Director: Shelley Saywell

The Nanny Business explores the domestic labour market that brings in an estimated 5,000 women to Canada every year to serve as caregivers. These women, mostly escaping poverty in the Philippines, leave their own children behind. Their dream is to satisfy the requirements of a Canadian government program that promises a “fast-track” route to citizenship. For many that dream becomes a reality, however a disturbing number of these women become victims of fraud and abuse.

Following the journey of Edelyn and Joelina, two single mothers who arrive with only their hopes for the future, The Nanny Business puts a personal face on a story exploitation that is occurring all around us. From the moment both women arrive in Canada, they are victims of unscrupulous agents and employers, vulnerable in a system that does not protect them. University-educated, determined, and brave, they both fight back. In the end, they find ways to overcome their circumstances and the bravery to go public.

They hope their stories will help force change, both in attitude and action, in the new country they want to call home.

44 min.

Director: Mark MacInnis

Urban Roots follows the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. Urban Roots is a timely, moving and inspiring film that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future. Urban farming provides a way in which individuals can take control over something so critical as food that in the very act of growing it, they not only feed themselves, they also become healthier, more self-reliant and in some cases they become entrepreneurs. And most remarkable, they create a new approach to community, the economy and life overall.

93 min.

Director: David York

Big Oil calls convicted 1990s oilpatch saboteur Wiebo Ludwig an eco-terrorist and portrays him as a patriarchal cult leader. He calls himself a devout Christian driven to defend his Trickle Creek farm from the deadly effects of toxic sour gas wells. Now there’s a new series of gas well bombings, and the RCMP and media are back. David York takes his camera into the heart of Ludwig’s Christian community to create a powerful film about two decades of conflict. Film shot by the Ludwigs chronicles a litany of horrors: livestock deaths, mass miscarriages of lambs and of human babies with similar deformities, severe reactions to gas flares, and desperate attempts to reach government agencies. Their footage of confrontations with gas workers and police, and its stark contrast with media reports, raises a critical issue: when politicians and police become sock puppets for private interests, is vigilante action justified?

Trailer available

93 min.