John Greyson and Tarek Loubani: Redux

As I previously wrote here, filmmaker and York University Professor John Greyson and medical doctor Tarek Loubani have been in prison in Egypt without charge since August 15th. Now the Egyptian government, despite repeated entreaties from Canadian consular officials, says they could be detained for 45 more days. The two men have been on a hunger strike for two weeks and the situation is getting perilous. 

It is time for Prime Minister Harper to intervene directly. The more pressure he receives to do so, the better. 

Please consider sending an email expressing your concern to stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca, copying Foreign Minister John Baird (bairdj@parl.gc.ca).

P.

John Greyson and Tarek Loubani Arrested in Egypt

So events in Egypt just got a whole lot more personal with news this past weekend that friend, filmmaker and York University professor John Greyson (right, above) had been arrested in Cairo along with Dr. Tarek Loubani, a medical doctor from London, Ontario. The two men had been en route to Gaza, where Dr. Loubani regularly travels to train physicians in cardiac and trauma support as part of an initiative sponsored by the University of Western Ontario; Greyson was accompanying him in connection with a possible documentary project about the al-Shifa hospital in the region. For the latest developments in the case, see the following Globe article.

There is no indication yet why the two men have been detained, although they have been in touch with family and Canadian consular officials and have stated that they are both being well-treated. Still, our government must do everything in its power to secure their immediate and safe release. An on-line petition urging just this has so far collected more than 5,000 virtual signatures. Consider adding yours here.

Also, use social media to write/prompt Stephen Harper and John Baird, and to keep the pressure on both the Canadian Embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa. Here are the relevant contact details:

John Baird – Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada
Phone
1-613-990-7720
Email: bairdj@parl.gc.ca
Twitter: John Baird @honjohnbaird
Twitter: Department of Foreign Affairs Canada @DFATDCanada

Stephen Harper – Prime Minister of Canada
Phone
1-613-992-4211
Email: stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca

Canadian Embassy in Egypt: cairo@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

Egyptian Embassy, Ottawa, Canada
Phone:
1-613-234-4931
1-613-234-4935
Email: egyptemb@sympatico.ca

P.

Film Heaven

RIP Videomatica, Vancouver's premiere specialty video store. According to today's Vancouver Sun, the iconic West 4th outlet will soon be shuttering its doors after 28 years in business, a victim of rising internet downloading.

Co-owners Graham Peat and Brian Bosworth are hoping to keep the collection (which includes approximately 30,000 DVDs, 1,000 Blu-ray discs, and 5,000 VHS tapes) together, likely by donating it to a cultural or educational institution. I sure hope so, as Videomatica is still the go-to place for obscure and hard-to-find titles, or for works that have not yet been transferred to DVD. Just last fall, in fact, I borrowed Videomatica's VHS copy of John Greyson's The Law of Enclosures in order to re-watch the film for a paper I was writing.

With local philanthropist Yosef Wosk involved in the talks around the collection, maybe the recipient institution might actually be SFU. That would be fantastic, a major coup for the film program in Contemporary Arts as it settles into its new digs at SFU Woodward's.

Speaking of which: this past Thursday at SFU Woodward's saw the opening night screening of the Contemporary Arts film grads' fourth-year films. It was a long evening--16 short films over 3+ hours--but well worth it, filled with many outstanding moments, including a cameo in one of the strongest films, Lisa Pham's Landing, by the Commercial Drive location of Black Dog Video, which I guess now inevitably inherits Videomatica's mantle.

I can't do justice to all the highlights in the program, which ranged across genres and styles. But I would like to give a special shout out to three films whose creators were instrumental in the making of Objecthood last year, and whose talents--judging by there efforts here--are limitless: Graham and Nelson Talbot's Looking Up; Jessica Han's Bill, Please!; and Sammy Chien's Patterns of Liquid Stars.

You can catch all three films, along with the rest of the program, tonight at SFU Woodward's, starting at 7 pm.

P.