Carrying the Flame: A film night for Prisoners Justice Day

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.

More info here

Featuring Films:

• Sounds Within, Pedro M. Siqueira, William Head On Stage, 7 mins
  In a world of silence, loneliness and darkness, a group of strangers wake up on a post-apocalyptic Earth to find connection with their inner rhythms. This is the second of three films created in partnership between SNAFU Society of Unexpected Spectacles and incarcerated artists at William Head On Stage.‍
• They Found Us, Johnny Aitken, William Head On Stage, 14 mins
  Through gripping cloaked performance, They Found Us explores the immense impact the Canadian Residential School System had on many Indigenous people. This is the first of three films created in partnership between SNAFU Society of Unexpected Spectacles and incarcerated artists at William Head On Stage.‍
• The Red Blanket, Carole Klemm, Jeni Luther, William Head On Stage, 6 mins
  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.‍
• August 10th, Big House Productions - The Joyceville Prison Lifer's Group, 20 mins, 1996
  August 10th is Prison Justice Day a day to remember all the men and women who have died from unnatural causes inside canadian prisons. Prisoners at Joyceville Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario interview each other to explore what the day means to them, why all prisoners should recognize the day and why the pubic needs to voice their support for the rights of prisoners.‍
• Joint Effort Shorts (series), Rosie Smith, 4 short films, 2 mins each, 2022-24
  Members of Joint Effort talk about their experiences coming out of incarceration, getting community support, participating in mutual aid and being allies.

Speakers:

• Paul Hindle from William Head on Stage (WHoS)
• Rosie Smith

Exclusive online showcase from VIVO's Media Arts' Archive:

Showcase Link

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.

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