By the ST5 Team
Moe and Sophie Harkat are headed to the Supreme Court….
Join your fellow supporters at the Supreme Court of Canada to watch Mohamed Harkat’s historic case be heard!
Court Hearing:
Supreme Court of Canada
301 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
9AM Sharp (plan to arrive no later than 8AM for security and to get a seat)
Hit the Pavement!
Demonstrations will be held on the steps of the Supreme Court of Canada:
Thursday, October 10 at 7:30AM & Friday, October 11 at 10AM.
A Reading of The Trial
The Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada will be staging a reading of Franz Kafka’s The Trial Thursday, October 10 at 7:30PM at St. Paul’s University Theatre, 223 Main St Ottawa. It will feature many prominent Ottawa-area performers and writers. The event is Pay What You Can, suggested donation is $10, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. More information HERE.
Stay Tuned for Updates:
The Secret Trial 5 crew will be in Ottawa to capture these events unfold. If you can’t make it out, don’t worry - we’ll post regularly on Supreme Court news. If you’re interested, make sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Spread the word!
Please consider making a donation to the Justice for Mohamed Harkat committee. They are welcomed and extremely helpful. Information on how to make a donation can be found on their homepage.
Also please sign the PETITION AGAINST SECURITY CERTIFICATES. Be sure to spread the petition widely!
Noah Bingham
Check out an album of our new office space where we have been busy working away.
52 Media, has generously let us set up shop at their office and have made us feel at home! You may know them from incredible documentaries like Weibo’s War & Air India 182.
Amar Wala
It’s been nice to see the outpouring of support for the two Canadians arrested in Egypt recently. One of those Canadians is of course a good friend, mentor, and former professor of just about everybody working on ST5. In fact, if it weren’t for John Greyson, ST5 and my short film The Good Son wouldn’t even exist. So as you can imagine, hearing John and Dr. Loubani had been detained without charge in Egypt had a serious impact on our whole crew, and we continue to be frustrated that they have not been released to date (September 3, 2013).
We have however been happy to see the support their arrest has galvanized here at home, both from everyday people and Canadian authorities. People are outraged, and rightfully so. Imagine for a moment that we flipped the script here. Imagine if two Egyptians were arrested in Canada and detained without charge. Imagine for a second that, like John and Tarek, these individuals were accused of serious crimes - crimes that are completely implausible, and downright laughable to their loved ones.
Now imagine that despite the very serious allegations, no charges are laid against these individuals for days, months, even years. Imagine that in all that time, they’re never told why the government believes these things about them. Imagine that neither they, nor their lawyers are allowed to see the evidence against them. Imagine that a decade goes by, with their families still waiting for answers. Sounds ridiculous, right?
Those of you following the making of The Secret Trial 5 know that I’m being facetious, and that the unthinkable scenario I just described is the all-too real story of Mahmoud Jaballah and Mohammed Zeki Mahjoub. Combined, these two men have spent the last 25+ years living under a security certificate in Canada. This includes about 13 years in prison WITHOUT CHARGE. They are accused of being terrorists, accusations that they deny. And much like John Greyson and Dr. Loubani, when their families ask for answers, they receive little in return. Like John, Mr. Jaballah is a teacher, but unlike John, who was merely traveling through Egypt, Mr. Jaballah was building a life here when he was detained. As was the case with Mr. Mahjoub. This includes working here, making friends here, and having Canadian kids.
It’s easy for us to point the finger at Egypt and denounce its actions. It’s easy to say, “those people over there, they’re the crazy ones, holding our citizens without charge!” It’s much harder to point that finger at ourselves. It’s much harder to hold ourselves accountable for the blatant human rights violations taking place in our name. My point is not that we shouldn’t be outraged at the treatment of our friends being held in Egypt, we should. But as our friend and supporter Chris Wiseman recently wrote, “we cannot continue to fight "terrorism" in the way that we do, without expecting that other governments will also use arbitrary and undemocratic measures against people…”
To be frank, I sincerely doubt that the plight that John and Dr. Loubani face will cause any self-reflection here at home. The Canadian public has made it clear that they don’t care much about these issues. Perhaps we’re kidding ourselves in believing that when The Secret Trial 5 is done, it will spark a conversation Canada desperately needs to have with itself.
