxwell

The BreachMark Titus, USA, Canada, 2014, 85 minsSalmon, as staple and icon, have always been central to life in the Pacific Northwest. Yet as human threats are putting our fragile give and take with this patron species at grave risk, Seattle filmmaker, and former fishing guide, Mark Titus journeys north to examine its history and

present dangers: dams in Oregon and Washington, fish farms in BC, and giant-scale mining in Alaska. Mapping the impending disaster if we dont protect the ecosystems in the worlds largest source of this miraculous species, he offers an inventive, visually delightful and clear-eyed overview of an essential issue.Producer John W Comerford in attendance

Saturday March 5 4:15pm MaxwellSunday March 6 12:30pm Maxwell

Circus Without BordersSusan Gray, USA, 2015, 70 minsThe delight of the circus entices as we watch two young men perform. Their strong, skilled bodies charm and amaze us with miracles of acrobatics, but the best trick of friends Guillaume Saladin and Yamoussa Bangoura is spreading their good fortune to others. Iqualuit and Guinea

are remote from each other and wildly different in climate, but share poverty and hopelessness. Saladin and Bangoura found escape into a new life through their talent and the circus. Now they want to train and help others from their respective countries to follow the same path to happiness, dignity and security. English, French with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 12:30pm Bruce

DebrisJohn Bolton, Canada, 2015, 15 minsDebris is a portrait of Tofino, BC intertidal artist Pete Clarkson as he crafts his most ambitious and personal project to date: a memorial to the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. Years after the disaster, as splintered and mangled timber and other objects started to wash ashore, the inspiration for his

memorial was born. Remnants from the Tohoku region take on a life of their own as Clarkson shapes them into a unique public sculpture. The result is an evocative memorial that is a site of remembrance and contemplation, and an emotional bridge connecting an artist, his community and a people an ocean away.With Jumbo Wild. Director John Bolton in attendanceSaturday March 5 12:30pm Erskine

East JerusalemWest JerusalemHenrique Cymerman & Erez Miller, Israel, 2014, 80 minsEqual parts inviting music documentary and informative peace activist film, East Jerusalem West Jerusalem is all about surmounting barriers and seeking unity. Celebrated Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza

gathers a group of musicians from both halves of Jerusalem: East, the predominantly Arabic section, and West, the predominantly Jewish section. Both have a long complex history of people forced to move from their homes, and the psychological and physical barriers are huge. Hoping to assuage this bitterness, Broza and his companions bravely combine their goodwill and their music as they create an album of songs of peace and harmony in the face of increasing unrest. Arabic, English, Hebrew, with English subtitles

Saturday March 5 2:30pm Fernwood

Elder In The MakingChris Hsiung, Canada, 2015, 95 minsDiscovering the unforgettable landscape that holds an oft-forgotten history on the Alberta plains, first generation Chinese Canadian filmmaker Chris Hsiung journeys with a young Blackfoot Nation guide deep into the heart of traditional Blackfoot territory. With the aim of understanding

the real history behind the signing of Treaty 7, which effectively ceded First Nations ownership rights to their lands in 1877, the duo surveys aspects of Aboriginal life past and present in hopes of reconciliation and a shared modern consciousness. Gorgeously shot, informative and not a little surprising, Elder in the Making confirms the effort required for gaining cultural wisdom.Director Chris Hsiung and Cowboy Smithx in attendance

Sunday March 6 12:30pm Vesuvius

Erbarme dich - Matthus Passion StoriesRamn Gieling, Netherlands, 2015, 99 minsFull of stunning, enigmatic images, this poetic film explores the artistic response of musicians, dancers, and the filmmaker to the glorious music of Bachs St. Matthews Passion. Director Ramn Gieling includes

a wide range of artists, among them homeless people of Amsterdam who are singing part of the Passion as an amateur choir. The film approaches Bachs work primarily as a piece of art rather than as a Christian statement, but it is clear that there are profoundly personal and spiritual reactions in those who immerse themselves in its intricacies. We join them in the universality of weeping, and transcending weeping with art.Dutch, English, Russian, Italian, French with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 10:00am Fernwood

