"A warm and welcoming environment where women could talk to other women about the perils and triumphs of a very difficult (and patriarchal) industry."

- Debra Felstead, Creative Producer, Toronto, ON

21st Annual
October 26 - 30, 2010

The Films

Motherland

Venue: YellowBelly Brewery & Public House
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Director/Réalisateur: Jennifer Steinman
Producer/Producteur: Jennifer Steinman, Anne Magill
Country/Pays: USA
Running Time/Durée: 80 min

We adore this formidable documentary that opens us up to disparate international views of mothering. Jennifer Steinman spent 17 days travelling in South Africa pursuing her subject, the loss of a child, with six grieving US-based women. How compelling is it to be in a country where there are so many losses, so many grieving women? What’s startling here is the degree to which each of her US visitors is encouraged to confront not only her own situation but also that of an entirely different culture, where the personal and the political are so indistinguishable. These women didn’t really know each other at first, but the journey compels them to encounter each other along the way. That journey isn’t easy, but it’s so moving and so persuasive that we are begging you to see this.