Proposal for a Billingual Half-Hour Film
(on Sudbury women during the INCO strike)

Kuyek, Joan; Duckworth, Martin
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX936

This proposal for production of a film about the wives of Sudbury's striking workers is addressed to a variety of church, labour and women's organizations.

Abstract:  This proposal for production of a film about the wives of Sudbury's striking workers is addressed to a variety of church, labour and women's organizations. It is an attempt to find funding sources. The proposal states that it believes the situation of women in Sudbury is typical of women in many resource towns in Canada.

Women provide the home setting for the family, and in particular for men who are exhausted from hard labour and angry about unhealthy working conditions. The strike has deeply taxed their energy. Women have to deal not only with the demands of children but also with disoriented husbands who have lost their identity. Last September, when the strike began, there were over 11 000 workers in the plants. This is the longest strike in INCO's history. Wives have had a crucial role in maintaining morale during the strike. Wives Supporting the Strike have organized a variety of supportive projects such as a clothing depot, a newsletter, cookbook, choir, telephone tree, suppers, and family picketing. The proposal points out that women in Sudbury are learning a great deal in the course of the strike. The purpose of the film will be to document this process and to note how the changing role of these women has affected their husbands' fight.

The film will be shot in both English and French. Total cost for shooting it should be about $8000. Donations can be sent to "Development Education Fund" (a registered charity) at Wives Supporting the Strike Film Fund, Development Education Centre, 121 Avenue Road, Toronto, M5R 2G3. Another $35 000 will be required to finish the film once it is shot. Applications have been made to government bodies for this purpose. However the actual shooting must be done immediately in order to document the experience while the strike is still in progress.

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