Falcianis Tax BombBen Lewis, Germany, 2015, 85 minsHerv Falciani is said to be the Edward Snowden of the banking system - the man responsible for the biggest bank data theft in the history of HSBC bank. The leaked information, known as Swiss Leaks, revealed massive tax fraud strategies costing tax-payers billions of Euros, and

finally triggered off a heated debate between financial experts and political leaders about the legitimacy of tax havens. Falciani is currently on the run from the Swiss authorities. Ben Lewiss film follows the whistleblower to learn more about his motivations, and explores in detail the fallout from his actions.Catalan, English, French, German, Spanish, Greek with English subtitles

Saturday March 5 12:30pm Maxwell

Flight Of The RefugeesElias Matar, USA, 2015, 40 minsSyrian-American film director, Elias Matar, left Los Angeles to travel to the Serbia-Croatia border to understand their situation and show solidarity with refugees travelling from Greece to Germany, often on foot. Matar wants to bring the tragedy close to us and this raw footage of six days of a

harrowing journey with the hope of asylum in Europe at the end certainly succeeds in bringing the viewer into empathic connection with a few of the individuals within this historic migration. With 50 Feet From SyriaSunday March 6 2:30pm Maxwell

Saturday March 5th4:

15pm

2:30

pm12

.30p

m

Dance Studio N205 N207 S205 S207 S208

Requiem forthe American Dream73 min& Kettle15 min

Jumbo Wild60 minandDebris15 minFilmmaker

The Messenger

90 min

Bikes vsCars

90 min

Highway of Tears

80 min

Ninth Floor

81 minFilmmaker

Sea Blind

57 minFilmmaker

Haida Gwaii:On The Edge Of The World75 min

Hockney

112 min

After The Last River88 minand

Xwaaqwum7 minFilmmaker

East JerusalemWestJerusalem80 min

The Yes Men Are Revolting

90 min

Racing Extinction

95 min

Falcianis Tax Bomb

85 min

Shes Beautiful When Shes Angry92 min

The Breach

85 minFilmmaker

SugarCoated

90 min

Unearthed

93 min

The Armorof Light

87 min

Above All Else

95 min

Uyghurs:Prisoners of the Absurd

98 min

Al Purdy Was Here

92 min

The Price of Peace

87 min

Peggy Guggenheim:Art Addict

90 min

10:

00am

Note: Shaded area indicates films also shown on Sunday

12:00 noon LUNCH BREAK

Erskine Vesuvius Fernwood Maxwell Tuam Bruce

Gentle Reminders Please be patient at the entrance to the venue and films. Lineups happen. Volunteers try to get people through the doors as quickly as possible. If you have questions, concerns, suggestions, or compliments, please ask one of the volunteers or Festival staff.

Seating is first come first served. Some films may be full. Its suggested that you have a backup plan in case the film you want to see is full. Arrive at screening rooms in good time for the showing to get your seat. This maximizes your

chance of getting to see the film of your choice. There is no reserved seating. No standing permitted. Check your program guide to see which films are being repeated.

Once the film has started, respect the audience by not entering late. If you do enter late, please be quiet and courteous.

If you need to munch, do it before or after a screening. No food or beverages (except water in a sealed container) are allowed in the screening rooms (classrooms).

ROO

M

Sunday March 6th4:

15pm

2:30

pm12

.30p

m

Dance Studio N205 N207 S205 S207 S208

10:

00am

Note: Shaded area indicates films also shown on SaturdayGulf Islands Secondary School, 112 Rainbow Road

TBDFILMS FOR THIS TIME SLOT WILL BE CHOSEN AT THE FESTIVAL

TBDFILMS FOR THIS TIME SLOT WILL BE CHOSEN AT THE FESTIVAL

Erskine Vesuvius Fernwood Maxwell Tuam Bruce

Bring your own water bottles if possible. There are two drinking fountains onsite and water stations available.

Bring your own coffee cups for coffee or hot beverages.

Vacate the screening room before the start of the next film.

