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More than 100 people gathered for a screening of an Oscar-winning documentary at the Capitol Theatre in Yellowknife on Monday.
The film, No Other Land, was shown by YK Citizens for Ceasefire, a local group calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. One of the organizers, Amy Lam, says it was a chance for residents to learn more about the conflict.
“There is a lot of confusion and misinformation as to what the Palestine conflict is all about. I think there is a lot of education that’s required in that area,” Lam said.
With the film just winning an Oscar in February for best documentary feature, Lam said the organization thought it was a good opportunity to screen this film in Yellowknife to provide some additional education.
The film made by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, follows Palestinian resistance in Masafer Yatta – a collection of hamlets in the West Bank – and the destruction by Israeli forces between 2019 and 2023, to make way for a military firing range in the area.
“So for over half a decade, a local Palestinian called Basel Adra, [an] activist that lives in that community, has been filming the destruction of his community. So this is the first-hand look,” Lam said.
Lois Little, one of the attendees at the screening, said the documentary left a deep impact.
“What stood out is the trauma, the fear that Palestinians lived with day to day. As the Israeli member of the film crew said, you know, I have all of these rights, but my colleague and his people have none of these rights,” Little said.
Little says it reminded her how fragile human rights can be, and the importance of speaking up.
Kim Harrower, another attendee, said it was good to watch the events first hand in a documentary, rather than on the news.
“I don’t really think it’s changed my perspective, but it has kind of entrenched how I feel,” Harrower said.
With the upcoming federal election less than two weeks away, some who attended the film say the Palestine conflict is top of their minds, adding that a candidate’s stance on the issue will influence how they vote.
“I would like to know who stands behind Palestine and who doesn’t. That greatly influences my vote,” said Yellowknife resident Aislinn Stirling-Crosby.
Reyhan Sarikaya, a longtime resident, echoed that.
“So we really have to have to get off the fence and there [has to] be some concrete position taking and commitments,” Sarikaya said.
A highlight of the panel discussion that followed the screening was how even after winning an Oscar, the documentary still doesn’t have a U.S. distributor.
“I think that is a sign that there is some level of censorship of the message that this film is presenting,” Lam said.
Pause on well usage
Lam says proceeds from the screening will go toward its Yellowknife Well of Hope project, which is helping fund a community water well in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza. But at the moment, the well usage is on hold.
“The well has been drilled. There is a pause in the usage right now because Israel has reoccupied Gaza, after they broke the ceasefire. But so, you know, as well as their infrastructures there, we hope it is safe,” Lam said.
For over a month, a siege in Gaza has forced people to evacuate the area and prevented fuel from getting to the area to run the pumps and generators, Lam said.
Though they are close to the $50,000 target for the well, Lam says they are going to continue fundraising as people on the ground still need it for their day-to-day lives.
“We feel really proud that this money was raised, that we’re leaving this permanent piece of infrastructure that ties Yellowknife to Gaza,” Lam said.
A federal issue
Last year, N.W.T. MLAs passed a motion calling on Premier R.J. Simpson to write to Ottawa in support of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. In May 2024, the N.W.T. government responded saying the issue is not within territorial jurisdiction to address.
“The [Government of N.W.T.] recognizes that the Government of Canada is in the best position to address matters involving international affairs,” read the response.
Great Slave MLA Kate Reid, who tabled the motion last year, says it’s clear “the [Government of N.W.T.] is not willing to wade into these waters, so to speak.”
Reid says she is encouraging everyone to speak to all candidates running for N.W.T. MP and vote accordingly. She says she herself has spoken to three, except Green Party candidate Angela Davidson.
“I have spoken about this with all of the candidates, and some of them have good answers. And I encourage people to speak to the candidates,” Reid said.
Reid says she understands jurisdictional differences but is hopeful that the N.W.T. cabinet will work with federal counterparts after the election.
“They remind our federal friends that there are Palestinians in the Northwest Territories who are hurting,” Reid said.
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