To Look, And To Look Again

Join us for a work in progress screening of the film To Look, And To Look Again and a moderated discussion informed by excerpts from A Time To Rise (Utahn Da Vela) by Anand Patwardhan and Jim Monro, the story of the Canadian Farmworkers Union which came into existence in 1980.

“A simple search for “landscape panorama” on Google will reveal hundreds of thousands of 360-degree videos depicting popular pastoral scenes. For years, as both a community organizer and an artist, I have been listening closely to the stories of precarious labour occurring on farms across Canada. In this film, I am exploring how we can reconnect stories of migrant labour to landscape images that have long been shaped by colonial histories. ” – Monica Cheema

This project was developed through Mayworks’ Labour Arts Catalyst and informed by migrant justice organizing and art-making including A Time To Rise.

Monica Cheema (she/her) is a filmmaker, facilitator, and community organizer working across multiple disciplines. Her films experiment with fiction and non-fiction to explore the politics of memory, labor, family, and public space. Her creative practice is informed by several years of work in classrooms and communities, where she invites young people to join her in examining the relationship between power, political landscapes, and each other. Monica was raised on the lands of the Katzie, Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Nations.

A Time To Rise (Utahn Da Vela) traces the story the Canadian Farmworkers Union which came into existence on April 6, 1980. This film documents the conditions among Chinese and South Asian immigrant workers in British Columbia that provoked the formation of the union, and the response of growers and labor contractors to the threat of unionization. Made over a period of two years, the film is eloquent testimony to the progress of the workers’ movement from the first stirrings of militancy to the energetic canvassing of union members.

Mayworks Festival events are free. Registration required.