Quiet in the hallways is appreciated so as not to disturb other film viewers.

You will be sitting on plastic classroom chairs, or rental chairs. You can bring your own cushion or rent one from the Grandmothers To Grandmothers booth. Daily cushion rental is for a minimum $2.00 donation, and supports the Stephen Lewis Foundation. They also offer free cushion parking - if you have to leave the building theyll store it, you can pick it up when you return.

Please refrain from wearing strong scents.

Among The Believers

83 min

HadwinsJudgement

88 min

Mavis!

85 min

A Ballerinas Tale

85 min

The Messenger

90 min

Elder In The Making

95 minFilmmaker

For Our Daughters

83 minFilmmaker

Painted Land:In Search Of The Group Of Seven71 min

Erbarme dich- Matthus Passion Stories99 min

Racing Extinction

95 min

Haida Gwaii:On The Edge Of The World

75 min

Sugar Coated

90 min

The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution114 min

The Breach

85 minFilmmaker

50 Feet From Syria39 min& Flight Of The Refugees 40 min

Banking Nature

90 min

No LandsSong

93 min

The Pass System51 minand Kokom5 min

Good Things Await

93 min

Circus Without Borders

70 min

Lowdown Tracks

86 min

Unearthed

93 min

12:00 noon LUNCH BREAK

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For Our DaughtersShannen OBrian & Daniel J. Pierce, Canada, Ghana, 2015, 83 minsFor Our Daughters follows the lives of four young women from northern Ghana. In a country in which learning is reserved for men only and women are assigned menial and traditional household roles, these four are determined to receive an education. Supported by a

Vancouver foundation, they are invited to visit Canada. Their hope is to raise funds to provide hundreds of young village women with school fees and equipment. The film accompanies them on their journey and captures their passionate and intelligent voices. If you educate a man, one of them says, youve educated only one person, but if you educate a woman, youve educated a whole nation.Co-director Daniel J Pierce in attendanceSunday March 6 2:30pm Vesuvius

Good Things AwaitPhie Ambo, Denmark, 2014, 93 minsNiels Stokholm is one of the most idealistic farmers in Denmark. He runs a biodynamic farm with his wife, Rita, and chief amongst his concerns is the continued existence of a rare breed of Danish Red cattle. From their farm, Thorshjgaard, they also distribute products to some of the best restaurants in the

world. But not everyone is equally fond of Thorshjgaard and their holistic methods. Authorities and bureaucracy threaten to close them down. Director Phie Ambo follows their struggle to make sure that they are not the last to run a farm the way they do, but some of the first.Danish with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 10:00am Bruce

Hadwins JudgementSasha Snow, UK, Canada, 2015, 88 minsThe film chronicles the tormented transformation of Grant Hadwin from expert logger to environmental terrorist, a man who dared to challenge the destruction of the worlds last great temperate rainforest. Hadwins one-man crusade culminated in a perverse and outrageous act of protest

that was, in itself, a crime against nature. The film interweaves speculation, myth and reality to explore the motives behind Hadwins tragic protest, and the consequences of his actions. It charts his descent into torment and self-destruction, a journey that ended with a mysterious discovery that made him not just a madman, but also a visionary.


Haida Gwaii: On The Edge Of The WorldCharles Wilkinson, Canada, 2015, 75 minsThis is the 3rd and final film in Charles Wilkinsons OK or not OK eco trilogy, following Peace Out and Oil Sands Karaoke, both of which we have screened at previous festivals. Wilkinson travels to one of the most breathtaking places on earth to document a community fighting

to protect their land and the waters around it. Battles over logging and the Northern Gateway pipeline have brought the Haida Nation together with eco-activists, scientists, farmers and artists - all ready to stand their ground whilst carving out a sustainable future for generations to come. A multi festival award-winner, and its not hard to see why.