But if John has taught us anything, it’s that when art and activism come together in just the right way, the results can truly inspire.
On behalf of the ST5 crew, a deep and sincere thank you to everyone working so hard to ensure the safe release of John Greyson and Dr. Tarek Loubani.
Please visit, share and take action: www.tarekandjohn.com
Amar Wala – Director, THE SECRET TRIAL 5
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Noah Bingham
Dear ST5 Crowd, Supporters and Friends,
After over 3 years making this film while fundraising and writing grants, 2 crowdfunding campaigns, 355 contributors, a whole pile of support from various organizations and individuals, and ol' fashioned blood, sweat and tears...
...Our fundraising thermometer is topped up and we are proud to announce that we are fully funded!
We have you all to thank for this.
Our recent funding comes from Telefilm Canada. The funds are a part of the brand new Micro-Budget Program for emerging filmmakers. We are honoured to be among the first-ever recipients of this program.
This fund has exceeded all of our expectations. As a result we are able to increase our original budget and take this film to a whole new level. We cannot overstate how important your support has been. We wouldn’t have been considered for these funds had we not been able to show the incredible support we’ve received from ALL of you. So, THANK YOU!
We have now closed contributions on our site. Our energy and effort can completely shift away from fundraising and grant applications to focus entirely on completing the film and getting it out to as many people as possible. We are focused, excited and more determined than ever to make a film that sparks needed debate and change.
Onward!
Amar Wala
I still get asked if I think The Secret Trial 5 "did anything". It's been 4 years and it's still one of the more common questions people have. My answer often surprises people. "It doesn't matter" is my usual response. This is usually met with a blank stare.
I planned this blog post to be an update on our project. After all it’s a very exciting time for ST5, as we’ve entered our home stretch. No more applications, no more pitching. After nearly 4 years, it’s time to finish this film. We have a long way to go, as this will be a complex and lengthy edit, but it’s nice to feel like a filmmaker again. Rather than bore you with updates on our process however, I’ve decided to use this opportunity to spark a conversation about the issues we hope to raise in the film, based on recent revelations.
As I write this post, Mohamed and Sophie Harkat are at The Supreme Court of Canada for their first bail review in 4 years. Mr. Harkat is entitled to one every 6 months. Later this year, the Harkats will return to that same court, to argue the constitutionality (or lack thereof) of the security certificate process, which has held Mr. Harkat in prison or under house arrest for over a decade. In all that time, he has never been charged with a crime, and has never come face to face with the information used to hold him captive. Letting him see that “evidence” we’re told, would endanger our national security. The question I’ve always had, one that after about 7 years making films about this issue I still cannot answer, is: why not charge Mr. Harkat with a crime? If he poses such a great threat, if he has indeed “engaged in terrorism” as our government says, let’s convict him in a court of law, where he has a chance to defend himself. Opponents argue that it’s not that simple. I beg to differ.
Last month two Muslim men from Toronto and Montreal were arrested for allegedly plotting to attack a Via Rail Train in Toronto. Like Mr. Harkat, they are not Canadian citizens, yet they were arrested by the RCMP, and charged with “conspiring to carry out an attack and commit murder at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group”. It would be highly irresponsible for anyone to assume either the innocence or guilt of these men, but it appears that they will be afforded due process and given a chance to defend themselves. This is a good thing. Why then, are Mr. Harkat and the other security certificate detainees not granted the same right? Why is this basic tenet of justice denied in these cases?
Perhaps Canada’s top ranking police officer can shed some light on that. In newly released documents, Bob Paulson, now Commissioner of the RCMP, referred to security certificates as “completely off the rails” in October 2009, which coincidentally, is when we started shooting ST5. Paulson also stated that, “If we had the threshold belief that we could take criminal action, we would do so.”
I’ll leave it to you to interpret that last quote. The Harkat’s Supreme Court challenge begins this fall; let’s see if we are ready to do the right thing, which is often the hard thing.
If you support Mr. Harkat’s right to a fair trial, you'll understand why I answer the above question the way I do.
We look forward to sharing our film and having this discussion with you all, and thank you for your continued support.
Amar.
