New Film Addresses Tragedy of Missing, Murdered Aboriginal Women. Documentary Premieres March 21

In the past 30 years, an estimated 500 Aboriginal women have been murdered or gone missing in Canada. Seeking to put a human face on this national tragedy, Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh, a faculty member with the University of Victoria women’s studies department, made Finding Dawn, an epic journey into the dark heart of Native women’s experience.

The award-winning documentary has its Victoria premiere on Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the University Centre Farquhar Auditorium. The film, a National Film Board of Canada production, travels from Vancouver’s skid row to the “Highway of Tears” in northern British Columbia to Saskatoon, focusing on the unsolved murders of three women: Dawn Crey, Ramona Wilson and Daleen Kay Bosse. The film illustrates the deep historical, social and economic factors that contribute to the epidemic of violence against Native women both inside and outside their communities. Along the road to honour the dead, Welsh uncovers inspiring stories of strength, courage and resilience.

“I’ve always felt strongly that if you’re going to tell a story, no matter how dark it is, you have to leave people with some hope. Our people have incredible beauty and strength and resilience and that’s part of the story too,” says Welsh. “We all become implicated when we allow the violence to continue. . . we need to take collective responsibility for what is happening.”

Welsh will be in attendance at the Victoria premiere. Other speakers include scholar and activist Janice Acoose (Assistant Professor, First Nations University of Canada), who appears in the film, and MC Maxine Matilpi (A-Neet-Sa) from the UVic Faculty of Law. The evening will feature a performance by the Saanich Singers, and a discussion period following the screening.

Tickets are free but to guarantee a seat, book tickets in advance through the UVic Ticket Centre Box Office at http://auditorium.uvic.ca/tickets.html or call 721-8480.

Finding Dawn won the Audience Gold Award at the 2006 Amnesty International Film Festival - Vancouver, and was screened in New York at the 51st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. It was also an official selection of the San Francisco Annual American Indian Film Festival and the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. For more information visit http://communications.uvic.ca/media/findingdawn.php.

Note: Due to the sensitive nature of the film’s subject matter, the filmmaker and her special guests will not be granting interviews at the screening. Call the following contacts to arrange an interview prior to March 21.

A press kit containing more information and a DVD of the film is available on request. A highlights reel is also available in Beta SP format. High-resolution images from the film are available for download on the NFB website at www.nfb.ca/findingdawn.

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