July 2024
justNEWS
Summer 2024
Here’s the summer issue of justNEWS with some highlights of what’s been happening. You can also get to know the coordinator of the Programming Committee, Rawd Almasoud, who is the featured interviewee.
We wish you, the CJFF community, a lovely summer in which to spend some downtime doing the things you love, in the places you love, with the people you love.
The CJFF Team
Bassem Hafez: Chair
Jenny Conway Fisher: Secretary
John Spronk: Treasurer
Tako Koning: Sponsorships and Fundraising Director
Rowan Fisher: Programming Director
Mohit Arora: Marketing & Communications Director
Keira Prette: Social Media Director
Jenny Radsma: Communications Coordinator
CJFF Annual General Meeting
On June 11, 2024, the board of directors hosted their annual general meeting at River Park Church with almost 25 people attending. Chair Bassem Hafez, Treasurer John Spronk, as well as Directors Rowan Fisher (Programming), Tako Koning, (Sponshorships and Fundraising), and Mohit Arora (Marketing and Communications) provided a synopsis of the challenges and achievements of the organization over the past year (e.g., a full complement of board members, a healthy bank balance thanks to grants and donations; a paid coordinator for the Programming Committee with a robust group of volunteers; updating of the website, and improved social media communication). The questions asked by the attending members allowed for discussion of what is anticipated in the coming year (e.g., expanded partnerships with organizations that share our values with respect to justice matters).
Accolades and appreciation are extended to River Park Church for serving as CJFF’s home since its inception in 2004!
Rowan Fisher (She/Her)
Director of Programming
CJFF and OFF Partnership
CJFF and Okotoks Film Festival (OFF) are pleased to partner together to bring exciting films and community engagement to both festivals. At OFF this past June, CJFF's Director of Programming, immigration lawyer Rowan Fisher, presented information on refugee status and processing in Canada. Her in-depth explanation of how Canada structures refugee intake and hearings provided a foundation for the refugee focused Justice Night, part of OFF's 2024 programming. CJFF Board and committee members attended the event and provided justice film information at a fun information booth and then stayed to watch the impressive selection of refugee-focused films for OFF’s inaugural Justice Night.
Coming up in November, OFF will support CJFF in the selection of indigenous films for CJFF's 2024 opening night, Indigenous Lens. CJFF members look forward to hosting the members of OFF in Calgary and having them connect with those attending CJFF. The teams from both film festivals are excited by this new partnership and look forward to the years ahead of supporting the screening of important justice films across the province.
Congratulations!
When next you see Tako Koning, Director of Sponsorships and Fundraising, offer him your congratulations. On June 6, 2024, he was awarded Honorary Membership by the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association, a professional organization which was previously the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. He received this award in recognition of his over 40 years of volunteering for various professional organizations including the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Indonesia Petroleum Association, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, Alberta Palaeontological Society, and the Alberta Wilderness Association. His volunteerism occurred in Canada as well as in Indonesia, Nigeria and Angola, countries where Tako lived and worked for 30 years. The award also recognized his leading many geological, paleontological, and environmental field trips for energy industry professionals, university students, environmentalists and the public-at-large. He continues to be very active with all these activities. BRAVO, Tako!
IN CONVERSATION WITH…
RAWD ALMASOUD, Programming Committee Coordinator
On June 25, 2024, Jenny Radsma met with Rawd Almasoud, a vibrant freelancer engaged in film, theatre, and media arts. In January, she added CJFF Programming Committee Coordinator to the list of roles she holds. From the hour they spent together at River Park Church, here is the gist of what they talked about. A full transcript of this conversation is available at: XXX
Rawd grew up in Dubai, UAE but spent summers in Syria, the country in which she was born. She completed two years of film studies at American University (Dubai) whereupon she immigrated to Canada with her family in 2019. After a year in Montreal, her family relocated to Calgary and she recently became a proud Canadian citizen.
Having earned a film production diploma from SAIT in 2022, she is now completing a baccalaureate degree in Communication and Media Studies at University of Calgary. Her educational trajectory, she said with a smile, includes two continents, two countries, two provinces, and three academic institutions.
At SAIT, Rawd pitched the idea for Uncivilized, a short documentary film, which she and a team of student colleagues produced as their capstone project. The film has screened several times in Calgary (including at CJFF in 2022), as well as elsewhere in Alberta, Ontario, and USA. Nominated for several awards, the film has garnered two awards: Best Student Short at the Social Impact Film Festival in the US, and Best Canadian Short at the Junction North International Documentary Film Festival in Sudbury, ON.
Rawd and her team received very positive feedback upon the initial screening of Uncivilized. Months of work, sleepless nights, lots of planning, lots of money—it all paid off in the end, she said.
Since filming Uncivilized, Rawd has involved herself with theatre (e.g., Interrogation stage manager). She “jumped” into her role as assistant manager, a role about which she said she initially knew nothing. She has gone on to earn a certificate in theatre audio description and now audio describes for visually impaired audience members, via their headsets, what is occurring on the stage. With Okotoks Film Festival, she also teaches an introductory course in filmmaking.
Working in theatre and film are a joy for Rawd although, as the first female Arab Muslim woman in Calgary to work in both areas, she says, it sometimes feels great, “I’m the first and only one.” Other times, it’s kind of lonely, “Why isn’t there another Muslim woman like me?”
Rawd describes herself as a CJFF alumna. A year after Uncivilized screened at CJFF, she became part of the CJFF team. As coordinator of the Programming Committee, Rawd manages a team of up to 20 people, which means juggling emails, assigning films, coordinating and scheduling, evaluating film feedback, as well as facilitating twice-monthly meetings. She assigned approximately 150 films for committee members to watch and applauded the Programming Committee previewers, “None of my work would be possible without them.”
Rawd says there are definitely some good films in the rankings for the 2024 film festival. “Now, however, comes the tricky part: what films need to be dropped and what can stay. Obviously, we would like to show all the films but, in the end, it’s a film festival, isn’t it.”
Stay tuned for the November line-up of films!
Mark Your Calendar
2024 CJFF Fall Film Festival and Peace Fair
Information about location and the films to be screened as well the agencies to be represented at the Peace Fair coming soon!
Date: November 14-16, 2024
SUPPORT CJFF
Interested in volunteering with CJFF? Please contact board@justicefilmfestival.ca
Interested in supporting CJFF financially? Please contact admin@justicefilmfestival.ca
Good films. Do Good.