By the ST5 Team
Check out some of the press we’ve been getting...
The Globe and Mail: Simon Houpt says that of the Canadian documentaries at Hot Docs this year, “Wala’s is the only one to directly challenge the federal government on one of the hottest issues of the day.”
NOW Magazine: 4 out of 5, choosing it as one of its ‘MUST SEE DOCS’
The Huffington Post: Also called the film a ‘must see.’
The Toronto Star: Selected us as one of their 'Recommended' films to see at Hot Docs and also one of ten films to watch that focus on justice.
By the ST5 Team
By the ST5 Team
On Tuesday March 18th, Hot Docs rolled out their lineup for their 2014 festival and announced the World Premiere of THE SECRET TRIAL 5. Check out some pics from the press conference HERE.
By the ST5 Team
After 4 ½ years, we are so proud to announce that The Secret Trial 5 will have its world premiere at the 2014 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival! We couldn’t possibly have gotten here without you, so thank you again for your incredible support over the years.
By the ST5 Team
We are pleased to announce some of the special guests who will be joining us for our post-screening Q + As at the Bloor Cinema Nov 7-13.
We look forward to robust discussions at every screening. Please encourage your friends and family to join us at the Bloor!
Noah Bingham
We've reached a HUGE milestone! As a part of our rewards to our two crowdfunding campaigns, our own and Hot Docs' DocIgnite, we shared our rough cut to our supporters the other night. Here are some pics of the night! Thank you all for your support & feedback. And a thank you to Maya Bankovic for the pics.
More soon...
The ST5 Team
Amar Wala
Today is my birthday.
I normally don’t think too much about this day. Last year was the big 3-0, so this year doesn’t really have any special significance, except for one thing. This year, I can say with confidence that I will have completed my first feature film. Every year on Feb 18th, I’d get a year older and ST5 would still be “moving along.” That was my answer of choice when I was asked how it was going.
I remember our first shoot day quite well. It was the fall of 2009, and The Harkats’ house arrest conditions had just been loosened. I was 26. I was naïve. I was stupid. Thank goodness for that because I can honestly say if I knew what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have made The Secret Trial 5. If you’d told me that I’d be 31 and just wrapping up, I’d probably have written a romantic comedy instead (or some sort of “coming of age” piece of crap). I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad I was ignorant to the current documentary climate in Canada. It taught Noah and me to be creative and to take chances wiser men wouldn’t take.
When I started this process, I thought I knew how to make a film. I didn’t. I thought I understood the documentary process. I had no clue. I mean I knew the basics, and I knew that in docs, “editing is where the story take shape” and so on. As a director, I’ve always been very confident in my ideas, very clear in my thinking. Well this film kicked my ass, and the only reason I got through it is because of my team. If ST5 has any success, it will be thanks to the team I have around me. I know this is a sports cliché, and some of you just rolled your eyes, but I say this as a very attention hungry filmmaker. This was a team effort. It took the creative instincts and efforts of all of us to get this far. And there’s still some work to be done.
Pretty soon, all of you, the people who’ve been supporting us for the last 4 years will see the film for the first time. It’s really exciting but scary as hell. I sincerely hope you like it because once the film is done, we will call on you again. This time to help us raise awareness, spread the film’s message, and turn “security certificate” into a dirty word. Making a film isn’t enough.
Thank you.
Amar.
By the ST5 Team
We did it! Here's a pic of Amar and Noah submitting to Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. We couldn’t have done it without you all! Wish us luck!
By the ST5 Team
December 10th is International Human Rights Day, a time to promote human rights and reflect on ways we can achieve a common standard of human rights protection for people around the world. However, December 10th also marks a much less celebratory event: in 2002, Mohamed Harkat was arrested and detained under a security certificate. This day was the beginning of a now eleven year-long struggle for justice, freedom, and the protection of his and other security certificate detainees’ human rights. Whether the timing of Harkat’s arrest was planned or accidental, the irony is clear.
Since 2002, Harkat has spent 43 months in jail and over seven years under some of the strictest house arrest conditions in Canadian history. He has fought his case and the use of security certificates at all levels of the Canadian justice system, including two challenges - one successful, and one pending judgment - at the Supreme Court of Canada. He has never been charged with a crime.
There are a number of ways you can mark this important date and help promote human rights in Canada:
Join the thousands of people who have already signed the Statement Against Security Certificates. Politicians, unions, organizations, and concerned citizens in Canada and abroad have already shown their support.
Consider making a donation to the Justice for Harkat Committee to help continue the fight against security certificates and to clear Harkat’s name.
By the ST5 Team
Our goal is to get to 1000 Facebook Likes by the end of this year.
YOU are critical in helping us spread the word about this important issue that many Canadians do not know about, and many outside of Canada would be surprised to learn. LIKE OUR PAGE and ask your friends to do the same!
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