Cinema Politica launches online streaming service to showcase independent filmmakers
Instead of staying informed on current events and political issues through short tweets and five-minute news reports, perhaps documentaries are what you’re looking for.
Known for screening films aimed at sparking social change, Cinema Politica recently made its content available through an online streaming service known by its acronym, CPSVOD. Following a two-week free trial, anyone can access this Netflix-style service with a monthly subscription of USD$4.99.
From documentaries to dramatic short films, CPSVOD uploads new content to its library every Tuesday. This service is an updated version of Cinema Politica’s previous online pay-per-view service.
According to the group’s communications coordinator, Danielle Gasher, this new service gives people the opportunity to watch documentaries that would otherwise be hard to access, as most are made by independent filmmakers. It also gives users a glimpse at the various types of independent documentaries being created around the world.
“We want everyone to get engaged socially and politically and take action after seeing these documentaries,” Gasher said.
For the Concordia-based non-profit community, the goal has long been to share the work of independent Canadian and international filmmakers, Gasher said, as well as inspire, educate and engage their audience in politics through art.
Among the documentaries already available for streaming are stories of repression, oppression and many political issues the group feels are overlooked by mainstream media. This includes are Street Politics 101, a documentary about the student strikes in Montreal opposing tuition hikes in 2012.
Dramatic short films are also available such as Stolen, created by Indigenous filmmaker Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs and aimed at addressing the issue of missing Indigenous women across Canada.
According to Gasher, the screening service is the group’s attempt to reach a younger audience by replicating the popular Netflix-style of movie-watching and making their films available on cellphones, tablets, laptops and televisions.
“Not only does it utilize the recent surge of interest in documentaries in the university setting, it’s also a great educational tool,” Gasher said. “As entertaining as these documentaries can be, they are extremely informative about social and political issues going on in the world.”
For more information about Cinema Politica streaming service, visit: https://cinemapolitica.vhx.tv.
Graphic by Alexa Hacksworth