Four Women. Photo provided.
Four Women, the latest film from Ottawa-based Creatorland Studios, is an elegantly-told story about the power of individuals to create change. Directed by Zainab Muse, and written and produced by Muse with Nickie Shobeiry, the film furthers Creatorland’s mission of amplifying “unheard voices” in Canadian media.
Four Women illuminates the rich and diverse cultural resources of a city better known for its political transactions. It introduces viewers to restauranteur Rehab Adas, who operates Syrian Kitchen in Lowertown; Shery Alexander Heinis, the co-founder of the In Our Tongues Reading and Art Series; Jamie Kwong, former executive director of Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC); and Dawn Iehstoseranón:nha (she keeps the feathers) Setford, founder and president of the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada. Together, Muse and Shobeiry show how these women excel as leaders by building community, increasing job opportunities, and simply listening to the needs of others. The film delves into food, craft, political action, music, and poetry, illuminating the diverse realms of influence that create a local web of community for Indigenous women, Syrian refugees, Afro-Caribbean writers, and a multitude of talented musicians.
Dawn Iehstoseranonnha Setford. Photo provided.
Four Women centres the voices of women from communities that have historically been excluded from mainstream Canadian narratives. In doing so, the film weaves a new community of its own. One of the achievements of Four Women is that it creates a space for viewers to watch, listen, and recognize each other’s contributions to the city we call home.
Rehab Adas. Photo provided.
Four Women is more than the story of four individuals: it is evidence that the urban realm is built out of human action, rather than timber and glass. The camera follows Rehab, Shery, Jamie, and Dawn as they connect people and foreground the needs of their communities. The stories that emerge make it clear that personal connection and recognition are a near-universal need; the women selected for inclusion are both extraordinary and ordinary at the same time, and the film documents moments of strength and times of respite with equal skill.
Shery Alexander Heinis. Photo provided.
The interwoven stories of Four Women are all the more impressive for having been filmed largely during the period of pandemic social restrictions. As Jamie Kwong observed, during a period of uncertainty and instability, small actions became more than important than ever: a $500 grant to a musician could be both a means of financial support and a psychological reminder that the city had not forgotten the performing arts. The film captures the multi-dimensional success of Rehab’s Syrian Kitchen restaurant, which employs newly-arrived refugees and offers the sensory pleasures of a warm meal to its customers. Masks in many of the scenes are a reminder of the ever-present viral threat, and the all-female production crew did a phenomenal job in creating a safe space for the film’s participants.
Jamie Kwong. Photo provided.
A steady flow of mainstream films employ Ottawa’s buildings as a neutral backdrop for narratives about other cities. Four Women distinguishes itself for its focus on the people who bring the Ottawa to life. Creatorland, which held a public screening in conjunction with the launch of its new Storywell initiative, does a wonderful job of widening the lens through which we view our hometown and each other.
Four Women will be broadcast on CBC TV across Ontario on Saturday, July 29, at 8pm. The documentary can also be screened on CBC Gem (44 minutes, appropriate for all audiences).
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