By the ST5 Team
Well everyone,
After 36 days, and 148 contributions, I guess all that's left is to say thank you. Thank you for proving to a couple of young filmmakers that the last 3 years have been worthwhile. Thanks for showing us, and the security certificate families that we are all ready to talk about these issues, and right these wrongs.
We raised just over $18k during this campaign, which may not be a lot in the life of the average documentary, but means everything in the life of THIS documentary. We wish to sincerely thank Hot Docs for this chance, and in particular, Elizabeth Radshaw, Stephanie McArthur, Chloe Sosa-Sims, and Patrycja Cieniewicz for their truly personal support, hard-work, and encouragement during the last few months.
We want to take this last opportunity to talk briefly about crowdfunding, and why it so important for emerging filmmakers. What we did this last month cannot be quantified. The money can, but the value of Doc Ignite vastly exceeds the money raised. We have no real idea how many people just learned about our project, and are now waiting to see the film. Sure, our FB and twitter accounts exploded, and we know we are reaching tens of thousands every week, but what exactly does that mean? The answer, is the aforementioned EVERYTHING. It means everything.
In a time when audiences are more fragmented then ever, and old models of funding and even distribution make less and less sense, crowdfunding just fits. It's a lot of work, but then filmmaking has always been so, and the results when it works are incredible. Right now, there are thousands of people waiting to see ST5. A film with little to no money, about a contentious issue, has a small but devoted audience behind it before it even enters post-production. This is an enviable position to be in for any film.
What this will ultimately mean for the film's distribution is anyone's guess. But it is seriously exciting. So we encourage all filmmakers out there, regardless of experience and funding, to embrace THEIR CROWD. Take the time to build a relationship with your audience, and they will not let you down. They don't ask for creative control, or rights of any kind. They simply want to be let in. Don't be afraid to share, both in good times and bad. Doc Ignite is a wonderful initiative. It is an organic reaction by Hot Docs to our climate, so please take advantage of it. And even without Doc Ignite, do not hesitate to start your own crowdfunding effort. That's how ST5 started, and it led to the success of this campaign. We thought we were at a disadvantage having crowdfunded already. We could not have been more wrong.
We feel our crowd now, we feel the support. It gives us confidence, and to a young filmmaker, confidence is invaluable.
Thank you all once again, we promise to make a good film. An honest film. Where we go from there (re: security certificates) will be up to Canadians.
Sincerely,
Amar and Noah
By the ST5 Team
Hello Everyone,
Well, we are officially entering the last week of this campaign, and to say it has surpassed all of our expectations is truly an understatement. We are blown away by the support you've given us, and after 3 years working on this film, we've never been more confident that we are telling a story Canadians want to hear.
Thanks to you, we have already achieved our goal of raising $15,000 towards finishing the film. In this final week, we hope you will help us spread our message as far as possible. Any and all additional contributions will go towards making a better, more polished film. Thus far, The Secret Trial 5 has been almost entirely funded by ordinary people like YOU, so every penny helps. Any funds raised during this final week will be put towards things like:
We've proven to ourselves that we can do a lot with a little, so while raising a little more money would be helpful and incredibly appreciated, what's just as important is growing our community. So please, take the time to "LIKE" us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@secrettrial5), and use the incredible exposure Hot Docs brings with it to teach every Canadian about security certificates.
Our goal has always been to create broad awareness about this issue while we make the film, and this Doc Ignite campaign has allowed us to do just that. So let's make this final week count!
Thank you,
Amar and Noah
By the ST5 Team
We stopped by Newstalk 1010 yesterday to speak to host Tarek Fatah about our film. Tarek is known to be controversial. This is a great example of why we are making this film, blanket statements were being thrown around left, right and center. Warning, it gets pretty heated! Take a listen!
Noah Bingham
We are hitting the mainstream! Here is a clip of producer/director Amar Wala on Global TV's The Morning Show discussing The Secret Trial 5 and our Hot Doc's Doc Ignite campaign.
We have until Feb 19 to continue to raise funds. The more we raise the MORE we can do to spread the word and raise awareness about these important stories! Please encourage others to become a part of this project.
Noah Bingham
We've reached our Hot Doc's Doc Ignite campaign goal in just 3 weeks! Thank you ALL for the support. We couldn't have done this without YOU!
We still have 2 more weeks to go! The more we raise, the more we can do. Please continue to spread the word!