Saturday March 5 4:15pm Vesuvius

Sunday March 6 2:30pm Fernwood

Highway Of TearsMatt Smiley, Canada, 2015, 80 minsAn unflinchingly thorough and award-winning study of the notorious, decades-long string of murders and disappearances of primarily young Aboriginal women along nothern British Columbias Highway 16. By revealing the personal stories of many of the victims, director Matt Smiley further focuses on

First Nations claims that the systemic racism that defined these lives also contributed to their deaths, and to the delays in seeking solid answers to the murders. The first solved case came only in 2012, but this single answer has done little to heal the wounds of Aboriginal communities, who continue to struggle for healing and awareness.

Saturday March 5 10:00am Vesuvius

HockneyRandall Wright, UK, USA, 2014, 112 minsIn this vivid portrait of a living artist, we get an unusual opportunity: to watch an (almost) full life biography of someone who is still here to talk directly to us. David Hockney continues to create and discuss art in his 70s, and his willingness to explore new idioms is as exciting and inspiring as anything

in his celebrated career. His work in many media led British painters and sculptors to choose him as the most influential British artist of all time. His artistic output was inextricably woven into his life as a gay man, full of openness, flamboyance and charm.

Saturday March 5 10:00am Fernwood

Jumbo WildNick Waggoner, USA, Canada, 2015, 60 minsBreathtaking views of the magnificent Purcell Mountains of B.C. make it clear why the Jumbo Glacier Resort investors have been trying for over twenty years to build a huge, luxurious year-round ski resort smack in the middle of grizzly bear habitat on land sacred to the Ktunaxa Nation. But will economic

benefits outweigh environmental and spiritual concern? Jumbo Wild provides a detailed history of the plans and the reasons for protest, made pressing by a twist: the provincial government has created the Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality, the first municipality in Canada to be incorporated with no residents, no infrastructure, no budget, and no reliable access.With DebrisSaturday March 5 12:30pm Erskine

KettleLucius Dechausay, Canada, 2015, 15 minsKettling is a tactic used by police in volatile situations involving crowds. Also called coralling or containment, the idea is to make a cordon of police around an area to enclose everyone in that area and hold them with either one limited exit or no exit at all. This short film explores how this tactic was misused during the

G20 summit in Toronto, and makes a passionate argument against its use at any time, as the innocent become caught in the kettle and even the guilty are deprived of basic human needs and rights. With Requiem For The American DreamSaturday March 5 10:00am Erskine

Lowdown TracksShelley Saywell, Canada, 2015, 86 minsIts a harsh winter in Toronto for five street buskers. Their music is good and their stories difficult. We meet them on the cold street, in rooming houses, in tents and subway passageways. We hear about their troubles, we listen to their fantastic music and we come to see them as resourceful individuals doing

their best to survive their unique struggles. We see their developing relationship with singer/songwriter Lorraine Segato, who eventually invites them into her studio to record their songs. And maybe we become more willing to speak to people on the street and to join actions to end homelessness.


Mavis!Jessica Edwards, Canada, USA, 2015, 85 minsGospel/soul music legend and civil rights activist Mavis Staples owns the spotlight in this blissful and moving biography that covers her more than 60 years at the forefront of American music. From her Chicago beginnings with the Staples Singers, through the turbulent civil rights era, the

soul-drenched seventies and right up to her recent Grammy-winning work, Mavis! lives up to its exclamation point. Intimate interviews and moments with Staples herself counter the sheer power of her live performances and the respect-laden testimony from the likes of Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. Deep and wholly entertaining, Mavis! is pitch perfect.


The MessengerSu Rynard, Canada, France, 2015, 90 minsThe Messenger is an engaging and visually thrilling ode to the beauty and importance of the imperilled songbird, and what it means to all of us on both a global and human level if we lose them. Humans once believed that birds could carry messages, their presence was meaningful. They have helped predict the

change of seasons, the coming of storms and the rise of toxins in the food chain. But human-made perils are devastating these airborne music-makers. Once again they have something to tell us, and the message is not a comfortable one.

