Wal-Town: The Film

6 Activists, 36 Towns, 1 Corporation

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Sault Sainte Marie
Friday July 18, 2008
Screening begins 20h30
Venue: vélorution outdoor theatre (162 Old Garden River Road) @ dusk

Canada / 2006 / 66 Minutes

Six student activists. Thirty-six Canadian towns. One giant corporation. A daunting experiment in activism.
A group of six university students, calling themselves Wal-Town, take to the Canadian highway over two summers. Armed with thousands of pamphlets and fliers, and with one gonzo journalist along for the ride, they visit 36 of Canada's more than 200 Wal-Mart stores with one formidable goal: to raise public awareness about Wal-Mart's business practices and the effects of the company's policies on cities and towns across Canada.

Wal Town: The Film is the story of their ambitious, exasperating and ultimately rewarding journey.
Since the late 1980s, Wal-Mart has become an unstoppable force in the North American retail market. It is the largest corporation and the largest private employer in the world. Its growth rate is on an exponential curve that makes most economists blush.

But not everyone believes Wal-Mart's soaring success to be a good thing. The members of Wal-Town foresee dire consequences for Canada and the rest of the world if the Goliath retailer is not challenged immediately. With youthful passion, they bring their message, in the form of often hilarious cultural jams, to the very heart of Canadian consumerism—Wal-Mart's front door.

Interspersing frank exchanges between activists and Wal-Mart shoppers with interviews with a range of characters from either side of the issue, Wal Town: The Film takes us to the frontlines of the ongoing debate over the company’s increasing dominance in the Canadian retail market. The film also creates an intimate portrait of six young activists as they experience the highs and lows of their first cross-country campaign.

Directed by
Sergeo Kirby

Produced by
Ian McLaren
Germaine Ying Gee Wong
Sergeo Kirby

Production Agency
Productions Grand Nord Québec Inc.
National Film Board of Canada

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