Silver Screens Film Festival (Toronto, ON, Canada)

Sunday, May 4th… “A Grandmother’s Tribe” was presented as one of three documentary films at a fundraiser in Toronto. The event, to benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation, was part of the Silver Screens Film Festival which celebrates creative living and aging. Featured on the film panel was Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Executive Director SLF, who spoke eloquently about the foundation’s commitment to supporting grassroots, community-based organizations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The foundation was responsible for the first Grandmother Gathering in Toronto in August, 2006. It continues to support grandmother families in Africa with funds raised by more than 200 grandmother groups in Canada.

Corporate Film Screening (Toronto, ON, Canada)

Monday, April 28th… In Toronto, a private screening was held for the employee team of Body Plus Nutritional Products. The after-work screening, brought together about twenty staff members. Following the screening and questions, President and owner of the company, Norm Danniels, announced that the 2007 staff donations fund, had “found its new project on the screen”.

We are very grateful for their generous spirit and look forward to keeping staff informed of the difference their donation will make for grandmother families in Africa.

CANAC Conference (Ottawa, ON, Canada)

Tuesday, April 22nd… While in Ottawa, Elaine Munro, one of the executive producers, also presented the film at the national conference of Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (CANAC). There has been an ongoing connection between the film and CANAC since the first day of shooting in Kenya and it was an honour to complete the journey with the presentation of the film to CANAC members in Ottawa.

Grans & Friends (Kanata, ON, Canada)

Monday, April 21st… A Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) grandmother group, “Grans & Friends”, hosted a screening of “A Grandmother’s Tribe” in Kanata, Ontario. The evening event took place at the All Saints Catholic High School, with over 50 people attending. Sue Cousineau, who recently traveled to Africa with the SLF grandmother delegation, spoke highly of the film and added her African experiences and insights at the end of the screening. It is estimated that the event raised over $1,000 to benefit SLF.

The Power of Small Communities - Takaka, GOLDEN BAY NZ

A Grandmother’s Tribe Fundraising screening: The Village Theatre, Takaka, NZ. May 29 2008.

The first screening of A Grandmother’s Tribe in Takaka was as part of a Borderless Productions Showcase, which kicked off The Village Theatre’s 2008 International Film Festival. The film showed to a full house that night and several people asked for a re-screening. One long time resident, Helena Thorpe, was so moved by the film that she and her husband, both in their eighties, set about collecting and selling all of their walnuts and figs to donate the proceeds to the grandmothers. I believe they succeeded in sending about $600 over. Consequently, by the time the fundraiser screening of the film came about, there was already an awareness within the community, especially the older folk, of what the film was about and how donations could help.

During the day, Keryn Easterbrook, Dean’s sister who lives locally, sat at a table selling raffle tickets outside the cinema. The prize was a basket of donated produce that included a delicious selection of locally made preserves, jams & pickles. Keryn raised $275 from this raffle. The Dodson family, meanwhile, were running a second raffle, the prize being a basket of produce from their own farm. Gay Dodson, a member of the local farming community, had spent two years in Africa working with Aids orphans so was delighted to see the cause she was so familiar with being promoted in her local town. She was able to donate $123 from her raffle.

The film showed, once again, to a full house and $835 was taken at the door. We had advertised the admission price as “suggested donation $10” however, many people gave more than this. The film was very well received. While it is difficult to say people “enjoyed” the film, the subject matter being as upsetting as it is, people very much appreciated being enabled to feel these peoples’ struggle up close. And, of course, within the heartbreak there is the clear strong voice of hope, a voice that reaches out to people and inspires. The total amount we were able to send to the grannies was $1233nz. The next day walking around town, several people stopped me and expressed thanks for showing the film. Those grandmothers in Africa seem to have found a place in the hearts of many of the people here in Takaka, tucked away in NZ’s South Island. In a thank you letter to the local newspaper I included the URL of the Voiceless Children blog so that people can stay in touch with the efforts of those inspirational elderly women.