The Film and Motherhood program is the third event organized by the art/mamas as part of the PLOT art residency at Access Art Gallery. In this conversation, Sarah Shamash, prOphecy sun, and Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda engage with filmmakers: Jules Koostachin, Nadine Valcin, Preta Performance, Clare Yow, Ghinwa Yassine, and Maternal Fantasies. Marlene Yuen responded visually to the conversation.
This conversation was accompanied by a parallel film and motherhood curatorial project comprised of four programs: Experimental Shorts (online), Intimate Portraits (online), a Feature Length film (online), and Gallery Screening (in person). Curated by Gabriela Aceves Sepulveda, Sarah Shamash, and prOphecy Sun, the films all speak to the complex relationships to, engendered by, and toward motherhood.
As we adapted our program to the conditions of the evolving pandemic, these works are selected from our local context on unceded Coast Salish territory in Vancouver and from international artist-filmmaker-mothers. As practicing media artists and mothers, we considered the roles and challenges of motherhood as explored through the diverse and culturally specific perspectives in the film and video programs presented. The diverse selection of films and videos on varied interpretations of “motherhood,” taken as a whole, self-reflect on the condition of being an artist/filmmaker today.
Participating Artists for Feature-Length:
Sylvia Morales
Mid-Length:
Lindsay McIntyre
Jules Koostachin
Anne-Marie Bouchard
Michele Kaiwá
Francisca Duran
Nathalie Lopez
Torill Kove
Participating Artists for Experimental Shorts:
Safira Moreira
Clare Yow
Ghinwa Yassine
Preta Performance
Erin Siddall
Navarana Igliorte
Lois Klassen
Nadine Valcine
Maternal Fantasies
Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda
Kathleen Hepburn
Exhibiting Artists (onsite screening):
Ariel Kirk-Gushowaty
Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda, Freya Zinovieff, prOphecy sun
Sarah Shamash
prOphecy sun
Freya Zinovieff
Sai Di, Jelena Markovic, Guadalupe Martinez, and Dalia Shalabi, Anna Zoria
The online program was hosted at VIVO Media Arts:
https://www.vivomediaarts.com/archive/film-and-motherhood/
The on-site program was screened at Access Art Gallery:
https://accessgallery.ca/event/conversation-3-film-and-motherhood
Art Mamas acknowledge the generous support of Access Gallery, the Canada Council for the Arts, VIVO Media Arts Centre, and the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) for making this project possible.