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Carrying the Flame: A film night for Prisoners Justice Day, honouring those who have died inside prisons, jails, lockups, remand and pretrials in so-called Canada.
Getting the word out about the history of Prisoners Justice Day, those who have and continue to carry the flame of that history and how that history is connected to struggles inside and outside today is a powerful act of resistance against state power, colonialism and genocide on these lands. It not only counters the inondation of negative, fear mongering and dehumanizing images and narratives of mainstream media about prisoners and the system that they say "protects the public", but the act of holding a camera, creating these stories and images of people transforming lives in everyday ways in mind boggling places, whether it is the institution or a world you haven't seen progress in years or decades, allows us to reach back to those who have carried this flame into the present future. While the state may have tried to suppress Prisoners Justice Day, memory and these vivid documents hold it up for us to see parts of our world we might not have known were missing.
Event presented by the Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee, The Fig Tree Palace (a project of the New Page Foundation), and VIVO Media Arts.
Featuring Films:
Speakers:
Exclusive online showcase from VIVO's Media Arts' Archive:
Instead of Prisons Series
The Prisoners’ Rights Group produced the Vancouver Cable 10 community television series Instead of Prisons between 1978 and 1983. Culhane, who hosted the program, conducted interviews with prisoners and prisoner rights advocates from Canada, the United States, and Ireland.
Prisoners’ Rights Group
The Prisoners’ Rights Group (PRG) was a Vancouver-area activist group founded in 1976. Its most well-known co-founder was Claire Culhane (1918-1996). Culhane (nee Eglin) was born in Montreal, the daughter of Jewish Russian immigrants. From her youth she was active in the Depression relief movement in Quebec and became a member of the Communist Party of Canada. In the 1960s she became one of Canada’s most recognized anti-Vietnam war activists.
In 1974, she volunteered to teach a women's studies class at the Lakeside Regional Correctional Centre for Women. Her experiences there and as a hostage negotiator in the 1975 BC Penitentiary riot, led to her becoming the country’s leading advocate for the abolition of prisons.
For a summary of Culhane’s history with the prisoners’ rights movement link here.
VIVO is located in the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in a warehouse space at 2625 Kaslo Street south of East Broadway at the end of E 10th. Transit line 9 stops at Kaslo Street on Broadway. From the bus stop, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight decline. The closest skytrain station is Renfrew Station, which is three blocks south-east of VIVO and has an elevator. From there, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight incline. There is parking available at VIVO, including wheelchair access parking. There is a bike rack at the entrance. The front entrance leads indoors to a set of 7 stairs to the lobby.
A wheelchair ramp is located at the west side of the main entrance. The ramp has two runs: the first run is 20 feet long, and the second run is 26 feet. The ramp is 60 inches wide. The slope is 1:12. The ramp itself is concrete and has handrails on both sides. There is an outward swinging door (34 inch width) at the top of the ramp leading to a vestibule. A second outward swinging door (33 inch width) opens into the exhibition space. Buzzers and intercoms are located at both doors to notify staff during regular office hours or events to unlock the doors. Once unlocked, visitors can use automatic operators to open the doors.
There are two all-gender washrooms. One has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The other is a single room with a urinal and is wheelchair accessible: the door is 33 inches wide and inward swinging, without automation. The toilet has 11 inch clearance on the left side and a handrail.
To reach the bathrooms from the studio, exit through the double doors and proceed straight through the lobby and down the hall . Turn left, and the two bathrooms will be on your right side. The closest one has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The far bathroom is accessible.
Rosie Smith is a long-time community organizer who cut her teeth in the Sisterhoods, Inmate and Lifer Committees inside and continues to be part of Joint Effort Collective on the outside. She has been wanting to document the incredible work of survival and allyship that her community does on a daily basis and put self-determining representation out there of people who are also part of her journey.
Pedro M. Siqueira is a Brazilian multi-skilled pertormer, filmmaker, actor, creator and producer based in Victoria, BC. Pedro's curiosity is the ground from which he leaps into the unknown. He ignites the imagination to illuminate the path to artistic realization. As a filmmaker, Pedro's work has been featured at the Canadian acclaimed National Arts Centre (NAC) with Listen and La Fiesta and the International Film Festival of GLOP with his film Humanus Plasticus which was nominated for best film.
Elder Johnny Aitken, he/him identifies as a queer 2Spirit with Coast Salish, Haida and Scottish lineage. He considers himself "mixed up" in a beautiful way and sees this blood mixture as a gift and sometimes a troublesome curse. Johnny's blood combination allows him to imagine and create through the lens of blended cultures.
This stop motion paper puppet show tells the story of a hero, torn from the social fabric. Adrift and alone, they encounter other lost souls who remind us that everyone plays a part in healing a community. This is the third in a series of films created in partnership between SNAFU Society of Unexpected Spectacles and incarcerated artists at William Head On Stage.
Jeni Luther is a visual and performing artist from Metchosin, BC. She has been part of William Head on Stage and SNAFU since 2013. She co-created The Red Blanket for the Common Threads Trilogy (2021) and also Directed Campfire Chills (2022) and the Prison Theatre Time Machine (2022).
Paul Hindle is a dedicated advocate for the arts and social justice, with a diverse background spanning both sides of the prison walls. During his four-year tenure as the Chair of William Head on Stage (WHoS), a prisoner-run non-profit society in BC, Paul played a pivotal role in supporting incarcerated artists. Upon his release from prison, Paul seamlessly transitioned into the outside arts community, joining the Full Spectrum Arts Society.
With Full Spectrum, Paul continued his commitment to WHoS, providing invaluable expertise in production management and media relations. Currently serving as the Vice Chair on the Full Spectrum Board of Directors, Paul is enthusiastic about collaborating on upcoming productions that bridge the gap between professional 'outside artists' and his fellow incarcerated artists at WHoS.
Paul's artistic contributions are vast, having performed in WHoS's "Crossroads" in 2018 and served as the Production Manager for acclaimed projects such as the short film series "Common Threads" and "Beneath the Mask," as well as the 40th anniversary celebration production, "The Prison Theatre Time Machine."
In addition to his passion for the arts, Paul works as a Mental Health and Addictions Worker in harm reduction and justice system advocacy and navigation. Paul focuses mainly, on supporting the homeless population in Victoria as well as individuals, along with their families, that are currently incarcerated or bumping up against the system in a variety of ways. Through his diverse experiences and unwavering dedication, Paul Hindle continues to make a profound impact in the arts community and beyond.
Groups working in Vancouver to educate and organize on issues of prison abolition, human rights for prisoners and the like.