MDD 2012 Announces Words of Witness
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7/31/2019 MDD 2012 Announces Words of Witness
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Contact: Josh Tabish,
Lead Coordinator, Media Democracy Day [email protected]
778.782.7353
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Words of Witness by Director Mai Iskander Opens the 12th Annual Media Democracy Days
Vancouver, B.C. October 18, 2012. WORDS OF WITNESS, the new feature-lengthdocumentary from acclaimed filmmaker Mai Iskander, will open the 12th annual Media
Democracy Days Vancouver (MDD) on November 2, 2012 in the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema
at SFU Woodwards in downtown Vancouver.
Produced by Mai Iskander, Tiffany Shauer, Steve Cohen and Wynne Comer, WORDS OF
WITNESS follows 22-year-old Egyptian journalist Heba Afify as she covers the Arab Spring
from inside Tahrir Square for the English edition of the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm. Thedocumentary frames the political turmoil of a nation seeking freedom and democracy throughHebas coming of age story as a young journalist in the Middle East.
WORDS OF WITNESS was filmed on location in Tahrir Square throughout the revolution.
Much of the film depicts director Iskander and Heba on the ground interviewing Egyptiancitizens who wish to see Mubaraks regime end, with footage capturing the escalating tension
and chanting crowds from inside the movement. It also follows the story of Heba and her family,
and shows how traditional values and gender roles challenge her desire to be a journalist.
In addition, the film will be preceded by a talk from this years keynote speaker, Dr. Sunera
Thobani. Dr. Thobani is an renowned activist, who has formerly served the president of theNational Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC). She is currently an AssociateProfessor of Womens and Gender Studies at UBC and will be speaking on the representation of
gender, race and power in North American news media.
WORDS OF WITNESS will be shown Friday, November 2, at 6:30PM in the DjavadMowafaghian Cinema of SFU Woodwards (149 W. Hastings St.). Attendance is free, but
seating is limited. RSVP at http://mdd2012filmscreeing.eventbrite.com/ . For complete
programming details for Media Democracy Days Vancouver 2012, please visit
www.mediademocracyday.org.
All events are open and free to the public. MDD 2012 is a partnership of SFUs School ofCommunication, OpenMedia.ca, and The Vancouver Public Library, and is sponsored in part by
Vancity.
About Media Democracy Days
Launched in 2001, MDD western Canadas signature event for the growing global mediademocratization movement. This movement seeks to create a more participatory media system
by supporting independent and public service media production, celebrating innovation and
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creating dialogue around the politics and biases linked to our increasingly corporate and
concentrated media. This year, MDD events will be taking place over two-days at SFUWoodwards Goldcorp Centre for the Arts and the Vancouver Public Library Central Library.
To learn more, visit http://www.mediademocracyday.org.
About the School of Communication at SFUFor nearly 40 years, the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University has fostered the
development of critical, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of media and technology with a
commitment to social theory and political economy. Led by an award-winning team of
educators, the School of Communication is at the leading edge of media policy research,technological innovation and cultural transformation on a global scale. For more information,
visit http://cmns.sfu.ca.
About OpenMedia.ca
OpenMedia.ca is a grassroots organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open and
affordable Internet. The group works towards informed and participatory digital policy. For more
information, visit http://openmedia.ca.
About Vancouver Public Library
Founded in 1887, Vancouver Public Library is one of Canada's largest library systems dedicated
to meeting the lifelong learning, reading, recreation and information needs of the people of
Vancouver. Each year, the Librarys 22 branches serve over six million visitors and offer over2.5 million items, including books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and countless online resources. For
more information, visit http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/ .
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Media Contacts:
Kathleen Cross, PhD.Chair, The Media Democracy Project778-782-3861
Stuart Poyntz, PhD.
Steering Committee, The Media Democracy Project778-782-7293
Josh Tabish
Lead Coordinator, Media Democracy Days 2012778.782.7353
