Margaret Mead Film Festival (extra credit assignment)

“Whatever you’d typically see on that relentless 24-hour news cycle is not what these stories are about. Whether it’s breaking down stereotypes, breaking up norms, or just breaking out of the mold, this year, the Margaret Mead Film Festival celebrates all the ways that people around the world are breaking the narrative.” -Bella Desai, Director of Public Programs and Exhibition Education.

From the 17^th of October to the 20^th of October I was a volunteer at the Margaret Mead Film Festival, which took place at the American Museum of Natural History. Margaret Mead was an cultural anthropologist who earned her Bachelor’s degree at Barnard College and her PhD degrees at Columbia University. She also served as the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has also been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

The Margaret Mead Film Festival is an annual film festival, with a different theme each year. This year’s theme was called Breaking the Narrative. The theme is all about the disruption of stereotypical representations of cultures. The theme aims at defying the spectator’s expectations and offer new perspectives.

Freedom Fields

On the first night of the film festival, which was on the 17th of October, my job was to escort the visitors from the film theatre towards either the exit or the reception. Though the job itself wasn’t too exciting, it was really interesting to see what kind of audience the film festival was attracting. The audience consisted of people from various backgrounds, religions, skin colours and ages. Despite the differences, all people came out of the theatre excited. The opening film of the festival, Freedom Fields (2018), had clearly impressed each and everyone in the audience. The film, directed by Naziha Arebi, is about the following:

“Encouraged by the utopian hopes of the Arab Spring, the members of a women’s soccer club in Libya heroically fight to advocate for their right to play. Their community refuses to support the team, forcing them to disband. Some women move on, becoming mothers and professionals, while others hold on to their soccer dreams.” -Margaret Mead Film Festival booklet.

nîpawistamâsowin (We Will Stand Up)

I had my second shift on the 18^th of October. This night it was my job to escort the visitors to the film theatre. Before the film screening I met with the theatre manager, who gave each of the volunteers a job for the night. At that moment, the filmmaker walked into the theatre along with the other people who had worked on the movie. I thought it was very interesting to see what a film festival is like for the makers themselves. How they showed up early to do a technical check and to have a chat with the employers of the festival. About 15 to 20 minutes before the start of the screening it was time for me to bring the visitors to the theatre. I then had to wait a few minutes in case people were delayed. After this I was allowed to watch the movie, and I think it’s safe to say that it has been one of the most powerful documentaries I have ever seen. The movie, nîpawistamâsowin (We Will Stand Up) (2019), by director Tasha Hubbard was about the following:

“In August 2016 a farmer in rural Saskatchewan shot Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old Cree youth. The acquittal of his killer by an all-white jury thrust the Boushie familie – and the struggle to end violence against First Nations people – into the headlines. While their story has been amplified by their activism, the family continues to seek justice. This screening celebrates 20 years of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival with a special appearance by artistic director Jason Ryle.” -Margaret Mead Film Festival booklet.

Tasha Hubbard is a victim of the Sixties Scoop, which was a practice that occurred in Canada from the 1950s to the 1980s. During these years indigenous children were taken away from their family and adopted by mostly white families. Tasha Hubbard says that the motivation behind this practice was the government’s idea that this way the children would grow into civilized teens and adults. With the movie she wants to show the world how indigenous peoples in Canada still suffer from racism, and how it is a scary place for her two sons and all others to grow up and live in.

The most memorable and impressive moment of the night for me was when Jade Tootoosis, Colten Boushie’s cousin, spoke about the movie at the end of the screening. She wore a traditional ribbon skirt just like she did in most of the movie. I’m amazed by her strength, the things she has done to draw attention to this ongoing problem is incredible. She and her family went to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Jade even spoke at a UN conference. I think that the most powerful moment in the movie was actually the UN conference. Jade wore traditional clothing and so did the other indigenous people. Two men even wore warbonnets. 

Awavena

My last shift was on the 20^th of October. This day I had to assist at the VR lounge, where they showed Awavena.

“Virtual reality (VR) film provides a new medium for connecting with cultures. Experience a stunning tale of metamorphosis in Lynette Wallworth’s new VR piece, Awavena, created in collaboration with the Amazon’s Yawanawa community.” -Margaret Mead Film Festival booklet.

The film is viewed through a virtual reality headset and tells the story of Hushuhu, the first woman shaman of the Yawanawa peoples. She is trained by shaman Tata, a 100-year-old man who lived through slavery and he believed that the future strength of the Yawanawa relied on power being shared with women. Hushuhu says that Tata foresaw that the filmmakers would come visit them. Visually it’s an incredible beautiful movie. When Hushuhu tells that she had to go into the jungle for months as a test and to connect with nature, they use visual effects to visualize this spiritual connection.

“Using a technology that the Yawanawa feel enables them to share their story and visions, this immersive work presents flourescent and bioluminescent specimens in previously unseen colors from the forest world, to create a vivid, luminous vision.” -Official website for the Awavena film.

It is rather hard to explain, but I will give it a try. At one point in the movie you stand in front of a sacred tree. The image of the tree is the same as it is in reality, but as you move your head it seems as if your eyes project a circle on the bark of the tree, and this circle is made up of fluorescent colours. Then, all of a sudden, you move inside the tree and up, and at this moment it seems as if the tree is made up of thousands of stars, diamonds, maybe even fireflies. This way it feels like you get to experience Hushuhu’s spiritual connection with nature, as if the things you see at that moment are the spirits of nature.

I think the best way to understand what I’m talking about is to watch the trailer of the film: