Join members of the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville for their International Film Series in collaboration with the Film Circuit of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Each month a different film will be shown.
So Surreal: Behind the Masks (Canada, English, 88 min) showing on February 24.
René Magritte, André Breton, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall. We are familiar with these famous painters who were major characters in the post WW II surrealist painting movement. We are less familiar with the tragedy of their accumulation of west coast indigenous masks that became an essential part of their artistic output. This documentary unveils how the surrealists incorporated the Yup’ik and Kwakwaka’wake ceremonial masks into their work. Cree co-director and lead actor, Neil Diamond, tells the story of the quest to bring some of the masks back to their homes. The quest takes Diamond and the viewers, to New York, Alaska, BC, and Paris. This documentary addresses issues of cultural appropriation, reconciliation, and repatriation. Interviewees talk about value and ownership in an entertaining and informative film.
Please contact Charles Mossman (charcz@yahoo.com) for the 4:00pm showing, or Sandra Burt (sburt@uwaterloo.ca) for the 7:00pm showing. The price of a pass for the four films is $60. If you cannot attend all the films, you may send a substitute attendee. Note that these films deal with mature subjects and are not suitable for children.