A few years back, carpenter by trade and qathet resident Craig Turney started to notice what he called, "reactionary discourse drowning out meaningful discussion on major issues in the region and across the country."
An initiative called Cinema Politica began in Montreal, Quebec, in 2003, and now has chapters around the world.
In 2024, Turney started a volunteer-run collective that hosts monthly independent documentaries at the Patricia Theatre under the banner Cinema Politica qathet. The idea was to bring folks together, connect to local issues and expand understanding of human rights, environmental justice and social issues.
"I wanted to create a space where people could connect deliberately and with focus on pressing issues that the community is facing," said Turney. "It was more from a sense of feeling like there's a lot of things going on, from climate change to reconciliation, and that it would be good to have a space where we could come together as a community to talk about those things and also learn about what's going on."
The group partners with local organizations to consult on film choices, and invites the public to hear guest speakers and panel discussions on specific topics.
In December 2024, the group screened the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, a film that follows a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city during the Russian invasion. Speaking at the event were recent refugees from Ukraine Mila and Eugene Kolpakova.
"Our first film was called Silvicola, about the forestry industry," said Turney. "The story was told through a series of interviews with people who work in forestry in different ways, like foresters, people working in the mill and tree planters."
Turney said the screening turned out to be a big event that drew a big audience. Director Jean-Philippe Marquis was in attendance.
It has been one year since Cinema Politica qathet began its mission to break down the barriers that divide people through the medium of film. Members continue to collaborate with community groups such as qathet Museum and Archives and Association Francophone de qathet.
“We're hoping that people who have a cause will reach out to us,” said Turney. “An issue that's close to my heart is labour. We've partnered with the nurses union and the postal union to bring movies about the labour movement.
“I think there's an appetite for people to get involved. That shines through all of our screenings and from feedback we've had."
He said he believes people are frustrated with passively consuming the news and feel upset at the direction things are headed, and want to get involved and do things, but maybe aren't quite sure how.
"That's part of what we're trying to answer, by just creating a space where as a community, we can have those conversations and find ways to create practical solutions and responses," said Turney.
The group is collaborating with qathet Pride Society (qPS) to screen Everyone's Talking About Jamie on June 19, and on July 3, in collaboration with qathet Youth Community Action Team (YouthCAT), Beautiful Boy will screen. Both at the Patricia Theatre.
For more information, go to facebook.com/CPqathet, or sign up to the newsletter to find out when the next screening is at linktr.ee/cinemapoliticaqathet.
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