Saturday March 5 2:30pm Erskine

Sunday March 6 10:00am Vesuvius

Ninth FloorMina Shum, Canada, 2015, 81 minsFour decades after the infamous Sir George Williams Riot, Ninth Floor reopens the file on a watershed moment in Canadian race relations and one of the most contested episodes in the nations history. The riot started quietly when a few Caribbean students at Sir George Williams

University (which later merged into Concordia), lodged a formal complaint against one of their professors, accusing him of racism. But what began quietly would end in a violent and widely reported confrontation on the upper floors of the universitys downtown Hall Building. Director Mina Shum engages the original protagonists in a compassionate cinematic exercise of reckoning and redemption. Producer Selwyn Jacob in attendance


No Lands SongAyat Najafi, Iran, France, Germany, 2014, 93 minsThe Islamic revolution of 1979 banned female singers from appearing in public in Iran. They are no longer allowed to perform solo, unless to an exclusively female audience. Recordings of former female icons can only be bought on the black market. But Sara Najafi is determined to

refresh the cultural memory by roaming Tehran in the footsteps of famous singers of the 1920s and 1960s. Whats still possible? What goes too far? Saras regular meetings with the Ministry of Culture shed light on the systems logic and arbitrariness, though officials there can only be heard and not seen. Can intercultural solidarity and the revolutionary power of music triumph?Persian with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 12:30pm Tuam

Painted Land: In Search of the Group of SevenPhyllis Ellis, Canada, 2015, 71 minsThis peaceful, exquisite film immerses us in both nature and art. Most Canadians are at least somewhat familiar with the radical, brilliant paintings of the Group of Seven. But we may not be aware that little was known about exactly where they were created. Gary and Joanie

McGuffin and Michael Burtch spent years of research, following the paper trail of journals and letters and the physical trail of the painters to pinpoint the sources of inspiration. A dedicated film crew then braved canoes and rugged conditions to share the results in an intimate merging of the words, the environment, and the artistic response of these quintessentially Canadian painters.

Sunday March 6 4:15pm Vesuvius

The Pass SystemAlex Williams, Canada, 2015, 51 minsMost Canadians will be shocked to find that there was a systemized, illegal restriction of movement imposed on First Nations people for almost sixty years by our government, knowingly continuing what had been intended as an emergency measure after the Northwest Rebellion. First Nations people

speak movingly of the effect this had on their culture, and the way it enabled the residential school system. Required viewing for anyone who wants to understand and support healing with First Nations.

With Kokom (Kevin Papatie, Canada, 2014, 5 mins)An unusual and moving short film in praise and recognition of the endurance and resilience of the directors grandmother and the Anishnabe people. Algonquin with English subtitles

Sunday March 6 2:30pm Tuam

Peggy Guggenheim: Art AddictLisa Immordino Vreeland, USA, 2015, 90 minsCollector of both art and men, Peggy Guggenheim (18981979) came to embody the iconoclastic spirit of Europes bohemian age. Born into a wealthy New York mercantile family, she assembled one of the great private collections

of contemporary European and American art. Her circle of friends - and lovers - included Dali, Duchamp, Cocteau, Man Ray, Calder, Kandinsky, Magritte, Jackson Pollock a veritable whos who of mid 20th Century art. Making good use of recently rediscovered tape interviews with Ms. Guggenheim, director Lisa Immordino Vreeland brings to life an era when artists were breaking new ground on both sides of the Atlantic.


The Price Of PeaceKim Webby, New Zealand, 2015, 87 minsDirector Kim Webbys background as an investigative reporter is put to riveting use in this documentary about the clash of two cultures. The setting is New Zealand. At issue is the Crowns accusation that a Maori tribe is building a private and illegal militia. The films central character is Maori activist Tame

Iti, a marvelously sly and articulate tribal leader. Two cultures. One law. Trouble is inevitable. The two ethnicities do not talk easily to each other and it is a long and tortuous road to reconciliation. Yet the day comes when a settlement is reached, the Crown concedes and, in a moving final scene, the two adversaries touch noses in the Maori way. English, Maori with English subtitles


Racing ExtinctionLouie Psiyhoyos, USA, 2015, 95 minsScientists say we may lose half the species on the planet by the centurys end - a major extinction event. Oscar-winning director Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) clearly identifies humans as the villains, but also as the only ones who can fight it. Racing Extinction is his documentary thriller that pits a crack team of activists and

artists against the greed and apathy that has the planet on a collision course with disaster. From crashing black markets of endangered species to exposing methane and carbon damages, this ecological call to arms is a fast-paced and dramatic marvel, and not without hope.

