Wadjda

Great article from the Road CC about an upcoming protest tomorrow taking place in Saudi Arabia about women's rights of transportation.

"Simply, ‘Wadjda’ is a story about a girl who wants to ride a bike. The film approaches a number of the legal and cultural boundaries that restrict women in Saudi Arabia, while keeping the young protagonist’s desire to ride her bike case-in-point."

Toronto VeloReel fast approaching!

The ever amazing Nuit Blanche comes back to entertain us once again on October 5th! What better way to explore Toronto then a nighttime 12 hour art party? And there is no better way to do Nuit Blanche then on your bike with your friends, family, and frienemies. To prepare for this celebration of culture on bikes, it's best if you start out your night at the 2013 VeloReel Film Festival. For the second year in a row DNS curated an amazing line up of films-about-bikes for your eyeball pleasure. For the first year we are tagging onto Nuit Blanche to do this. For the second year, you can roll up on your bike and watch movies with your friends under the stars... It's only $5, along with being BYOB. No fancy-smansy film festival BS- just good moving pictures, good people, and bikes. Just the way we like it. COME HAVE FUN WITH US!

This year we have as a feature film the long anticipated BIKE LORDZ, a crowd-funded film about BMX trick culture in Ghana. Last year's favourite film makers from Cycle Me Home brings us their new film Feel Free. We have more movies from our beloved city and around the world, why don't you go check out the program to see how awesome it is yourself. While you're at it, why don't you share with a friend and start making plans about coordinated matching macrame pink elephant costumes?



Just the facts ma'am:
What?: Local, DIY film festival about bikes and the people who ride them.
When?; October 5th, 2013. 7pm-9pm.
Where?: The end of Fraser Ave in Liberty Village, Toronto. MAP.
How much?: $5! BYOB! Popcorn is Free!
Why?: It will be really fun, and you don't want to be sad when all your friends are talking about how awesome it was.

Another amazing Kickstarter project about women and bikes!

The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan began in 1979. For ten years, the war raged on, and was considered a "Proxy War" of the Cold War. After the Soviets pulled out, the impoverished, traumatized country was ripe for the control of the Taliban. Then 911 happened. Even before this modern history, Afganistan has been in dispute and a strategic region of Britan and Czarist Russia, then the US and Stalinist USSR. Basically, no one has "won" anything in Afghanistan, especially Afghanis, with instability and unspeakable injustices still rampant, specifically towards women.

What can a caring person do to help today? There are many ways. One way Mountain2Mountain has been creating change has been through it's programs that advocate for women in sports, specifically with mountain biking.  Through empowering women on equity issues like transportation and sports, they are giving voices to women and children in conflict zones, and creating an international community of support and advocacy. They are telling stories, and creating the world they want to live in through their work. It's possible. We as human beings created this mess, and we can love and create our way out of it.

Mountain2Mountain was founded in November 2006 by Shannon Galpin.  Shannon took action on her deep conviction that all women and girls deserve the same rights and opportunities as her own daughter. She walked away from her career as an athletic trainer and used her own limited funds to launch M2M and "be the change" she wished to see in the world.

Now, this Kickstart project in question is about funding Afghan Cycles, which is a film about 12 brave women that dare to ride on the Women’s National Cycling Team of Afghanistan. This production is in association with other amazing women Sarah Menzies of LET Media, Whitney Conner Clapper of Side of the Road Sessions.

Still thinking "something should be done, but what can I do?" Here is Shannon Galpin to break it down for you.


"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"- Leo Tosltoy

Get Excited About Bikes

FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE

Toronto VeloReel
Get Excited About Bikes

Just in time for TIFF! Toronto VeloReel, is a one day film festival working toward cultivating community & celebrating bike culture through film. The festival debuts September 15th in historic Liberty Village.

This year's program is guest curated by The Deadly Nightshades, Toronto's only all girl bike gang/arts collective. The Nightshades are known for organizing many cycling and arts events in the city, including Ring My Bell and Style Spin through the Drake Hotel. They hope their international and Canadian reel selections will include a snapshot of various histories, communities and viewpoints that will entertain all audiences and contribute to the successful birth of VeloReel.

To kick off the days events, there will be a peepshow film loop which includes the feature length films; Hit ‘Em in the Mouth, a Seattle Bike polo documentary, Cycle Me Home, the tale of Levi and his bike ride home to Budapest after studying abroad in Madrid, and I Felt Your Pulse, a Super 8 film dedicated to Darcy Allan Sheppard plus a few more.

While hanging out in the courtyard, be sure not to miss the various bike art instillations, a short play entitled “Cadillac Kills” and a drop in from the Bicycle Music Festival with musical performances by the Complete Street Band and Garbageface in the afternoon.

As night falls, projections will light up the big screen outdoors for a bike-in style theatre at 7 Fraser.

It will begin with a mixture of short films including; 10 Things: I Have Learned About Mountainbiking, Paint Bike and Sex On Wheels, to name a few. The audience’s heart will get pumping with 10-20 Berlin, a film made of the 1993 Courier World Championship, featuring many original Toronto names. To end off the evening, the audience will awe at Line of Sight, directed by Ontario’s own Benny Zenga, featuring world renowned Lucas Brunelle, “the gnarliest bike videographer in the world.”- Rolling Stone Magazine

VeloReel is in it's first year, but it intends to become an annual event, and a staple for the cycling community in Toronto. Please join us at 7 Fraser Ave., on September 15th. For more information and a full line up, please visit: www.torontoveloreel.blogspot.ca

MAKE A BIKE MOVIE.

It's like a BFF "I spy", and I spy FABRIC BIKE. But for the record, february hair flips in spandex & bathrobes = coldest day of shooting ever. But, make a bike movie. We promise they're fun to do. BFF entries for 2012 are due April 21st!