Onscreen adventures
This past year, I followed a honey gatherer up Macedonian hills, watched a recording session with a legendary jazz singer, witnessed the political turmoil within Denmark’s parliament, and traveled throughout Canada to the strains of Handel’s music. All these adventures happened while I lounged on the living room sofa. A favorite pastime for my husband…
The movies that have shaped us
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down concert venues and sports stadiums. Even movie theatres have locked their doors. Over the past several months, many people have found themselves stuck at home with more free time and a new Netflix subscription. Six Mennonites talk about the films that have been formative in their lives: Mackenzie Nicolle…
Watch: Quarantine viewing ideas
Looking for a movie to watch? Sue Sorensen has some suggestions for you. Sorensen, an English professor at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, is featured in a series of five short videos CMU posted to its YouTube channel earlier this month. Each video features a film that Sorensen recommends watching, particularly in light of the…
My favourite films of 2019
For various reasons, I watched fewer films in 2019 than in any of the previous five years. In general, the films listed below are not as strong as films on previous lists. In the end, though, there were enough good films to make a Top 15 list. Here’s my list, counting down—with a reminder that…
‘Vice’ director Adam McKay talks about Mennonites on popular podcast
Filmmaker Adam McKay recently revealed that when he was growing up, he attended a Mennonite church for a time. During his appearance on the March 20 episode of the podcast You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, the writer-director shared that after his mother became a Christian, they attended a number of different churches. “She…
New book and film focus on conscientious objection
Conrad Stoesz, Mennonite Heritage Centre (MHC) archivist, is passionate about pursuing peace and the history of conscientious objection to war. His long-held convictions inspired him to contribute a chapter to a new book on the subject and to successfully pursue a grant for the production of a video documentary. “The experience of Canada’s conscientious objectors…
60 Years from Now…
Two women, working as “maids” in 1960’s segregated southern United States, cross racial lines to take a risk in telling their stories to an eager young writer. Watching “The Help” in Virginia, I couldn’t help but wonder about the impact of such a film in what was the historic “south.” The film showed…
YERT: Small Acts of Resistance and Resilience
“When you being to see nature as a mentor rather than a warehouse, your emotions to the rest of the natural world become one of respect.” This quote comes from a unique documentary I watched recently called “Your Environmental Road Trip” or YERT. In this entertaining and informative film, three young adults decide to travel…
