The Regent Park Film Festival (RPFF) Home Made Visible (HMV) project, in partnership with York University Libraries and Charles Street Video, has been shortlisted for the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming. The Governor General’s History Awards are Canada’s top honours in the field of history and heritage. Shortlisted organizations represent remarkable and inspiring initiatives that encourage public engagement in Canadian history.
Launched by the Regent Park Film Festival, Home Made Visible was led by the vision of artistic director Ananya Ohri, a graduate of the master’s degree in Cinema and Media Studies program at York University. Ohri formed partnerships with Charles Street Video and York University Libraries to initiate a conversation about gaps in Canada’s collective memory by engaging in activities to promote diverse representation in archives.
Bridging the archival and artistic community together, Home Made Visible commissioned seven films by IBPOC artists; organized a nationwide tour of 51 exhibitions, workshops, screenings and installations across Canada; and facilitated the donation of 36 families' home movies to the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections for access and preservation purposes. This contribution of nearly 300 selected clips is now available for research.
Earlier this year, HMV was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation on Feb. 20.