Presented in partnership with Carbon Arc Cinema
Thursday, May 18th @ 6:30pm
Location: Bus Stop Theatre Co-op (2203 Gottingen St)
Duration: 40 mins followed by a 30 mins Q&A with filmmaker Sara Wylie moderated by MLA Gary Burrill
Tickets: $5/$10/$15 (Pay what you can)
[CC] This film will be closed captioned.
A mid-length hybrid documentary about Joe Wallace: Canadian Communist poet, political prisoner, and the filmmaker’s long-lost family member. Shot on 16mm and digital, featuring original songs by award-winning musician Fiver/Simone Schmidt.
“Poetry is of a higher order. It sets bells ringing in the mind of the reader so that he makes his own music …”
Video excerpt: https://vimeo.com/708365211/0c1ddff542
Nearly lost in the annals of Canadian history, the writings of Joe Wallace—radical believer in socialist ideals, writer of anti-capitalist verses, and survivor of detainment by the Canadian government—have been revived by his great-great-niece, director Sara Wylie.
Searching through library archives, family records, and footage from the early decades of the Canadian settler state, Wylie assembles the story of Wallace the poet and revolutionary. “The more I began looking for him, the more I began to see parts of myself reflected,” she says. His poems are spirited, forthright and folksy; they recall a time of great political change and opportunity.
Inextricable from Wallace’s life and work is the history of Canada’s labour movement and the increasing involvement of the state in its disruption. A More Radiant Sphere captures a time and a feeling at risk of being erased by Canadian myth, when the possibility of a world beyond capitalism surged forth into poetry. (Written by Sarah Bakke)
The film will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Sara Wylie moderated by Gary Burril, MLA for Halifax Chebucto
Film Credits:
Directed, produced and written by Sara Wylie
Featuring Bruce Wallace
Music by Simone Schmidt
With Nick Dourado on piano
Nathan Doucet on percussion
John Showman on fiddle
Cinematography by Suz Friesen and Sara Wylie
Sound recording by Kellen Jackson and Sara Wylie
Sound mix/edit by Michelle Hwu and Tim Atkins
Colour by Sam Gilling
May 1st is marked throughout the world as International Workers’ Day, or May Day. A day when the workers of the world take to the streets (when not facing a pandemic) in every major city around the globe demanding justice, fairness and dignity for all. In North America, May Day has not been as prominent as it is in other parts of the world, but it is still celebrated in most major cities with a variety of political and community actions. However, May Day isn’t simply a celebration of labour. It is a rallying call against our current economic system, a public declaration that “Capitalism Isn’t Working For Workers,” and an affirmation that a better world is possible.
One of the ways various labour councils and unions mark May Day is through the Mayworks Festival. Mayworks was originally conceived in 1986 by the Toronto and York District Labour Council and the idea has since spread to many cities across the country. The goal behind Mayworks is to bring workers and artists together and to use art to explore themes of justice, solidarity and liberation. Art has always been an important way of expressing political statements and Mayworks continues a long tradition of building bonds of solidarity between artists and labour organizations.
The first annual Mayworks Halifax festival took place in 2009 thanks to the organizing efforts of the Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council. Our festival has since grown exponentially from year to year and has now become Nova Scotia’s largest social justice-themed cultural event. Annually, our festival attracts over a thousand diverse audience members who take interest in issues of social, economic and environmental justice.
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