Private may not be the opposite of Public. What is arts-creation combined with social science research? Auto-ethnography, creative anthropology, and other research methods in BIRTHMARK.

BIRTHMARK at Traill College, Bagnani Hall — a free film screening, panel discussion, and reception on November 9, 2019, starting at 7:30 PM.

— REGISTER NOW TO BE PUT ON THE GUEST LIST —

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2019

8 — 10 PM (Doors open 7:30 PM)

BAGNANI HALL, Catharine Parr Traill College
315 Dublin St, Peterborough, Ontario (Doors open 7:30 PM, Reception 10 — 12 PM at The Trend)

Sponsored by — Catharine Parr Traill College • The Trent University Cultural Studies Department • Bodies in Translation

PANELISTS

Nadine Changfoot is an associate professor in Political Studies and affiliated with Cultural Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies, Canadian and Indigenous Studies, and Sustainability Studies at Trent University. She engages in feminist, participatory and arts-based research, partnering with arts, environmental, disability, aging, healthcare, and Indigenous communities for influence, capacity-building, and new possibilities.

Janette Platana was born and raised in Saskatchewan and now lives in Peterborough, where she writes, plays music, and makes short films. Her writing has been published in Canada, the United States, and Turkey. Her MA thesis in Public Texts was called Punk as Public; Punks as Texts.

Jeremy Bell With a Ph.D. in cultural studies from Trent University, Jeremy’s research focuses on the “aesthetic anthropology” of contemporary life. Where previously he highlighted elements of European modernism, he has more recently broadened his field to encompass contemporary digital media, theory, and the various ways in which our aesthetic experience impacts our daily lives. He currently teaches at Fleming College in Peterborough.

MODERATOR

Ayesha Barmania is an independent journalist, radio producer, audio artist and podcast consultant based in Peterborough, Ontario. They are the founder and managing director of Peterborough Independent Podcasters, the host of the Sounds Like Life podcast and Peterborough Currents, and their work has been featured on Canadian public radio, national magazines, and globally in podcasts.

IN ADDITION: Q & A with Lester Alfonso LA is best known as a filmmaker and a multi-media artist. His award-winning films include Twelve, for the National Film Board of Canada, about twelve Canadians who give advice to their twelve-year-old selves. Earlier this year, he premiered 6 new episodes for his creative nonfiction podcast SoundProof.


SYNOPSIS

Inspired by a flashback about his birthmark, filmmaker Lester Alfonso is convinced that making a film will help confront a distant trauma rooted in cultural superstition. A follow-up to his award-winning film Twelve (2009), BIRTHMARK is a wry, sensitive, and candidly confessional exercise in creative anthropology. Soliciting fellow mark-bearers to add their testimonies to his own, Lester documents his journey to find peace and forgiveness, and to quiet the voice in his head.

[Trailer 1] [Trailer 2] [Electronic Press Kit]

Making a Difference Award (Honourable Mention) Commffest Global Community Film Festival October 2019

…a modern masterpiece.

— Arthur

A quest to unpack the intensely intimate mythologies that shape our lives for better or worse…

— Electric City Magazine

• FREE FILM SCREENING •
• PANEL DISCUSSION AND RECEPTION •

— REGISTER NOW TO BE PUT ON THE GUEST LIST —