Perspective Film Series x Human Capital Present:
Migrant Dreams (2016), Directed by Min Sook Lee
January 27 @ 7:00 pm
2016 | Canada | 88 mins
Join Contemporary Calgary for our January edition of the Perspective Film Series in collaboration with Human Capital. Curated by Alia Aluma, the series includes QTBIPOC films, diverse voices, global titles and narratives that confront prejudices.
This month’s perspective highlights a group of migrant women farm workers who dare to resist the systemic oppression and exploitation from their brokers, employers and the Canadian government in small-town Leamington, Ontario.
FREE with $10 admission to Contemporary Calgary. FREE for members.
Our galleries are open 12-7PM for viewing prior to attending the event.
Synopsis: Migrant Dreams (2016)
Synopsis
A powerful feature documentary by multiple award-winning director Min Sook Lee (El Contrato, Hogtown, Tiger Spirit) and Emmy award-winning producer Lisa Valencia-Svensson (Herman’s House), tells the undertold story of migrant agricultural workers struggling against Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) that treats foreign workers as modern-day indentured labourers. Under the rules of Canada’s migrant labour program, low-wage migrants are tied to one employer.
Migrant Dreams exposes the underbelly of a labour program that has built a system designed to empower brokers and growers to exploit, dehumanize, and deceive migrant workers. These workers pay exorbitant fees to work at minimum wage jobs packing the fruits and vegetables we eat in our homes, while they have virtually no access to support or information in their own language. These migrant workers deserve basic labour and human rights; Canada, it seems, has failed them.
This film is presented in conjunction with Human Capital.
Director: Min Sook Lee
Producers: Min Sook Lee, Lisa Valencia-Svensson, Rose Gutierrez
Music composed by: Ken Myhr
Screenplay: Min Sook Lee
About the Curator: Alia Aluma (she/her)
An advocate for the creative industries and global contributor to arts and culture communities, Alia Aluma has worked and studied in four different continents and conducts her research and workplace tasks in three different languages. Her multilateral passions link grand interests such as architecture, film, writing, and entertainment, leading to experiences within the fields of fashion, photography, technical and culture teaching, writing and publishing, and fine arts and curation. While her current focus is on capital culture and art direction, she is also a practising visual artist and writer who has had works on display in Rome, Canada, and England. Her work is deeply rooted in empathetic work ethic and diversity, proven by her studies in multilingualism and world cultures.
Before graduating with degrees in Art History, Communications, and World Literature & Culture, Aluma began working as a ghostwriter while studying abroad in Hong Kong. In this role, she began writing novels on behalf of international clients, specializing in science fiction and business literature. Upon returning to Canada, Aluma stepped into the role of Editor-in-Chief and teacher, mentoring an entire journalism department from the ground up with Alberta’s largest hip hop foundation. Eventually, Aluma’s written history would lead to the creation of a digital course with skillshare foundation UPWEGO.ai. Currently, Aluma is working on publishing her Masters research in decentralized art and currencies (CryptoArt).
Aluma’s research has placed her within new roles in the creative industry, including her current position as Creative Arts & Technology Director with Greta Bar YYC/YEG/YVR, where she manages a CryptoArt Creative Foundation with the intention of reviving Calgary’s art scene. After speaking at multiple international conferences, she has also engaged with a team of academics from various institutions and many notable crypto-artists, leading to a highly anticipated textbook on the matter (publishing date TBD).
Presented in collaboration with