Saturday March 5 10:00am Maxwell


Requiem For The American DreamPeter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks & Jared P Scott, USA, 2015, 73 minsConcise and clear, this is the definitive statement from activist/intellectual Noam Chomsky on the defining characteristic of our time the deliberate concentration of wealth and power in the hands

of a select few. Culled from four years of interviews, and helped with clever and helpful graphics, Chomsky lays bare the principles behind the decline of democracy by tracing a half-century of policies designed to favour the most wealthy at the expense of the majority. Chomsky further reflects on his own life of activism and political participation, effectively demonstrating a master-class in social responsibility for the Occupy set. Essential viewing. With Kettle

Saturday March 5 10:00am Erskine

Shes Beautiful When Shes AngryMary Dore, USA, 2014, 92 minsThrough a treasure trove of archival material and fascinating profiles of many outspoken pioneers of the womens liberation movement, Mary Dores inspirational and entertaining film revisits the remarkable eruption of feminist activism between 1966

and 1971. Yet it doesnt shy away from the controversies over race, sexual preference and leadership that arose in the womens movement and thus truly captures the spirit of the time - thrilling, scandalous and often hilarious. A rich overview of how second-wave feminism changed workplaces, sexual politics, language and consciousness, this documentary dazzles, all while reminding contemporary activists that social change is possible.

Saturday March 5 2:30pm Maxwell

UnearthedJolynn Minnaar, South Africa, 2014, 93 minsSouth African filmmaker Jolynn Minnaar is galvanized into action by fracking threats to the Karoo, her semi-arid beloved homeland. Determined to find out the truth, Minnaar embarks on a troubling and sometimes frightening journey across continents. In corporate offices, on industrial

sites, in the homes of those affected and from those who have been silenced she explores the politics and the process of fracking. Compelling, disturbing, informative, this extremely well made film offers an inspiring look at the courage required to dig deep and tell the truth about the murky world of the global shale gas interests.



Sea BlindSarah Robertson & Bernice Notenboom, Canada, Netherlands, 2015, 57 minsThis eye-opening film brings our attention to the little-known world of shipping. The topic was raised for climate journalist Bernice Notenboom when her attempt to ski across the Arctic Ocean from the North Pole to Canada had to be abandoned

due to unstable ice. What was contributing to the melting of the ice? One culprit was the 90% of our goods which are shipped by sea, usually in container vessels. These vessels use very dirty fuel, and encourage ice melt, leading to ever-increasing use of routes through the fragile Arctic. But its not too late to effect change.Director Sarah Robertson & editor Jennifer Abbott in attendance


Sugar CoatedMichle Hozer, Canada, 2015, 90 minsAre we killing ourselves with sugar? Scientific research points to the mounting evidence that sweeteners of all kinds maple syrup to fruit juice, honey to soft drinks - are a major cause of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Its a global and growing problem, and one that has been

hidden behind fifty years of obfuscation, manipulation and deceit by sugar producers, protecting their corporate interests. Sugar Coated is a film that takes an unvarnished look at the world of sugar politics, and listens to voices from the scientific community, voices raised in warning. Years of research have led to the irrefutable conclusion that sugar is toxic.

Saturday March 5 10:00am Tuam


Uyghurs: Prisoners of the AbsurdPatricio Henriquez, Canada, 2014, 98 minsThe title of this film describes perfectly the bizarre and convoluted circumstances that resulted in 22 Uyghurs being detained in Guantanamo. A persecuted Muslim minority in China, these Uyghurs sought safety in Afghanistan where they

became targets for those seeking American money for captured terrorists. They are taken to Guantanamo, held for years without trial, and not released even after their innocence was proved. This Kafkaesque tale of human rights abuses shows a human face to a few of those victimized by the war on terror, reminding us that the call for international respect of human rights must be ongoing. English, Uyghur with English subtitles

Saturday March 5 10:00am Bruce

FoodA weekend of great film is once again being paired with great food in the Multi-Purpose Room. For the Friday Night Gala enjoy your favourite sweet and savoury delectables from Lou Ellis of Coco Loco, and coffee from Salt Spring Coffee.

