Filmmaker hopes to bring awareness to food insecurity in documentary

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This article was published 01/03/2021 (1653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s food desert is no secret. But it may be a well-kept realization for many of the city’s residents. This is why Marsha Knight wants to bring further awareness to the issue in a new documentary.

Knight, an Ojibway-Métis artist with a background in theatre, is among eight filmmakers across Canada selected to participate in the National Screen Institute’s IndigiDocs program, which offers customized training for Indigenous documentary filmmakers.

Participants learn to write, produce and direct alongside the industry’s top experts. In the first phase, students prepare a market-ready film proposal. Up to four will be chosen by judges to move on to the production phase, for which students will receive a cash award of up to $16,000 and approximately $10,000 of in-kind services, in addition to a mentorship. The National Film Board will assist in the post-production process, and completed films will air on APTN.

“I just want people to become aware of what the situation is,” Knight, a local resident, said.

“When you look at some areas of the city, there are no grocery stores, and you look at other areas of the city, and they are packed with grocery stores.”

It’s been just over a year since community organizations launched the Winnipeg Food Atlas, which highlights areas of the city that suffer from food insecurity and lack access to grocery stores and food banks. The North End, a community Knight hopes to focus on in the film, is one of the most severely impacted neighbourhoods.

“There’s no easy access to the grocery stores,” she said.

Knight, who is studying anthropology and psychology at the University of Winnipeg, said being a program participant is a long time coming.

“IndigiDocs is a program that I looked at for many years. And I’m very, very happy that now my interest in filmmaking is coming together with my wanting to tell this story or tell this truth.

“So I certainly expect to be learning a lot about documentary filmmaking. I want to take what I learn and continue to tell truths.”