The revived series opened with three documentaries on resistance and a discussion on what protest achieves
Cinema Politica Sackville (CPS), the local chapter of the non-profit arts organization supporting independent political filmmaking, returned to Sackville on Nov. 4 at the Dunn Building.
“Our world is rapidly changing, and even a small campus and town like Mt.A/Sackville are interconnected with global events,” Araby Smyth, an assistant professor in the geography and environment department at Mt.A, said in an email to The Argosy. Smyth added that the organizers hope coming together to watch the films provides a space for the community to connect with one another and think about their place in the world.
The last film CPS screened before the pause was Gasland II, a documentary on fracking, hosted with the Tantramar Alliance Against Hydrofracking. 11 years later, the series has returned amid a renewed fracking debate in the province.
“Interesting to note that we have resumed screenings just as the province is reconsidering the moratorium on fracking in New Brunswick,” David Thomas, professor and department head of politics and international relations, said in an email to The Argosy.
The revived series has stayed true to that spirit, favouring topical and current films. The Nov. 4 screening started with Mi’kmaq Resistance: Defend the Sacred, a film documenting Mi’kmaq opposition to Alton Gas’s proposal to create two salt caverns in Nova Scotia, with the stated intention to build more.
Alton Gas planned to use water from the Shubenacadie River to carve out underground salt
caverns for natural gas storage. That process would send brine, a concentrated saltwater solution, into the river. The project would not only affect the Shubenacadie River and its ecosystem, but also expand the fossil fuel industry in Nova Scotia, at a time when fossil fuel use needs to be reduced to limit rapid climate change. Alton Gas stopped its plans in 2021.
The second film, Water Warriors, detailed the resistance against SWN Resources Canada, a subsidiary of Texas-based Southwestern Energy Company (SWN), coming to New Brunswick in search of natural gas in 2013. A group of members from the Mi’kmaq Elsipogtog First Nation, French-speaking Acadians, and English-speaking families prevented the search by setting up a series of road blockades. Their efforts suspended the exploration and were instrumental in the election of a new government that imposed an indefinite moratorium on fracking in the province.
The third film, Street Politics 101, highlighted the 2012 massive student strike opposing a tuition hike, with rebellion and protests in the streets of Montréal, Que., for over six months. It details the police brutality, the unlistening government, and dedicated groups of students that formed the foundation for some of the largest protests in Canadian history. While unsuccessful in getting a permanent tuition freeze, the movement emphasized the importance of rallying for what you believe in.
That belief in advocacy has played out on campus before. Thomas pointed to an earlier case of a CPS film inspiring action. After a 2010 screening of The Coca-Cola Case, a group of students formed “Coke Free Mt.A” to oppose the University’s contract with the company. University administrators did not budge, but Thomas said the campaign was still worth celebrating. “It was an engaging campaign, and amazing to see students opposing the corporatization of our campuses,” He said.
The screenings are followed by a group discussion, allowing audience members to reflect on what they just watched. When discussing the films, there was a weariness in the room, even when talking about the wins.
“It’s kinda depressing,” an audience member said, “the path to political change is one step forward, [and] a thousand steps back.”
Another attendee, who said they had taken part in protests against the United States’ invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, said the protests still mattered because they made the opposition known, even though the invasions went ahead.
That kind of exchange is what organizers hope the screenings create. The next screening is Jan. 13, 2027. More information will be posted on the CPS Instagram page @cinemapoliticasackville.