On Saturday and Sunday the Multi-Purpose Rooms Intermission Caf will offer a delicious assortment of sweet and savoury snacks provided by Coco Loco as well as another Salt Spring favourite, Laughing Daughters and their amazing gluten free creations. As always, freshly made coffee will be provided by Ometepe

Coffee both days. Help the planet by bringing your own mug and water bottles. We are thankful to these establishments whose generous discounts help raise money for the Film Festival. If your desire is a more formal sit down meal, the GISS Cafeteria will be providing a meal service on Friday from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm and lunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 1:30 pm. The GISS Cafeteria proceeds raise funds for their own special projects, which over the years have included the greenhouse, meat smoker and salad food cart.

XwaaqwumAli Harris, Canada, 2015, 7 minsThis 7 minute homegrown gem focuses on past summer events at Xwaaqwum, the traditional Cowichan name for Burgoyne Bay. This film documents a series of public events with First Nations elders at a summer camp for FN youth that mark a visionary new beginning for Xwaaqwum and

already strengthened relationships between non-indigenous islanders and the indigenous communities who have centuries of history in this place. Moving and inspiring.With After The Last RiverDirector Ali Harris and Joe Akerman in attendance


The Yes Men Are RevoltingLaura Nix & The Yes Men, USA, 2014, 90 minsThe wacky, wildly inventive antics of the Yes Men have featured in two previous Salt Spring film festivals. The familiar brazenness, stunts and impersonations are still hilarious, and the corporate greed and government ludicracy

the duo battle certainly havent gone away. But the Yes Men are getting older too. Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno are taking on the huge topic of climate change even as their own relationship is changing. Their personal lives are starting to diverge. Serious lawsuits are threatening. They cant just be wild and crazy guys egging each other on to save the world anymore. Can they?


Therin Gower & Jill Sydneysmith, volunteers at 2015 Festival.Intermission Cafe, 2015 Festival

Marie Laviolette & Richard Boyce, Coastal Tarsandsfilmmaker guests at 2015 Festival

Judy Jackson, Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, Ronald Wright, Elizabeth May, Harold Crooks, The Price We Pay filmmaker guests at 2015 Festival.

Canadian Federation of University WomenCommunity Energy GroupGrandmothers to GrandmothersIsland Natural GrowersIsland PathwaysIsland Women Against ViolenceJapanese Garden Society

Options for Sexual HealthRaging GranniesSalt Spring Agricultural AllianceSalt Spring Chamber of CommerceSalt Spring FoundationSalt Spring LiteracySalt Spring Search and RescueSalt Spring Trail and Nature Club

SOLIDSWOVATransition Salt SpringVoice of WomenWater Preservation SocietyXwaaqwumYouth and the Sapara

Media Partners Grants

Salt Spring Social Justice Bazaar Participants

Nighean AndersonPat BarclayArthur Black & Lynne RaymondMichael Butler & Robin FerryDan DickmeyerElizabeth Dunn & John CochranRosamonde & Patrick DupuyPeter & Mary Grove

Donna Hall & Ron WattsRon HawkinsCharles Kahn & Judy NorgetWendy KayeJuliette LaingDonald & Judy McLennan John MooreTerry Nelson & Karen Selk

Bob & Jinny RushJim & Sheri StandenAnn & John StewartMary ToynbeeElizabeth White3 anonymous

FESTIVAL DONORS

It takes a community of volunteers to make our Festival happen. There is so much effort involved in selecting films, writing publicity, designing a website, creating the posters and signage, fundraising, transforming the school into a six-cinema multiplex, decorating the venue, serving food, projecting films, providing technical support, welcoming Festival-goers so many tasks and thank goodness so many volunteers from our island community to make this happen. Thank you, one and all.

Volunteers

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