Online Film Review and DiscussionThe purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate an understanding the politics of knowledge as they relate to community work and social work practice.

This assignment has two parts.

Part 1: Film Review Students will choose one of the following documentaries to watch.

1. Cogan, D. (Producer), & France, D. (Director). (2012). How to Survive a Plague. United States: Public Square Films. (Available on Netflix & at the MacEwan Library) a. How to Survive a Plague is the story of two coalitions—ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group)—whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time.

2. Obomsawin, A. (Director). (1993). Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Canada: National Film Board of Canada. (Available at the National Film Board) a. This documentary portrays the 1990 showdown between the Mohawk Nation and the predominantly white Quebec town of Oka, which is intent on developing land deemed sacred by the native people. When members of the Mohawk tribe protest plans to expand a golf course into their territory, they form a barricade, leading to an armed standoff with provincial police that becomes increasingly tense, with the possibility of violence looming over the heads of everyone involved.

3. Dore, M. (Director). (2014). She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry. United States: Fork Films. (Available on Netflix). Filmmaker Mary Dore chronicles the events, the movers and the shakers of the American feminist movement from 1966 to 1971.

4. Wishart MacKenzie, B.(Director). (2013). Gently Whispering the Circle Back. Canada: Blue Quills First Nations College. (Available at the MacEwan Library or for purchase from Blue Quills). “Gently Whispering the Circle Back” is a documentary exploration of the journey of healing in a people wounded by the Canadian Indian Residential School system.With dignity and deep sincerity, survivors and the children of survivors share their personal stories with us. We become part of a ‘healing circle’ as participants speak of their recovery of tradition, language, ceremony, and personal dignity. Their stories move us to look inward at our own participation in the ongoing pain of Indigenous peoples and they inspire us to join the circle of healing for the benefit of all. Page 4of 14SOWK 401Fall 2019 -Dhungel

5. Choquette, H. & Duval, J-P. (Directors). (2006).The Refugees of the Blue Planet. Canada: National Film Board. (Available at nfb.ca and the Macewan Library). The Refugees of the Blue Planet sheds light on the little-known plight of a category of individuals who are suffering the repercussions of this reality: environmental refugees. They are constantly growing in number and often have no legal status, even though their right to a clean and sustainable environment has been violated. In French with English subtitles.

6.Vaughn, V. (Director). (2012). The Art of Conflict: The Murals of Northern Ireland. United States: Netflix. (Available on Netflix).The murals of Northern Ireland are an expression of the region’s violent Troubles. ‘The Art of Conflict’ examines these murals through their painters and the people who live there, exploring this unique street art’s impact, purpose, and future.

Part 2: 5-6Page Reflection

Students will write a 5-6 page reflection on the documentary and their learning as it relates to the concept that community building is incredibly powerful. Firstly, how were you impacted by the documentary that you chose, and what do you feel you learned from the issues presented. Also, include how the documentary demonstrates that knowledge is political, and in what ways. Using examples from the film, discuss how some knowledge is imagined as better than others, how ideas are used, created and shared, how folks come to know what they know (or don’t know) and what sources of knowledge are legitimate. Address how and why an issue can be seen from a multitude of perspectives, depending on the identities and lived experience of the people involved and the consequences/advantages that come from that as it relates to people’s lives. Demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of a social issue from an inter-sectional lens, and the role this plays in the dynamics within a movement.