The Connecting Cultures Film Series launches in Newmarket on Oct. 9 with films based on Indigenous culture and issues.
Roz Owen, director of the first movie in the series, Trouble In The Garden, will be here in person to discuss the film and modern Indigenous issues.
The acclaimed Canadian drama stars Cara Gee stars as Raven, who is jailed for protesting development on Indigenous land. Estranged from her adoptive family, she is surprised when her brother puts up her bail. While staying at his home, Raven discovers that her brother, who is in real estate, is pre-selling houses on the very land she has been trying to save.
Owen, an award-winning writer and director based in Toronto, began her film career with short dramas, including the award-winning You Love Me I Hate You. For a while, Owen directed television programs while writing four feature film scripts. In 2008, she won an award for the documentary short, Community Matters. She then made the critically acclaimed feature documentary Portrait of Resistance in 2012. Trouble In The Garden, shot in only 12 days, was Owen’s feature film debut in 2018. She is currently working on two feature films: Pippa’s Keeper and Look Both Ways.
No registration is required for the screening on Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 438 Park Ave.
The free series is hosted by Newmarket Public Library, in partnership with Canadian Mental Health Association York and South Simcoe.
The next film is Indian Horse on Nov. 2.
