Vancouver

Premiere of Strength, Survival, Sisterhood

Power of Women in the DTES

6:00pm
Wednesday February 9 2011

Join us for a film premiere of the short documentary "Strength, Survival, Sisterhood: Power of Women in the Downtown Eastside", screening of award-winning feature "Finding Dawn", and presentations by women residents of the Downtown Eastside.

Wednesday February 9th
...Vivo Media Arts Centre (1965 Main Street).
Doors at 6pm, Screening at 6:30 pm.
Open to all, free event.

~ Premiere of "Strength, Survival, Sisterhood: Power of Women in the Downtown Eastside", a short film that documents the 20 year history of the annual women's memorial march in Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories. By focusing on the voices of women who live, love, and work in the Downtown Eastside this film debunks the sensationalism surrounding a neighbourhood deeply misunderstood and celebrates the complex and diverse realites of women organizing for justice. By Alejandro Zuluaga and Harsha Walia, based on concept and direction by the DTES Power of Women Group. This is a not-for-profit production that is available for free distribution under creative commons license.

~ Followed by "Finding Dawn". An award-winning compelling documentary that puts a human face to the tragedy of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. This is an epic journey into the dark heart of Native women’s experience in Canada. From Vancouver’s skid row, where more than 60 women are missing, we travel to the “Highway of Tears” in northern British Columbia, and onward to Saskatoon, where the murders and disappearances of Native women remain unresolved. Along the road to honour those who have passed, we uncover reason for hope as communities to come together to demand change. (2006, Directed by Christine Welsh)

* Part of the commemoration events for the 20th Annual Womens Memorial March for Missing & Murdered Women on Feb 14th, starting at Main and Hastings at noon: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/

* Organized by the Downtown Eastside Power of Women Group. For more information contact project@dewc.ca or call 604-681-8480 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 604-681-8480 end_of_the_skype_highlighting x 234

Living in the DTES of Vancouver, the poorest off-reserve postal code in Canada, we are a group of women from all walks of life who are either on social assistance, working poor, or homeless; but we are all living in extreme poverty. Our aim is to empower ourselves through our experiences and to raise awareness from our own perspectives about the social issues affecting the neighbourhood.

Many of us are single mothers or have had our children apprehended due to poverty; most of us have chronic physical or mental health issues for example HIV and Hepatitis C; many have drug or alcohol addictions; and a majority have experienced and survived sexual violence and mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional abuse. For indigenous women, we are affected by a legacy of the effects of residential schools and a history of colonization and racism.