Ignatius Jesuit Centre, Guelph Film Festival and Our Food Future invite you to a walk, dinner, doc and talk exploring the themes of land, food, and social change. 

Date: Wednesday June 7, 2023

Time: 5:30-9:30pm

Access: Tickets are $15 (including dinner). 

Location:  Loyola House, Ignatius Jesuit Centre, 5420 Hwy 6 N, Guelph ON  N1H 6J2 (parking directions here)

We are very excited to be able to offer tickets to this event at this price! The ticket price is low due to the support of this partnership, but the event will be awesome and include a full vegetarian meal (with vegan options) crafted by the renowned Loyola House kitchen. 

Note: Everyone who wants to be able to attend this event should be able to! So if you need support around transportation to Ignatius please email ashlee.Cooper@guelph.ca and if you need a subsidized ticket please email operations@guelphfilmfestival.ca. We want you to join us! 

The evening will start with an optional, short tour of Ignatius Farm, highlighting the work they do to support local food systems. The formal activities begin with a delicious, buffet-style meal featuring local ingredients. Then we will move onto a screening of the NFB documentary Sovereign Soil. And cap off the evening with a conversation around land, food and social change with Shabina Lafleur-Gangji,Ciana Paulino, and Ashlee Cooper. 

Schedule: 

WALK + DINNER + DOC + TALK

5:30-6pm Optional tour of Ignatius Farm

6-7pm Meal crafted by the Loyola House kitchen

7:15-8:45 Screening of Sovereign Soil

8:45-9:30 Post Screening Discussion on Land, Food, & Social Change with Shabina Lafleur-Gangji, Ciana Paulino and Ashlee Cooper as moderator

Ignatius Jesuit Centre is located on Hwy. 6 north just minutes from downtown Guelph. This 640-acre green oasis stretching from the Guelph Lake Conservation Area to the Guelph-Elora Trail features regenerative farming, wetland and woodland areas, formal gardens, as well as naturalized landscapes.  

We are delighted to present the film Sovereign Soil. Set in the northern wilds surrounding the tiny sub-Arctic town of Dawson City, Yukon, a handful of unlikely farmers are growing everything from snow-covered Brussels sprouts to apples. These modern-day agrarians have carved out small patches of fertile soil in an otherwise unforgiving expanse of isolated wilderness to make a living and a life.

The post film panel discussion on Land, Food, & Social Change will include:

Shabina Lafleur-Gangji is Co-Director of Seed Soil Spirit, a grassroots organization run by and primarily for Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities offering cross-cultural, self-determined, and decolonial approaches to land-based education. 

Ciana Paulino has held various positions within the community, most recently as one of the Directors at the Guelph Outdoor School. A writer, wanderer, thinker and parent - Ciana envisions a world where every kid has the opportunity to explore, learn and immerse themselves in nature.

Ashlee Cooper (moderator) is Manager of Food Equity and Community Resiliency for the City of Guelph. 

This event is a partnership between Our Food Future, Guelph Film Festival, and Ignatius Jesuit Centre & Farm. 

Our Food Future is Guelph-Wellington’s shared vision for a circular food system – a system that values, shares and celebrates a diversity of affordable, nutritious and culturally relevant foods that support a healthy, resilient community. The Reimagine Food Campaign is Our Food Future’s local effort to inspire a circular food economy movement.  We aim to inspire and empower people to learn about how circular theory comes to life, engage in lively conversations about food system transformation, build demand for circular products, take pride in our local food culture, and develop new ways of valuing food while wasting less. 

Guelph Film Festival is one of the oldest documentary film festivals in the world and is dedicated to expanding the proliferation of voices and perspectives of all kinds through the presentation of stories that explore themes of social justice, the environment, and community building.

Ignatius Jesuit Centre and Farm has evolved to become a model for organic agriculture and the mentoring of organic growers. The Farm bridges the urban with rural, and invites locals to enjoy and get involved in the farm through its Community Shared Agriculture (CSA), community gardens and orchards, educational programs and land-based, spiritual retreats.