Film fest highlighting the importance of journalism comes to Waterloo
![princess cinemas Princess Twin Cinemas is seen in 2021. (File photo/CTV Kitchener)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/4/24/princess-cinemas-1-6859989-1713969851476.png)
The 2024 International Journalism Film Festival kicks off April 28 at Waterloo’s Princess Twin Cinemas.
“The film festival is just one way to help build a culture of appreciation for quality journalism in aid of democracy,” said Mirko Petricevic of Ink-Stained Wretches, the organization putting on the event.
The festival is intended to raise awareness about UN World Press Freedom Day, which is observed annually on May 3. CTV News Kitchener is one of the sponsors.
In Waterloo, the documentary Killer Water: The toxic legacy of Canada's oil sands industry for Indigenous communities will be airing.
“We chose Killer Water not only for its focus on the environment, but because of its the press freedom aspect,” said Petricevic.
“In January, Edmonton police arrested and charged Indigenous journalist Brandi Morin, co-creator of the documentary, while she was covering the eviction of people experiencing homelessness. A number of press freedom and human rights advocacy groups — including Amnesty International Canada — protested her arrest and called for charges to be dropped. They were dropped… two months later,” he added.
Petricevic created Ink-Stained Wretches because he believes in local journalism and strengthening democracy.
“Martin Baron, former editor at the Washington Post, put it succinctly in his book Collision of Power,” said Petricevic. “‘Without democracy, there will be no independent press. And without an independent press, there can be no democracy.’ I like living in a democracy, and I suspect most viewers of CTV Kitchener do too!”
Festival details
- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28
- Princess Twin Cinemas, 46 King St. N., Waterloo, Ont.
- Tickets available at journalismfilmfestival.com
The screening of Killer Water will be followed by a panel discussion exploring the question: “How can we build a culture of appreciation for quality journalism?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
BREAKING Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.
Unclaimed bodies are piling up in Newfoundland. A funeral director blames the government
A funeral director in St. John's says the bodies piling up in freezers at Newfoundland and Labrador's largest hospital likely belong to people whose loved ones couldn't get enough government help to pay for a funeral.