Thank you for your curiosity about past Fireside films and panels! Here you can learn more about the issues, activists and filmmakers, and acts of solidarity you can take today to increase their impact. If you missed a screening, viewing/rental info is also below. Documentaries are a labour of love, and you help fund new groundbreaking projects by paying few dollars to watch past films!
November 2021
This month was a double-feature:
The Rankin File: Legacy of a Radical
This 
documentary is about my hero and mentor, COPE co-founder Harry Rankin. Our panellists were Vancouver COPE City Councillor Jean Swanson, and director Teresa Alfeld. Read more about Harry Rankin’s legacy here.
Gaza Fights for Freedom by The Empire Files and Abby Martin
In honour of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I presented an encore screening of this powerful documentary. Our panellists were Hanna Kawas (Chairperson of the Canada Palestine Association) and founding member of Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Sid Shniad.
September 2021
La Fin de l’Immigration? / The End of Immigration? by Marie Boti and Malcolm Guy
The event featured a land acknowledgment by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) elder and activist Mary Point; and a post-screening Q&A and discussion with directors Marie Boti, Malcolm Guy and the newly-elected Chair of Migrante Canada, Danilo De Leon.
“The one-hour documentary, The End of Immigration?, uncovers a trend which is having a profound impact on the society in which we live, where there will be citizens with full rights, and ‘rent-a-workers’ with few or none. By comparing the situation of these temporary workers with that of their own parents who arrived in Canada as unskilled workers in the last century, the filmmakers uncover a hidden world that’s as close as the MacDonald’s on the corner. And they ask the crucial question: is this the kind of society we want to build?”
Solidarity Actions
- Support Multi-Monde Productions and check out more of their excellent projects — 2021 marks their 30th year of distributing ground-breaking political films!
- Learn more about Migrante Canada and support their campaigns.
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Watch The End of Immigration? on Vimeo
August 2021
Gaza Fights for Freedom by The Empire Files and Abby Martin
“This collaboration shows you Gaza’s protest movement like you’ve never seen before. Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features exclusive footage of demonstrations where 200 unarmed civilians have been killed by Israeli snipers since March 30, 2018.”
Solidarity Actions
- Support the work and campaigns of the Canada Palestine Association, Independent Jewish Voices and Vote for Palestine.
- Learn more about The Empire Files and Abby Martin — please consider contributing financially to their critical work by joining EF’s Patreon or visiting their online store.
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Watch Gaza Fights for Freedom (free on Youtube) or support Abby by buying it on Vimeo
July 2021
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Cuba’s incredible literacy campaign
This was an encore presentation from this past April, courtesy of the Canadian Network on Cuba, featuring speakers, films and music. Highlights of the night included:
- Luisa Yara Campos Gallardo, director of the Cuban Literacy Museum
- Catherine Murphy, documentary filmmaker and director of Maestra
- Screening of the Maestras Volontarias short
- Cuban hiphop group Obsesión
- Information about the Ernesto Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade
Solidarity Actions
- Learn about and help the fight to end the cruel blockade against Cuba. I’ve written about Cuba many times on my blog.
- Visit the oral history site Literacy Project Films
- Buy Catherine Murphy’s film Maestra
