Cara Mumford Films

Last Friday, I had the honour of speaking to Women's House Serving Bruce Grey County, in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway, for their International Women's Day Celebration. The international theme this year was The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum. My interpretation of that theme was that in order to build and maintain the momentum, we need to recognize that violence affects women of all cultures, but the form of that violence often differs. We need to listen to each other, to respect and honour those differences, in order to end violence against all women.

I was delightfully surprised to be contacted by Lori Bamber regarding this event; she interviewed me for the Globe & Mail's special International Women's Day feature on Friday, March 8 (see below). I was thrilled when they included my photo from the "I Matter" campaign created by the Marsha Ellen Meidow Foundation to go accompany it. I thought it was fitting because I was planning on sharing a brief clip of the "I Matter" video in my presentation, along with "December 6" and "When It Rains." But, for me, it was far more than simply suitable because Marsha's mom, Beverly Meidow, was accompanying me to the event and Marsha's presence was strongly felt that night.

FYI, Women's House is currently redesigning their website and the new site will include "December 6," so remember to check back!

International Women's Day 2013 by

As a Canadian who believes in democracy, I am beyond frustrated by Harper and his cronies running rough shod over our political system. When you have a majority government, you have a responsibility to govern for ALL of the people, not just the constituents who voted for you. But Harper's Conservatives apparently feel no such responsibility. As Elizabeth May said, "No previous Privy Council in the history of this country has ever equated an amendment to a bill between first reading and royal assent as some sort of political defeat that must be avoided at all costs. This is a level of parliamentary partisanship that takes leave of its senses."

As an environmentalist who has been fighting to protect the earth since my first “Save The Whales” campaign when I was 8 years old, I believe that the legally binding treaty rights of Canada’s First Nations are the only thing standing between Harper and his plans to destroy this planet.

As a proud Métis whose family signed Treaty 4 and was then discharged from Treaty for their participation in the Riel Resistance, I don’t want to see anyone else lose their rights to their land, thereby destroying their way of life and disconnecting them from their culture.

As an artist whose films address issues of social justice in an attempt to shift perspectives and create dialogue, I think the Idle No More movement is a vitally important shift in the dialogue on Indigenous issues in this country and around the world.  

As a woman, I believe the Chinese proverb “When sleeping women wake, mountains move.” The work that I do, creating films to draw attention to issues of violence against women, is meant to empower women to stand up for themselves and others. So for anyone who doesn’t think that Idle No More is also about the 600 missing and murdered Aboriginal women known as the Stolen Sisters, think again. Our women are vital to healthy communities. Our nation is strong only when our women are strong. And between Chief Theresa Spence and the four women who started Idle No More (Sheelah McLean, Nina Wilson, Sylvia McAdam & Jessica Gordon) our nation is strong indeed.

Here is the one-minute film I created as part of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival’s Stolen Sisters Digital Initiative. I plan on expanding this film and submitting it to festivals later this year, but wanted to share it with the world during this time of Idle No More:

Remembering Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte. Remembering all of our Stolen Sisters. Thinking of all of the women still at risk. Working towards a world without violence...