Call for Submissions 2023
If you recently completed a politically engaged film and you want it seen far and wide submit your work to Cinema Politica today! We are interested in works of any length that contribute to justice and equality movements, activism, knowledge and discourse.
Milisuthando
Filmmaker, writer and poet Milisuthando Bongela’s youth in South Africa was untouched by the horrors, violence, or even the presence of white occupiers to her land. At least that’s how it seemed. The Transkei, an unrecognized Black independent region established by the apartheid regime, created the illusion for Black South Africans that separate could be […]
The Sylvia Hamilton Collection
Renowned and multi-award winning Nova Scotian filmmaker Sylvia D. Hamilton illuminates underrepresented stories from Black Nova Scotians in poignant vignettes, character portraits, and incisive testimonies, revealing a dark side to the often forgotten history of racial inequality and segregation of Black communities in Canada, from coast-to-coast.
Portia White: Think on Me
Nova Scotia filmmaker Sylvia Hamilton had always been fascinated by the name ‘Portia White’. She had grown up hearing about this Canadian artist who made a name for herself in the 1940’s: the singer they had called “Canada’s Marian Anderson”. Yet, beyond knowing her name, she realized like many others, she did not really know […]
We Are Guardians
We Are Guardians is a rich, intimate journey meeting the many people who are living an intricate daily balance in the Amazon basin, one of the world’s most disrupted and threatened regions. We follow Indigenous leader and activist Puyr Tembé and forest guardian Marçal Guajajara as they fight to protect their territories from deforestation, as […]
Ripples and Threads
Canada is a country known for its nature and its friendliness, two qualities that have been mythologized by nationalism and government marketing efforts for many decades. The country is also know for its vibrant documentary culture, where sometimes these mythic elements—and others—are propped up, dismantled or challenged. The Canada of natural abundance and preservation, and […]
Wrought
“In a world obsessed with growth, we deny ourselves the tender possibilities of decay.” Wrought begins with that universal moment of disappointment: despite all best efforts, our food has gone bad! But instead of turning away in disgust, Wrought zooms in, approaching the usually hidden world of decay with curiosity and stunning time lapse photography. […]
Violet Gave Willingly
Violet Gave Willingly immerses us in the colourful world of textile artist Deborah Dumka, inviting viewers to witness the unflinchingly intimate details of her artistic process and inner life. Nestled in a cluttered studio by the sea, we witness an artist at work on a project that delves into a past unspoken. An intimate study […]
Silvicola
Set amongst the rugged forests and shorelines of the British Columbia, Silvicola is a tableau of the complex web of cultural and economic forces which compel and constrain modern forestry practices. A story told through the eyes of an eclectic mix of characters whose lives and livelihoods are intimately entangled with the forest, Silvicola employs […]
Truxx
A short manifesto of collective resistance to police oppression in the wake of the historic 1977 raid on the Montreal gay bar Truxx. In 1976 the City of Montréal launched a pre-Olympic cleanup of gays and prostitutes, a new wave of persecution that shocked the gay community out of its complacency, both francophone and anglophone, […]
Winnie Wright, Age 11
Winnie, the daughter of a steel worker and a teacher lives in Gage Park, a Chicago neighborhood that is changing from white to black. Her family struggles with racism, inflation and a threatened strike, as Winnie learns what it means to grow up white, working class, and female. The film was created by Kartemquin collective […]
Trick Bag
Gang members, Vietnam vets, and young factory workers from Chicago’s neighborhoods tell of their personal experience with racism: who gets hurt and who profits. The film was brought to Kartemquin by Peter Kuttner, and credits are shared between Kartemquin, Rising Up Angry, and Columbia College Chicago. Original 16mm print restored in 2011 thanks to a […]
Taylor Chain I: A Story in a Union Local
Taylor Chain I tells the gritty realities of a seven-week strike at a small Indiana chain factory during 1973-74. Volatile union meetings and tension-filled interactions on the picket line provide an inside view of the tensions and conflicts inherent to labor negotiations. Due to a lack of funds and a fire at Kartemquin which necessitated […]
Viva la Causa
Not just a colorful record of the making of a mural in Chicago’s Pilsen community led by Ray Patlán, this film traces the mural movement of the mid-1970’s back to murals in Mexico. Different people view the mural and reflect on its meaning for themselves as Latinos.
Breaking Social
All societies are based on the idea of a social contract. We are told that if we work hard, if we treat others with respect, if we play by the rules, we will be rewarded. But then there’s the rule breakers. Those who make use of tax havens and reap profits without paying back to […]
Cinema Politica Acquires THIS STAINED DAWN for Distribution
Cinema Politica acquires up THIS STAINED DAWN – Anam Abbas standout feature directorial-debut that follows Karachi’s feminist movement in preparation for the Pakistan’s multi-city Aurat March.