We went to Langara College on Saturday to take in a few documentaries at the Codev World Community Film Festival. Their purpose in their own words...

Our theme reflects the urgent need to acknowledge and celebrate resistance and the fight for human rights in communities across the world. It is especially important at a time when we often feel swamped by waves of reaction and repression. The more we learn from other struggles, the more inspired we will be to create a different world.

These documentaries show communities and individuals around the globe working to create change. We at CoDevelopment Canada hope that these stories bring you hope and energy to stand up for your rights, to resist the forces that push you back, and to make a difference in your life and community.

We took the girls as well, even though they are probably a bit young to really grasp some of the ideas being discussed. But what it did do was allow them to see that there is more going on in the world than we see. That there are injustices that abound and that we must raise our voice in protest of.

The first film the girls and I saw was called "Radical Simplicity", which is also a book that I've now ordered from the library. It was essentially a challenge to consider the call to sustainability. The second film, both the girls and I really enjoyed. It was called "Me and my mosque" and was a film by a Canadian Moslem woman and her journey to bring women equality in her religion. It was very well done and fun to watch. Although, both my girls were outraged by the way many women are treated in some - not all though - Mosques. I enjoyed watching them be stirred at the thought of someone telling them they couldn't do something just because they were female. Reid saw a couple films about Fair Trade Coffee and War and Media. It made for great discussion all the way home!

I'm already looking forward to next year. The girls will be a little older and we can aspire to a little more.