Once upon a time in Calgary, there was an impressive grassroots film festival called herland (lowercase intentional). Created by the city’s feminist community, their queer programs were some of the most well-attended parts of the festival.
A new documentary project about herland is underway. Researchers are calling out to past organizers, coordinators, contractors, instructors, programming leads, managers, and directors to share memories. The filmmakers aspire to convey the remarkable grassroots vitality of herland herstory.
herland began in 1989, when a small group of women of colour connected to the Calgary Status of Women Action Committee (CSWAC) formed a collective called WOCC—or the Women of Colour Collective. WOCC members wanted to challenge both heteronormative assumptions in the women of colour community as well as white privilege in the local feminist community, which they felt was pervasive in Calgary.
WOCC members who identified as queer were part of the leadership team at herland. WOCC co-founder Susanda Yee, in 1992, would go on to found the of colour collective, which challenged racism within Calgary’s queer community.
CSWAC and WOCC hosted the first herland event as a film-focused fundraiser. Its popularity grew over time peaking at an audience of over 1700 in 2004. The festival was cancelled in 2007 for financial reasons and because of the growth of other local film festivals. In its time, herland provided a venue for films that covered a range of feminist topics not typically seen in the mainstream.
Were you connected to the herland festival? Please get in touch with the filmmakers at herland.doc@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you!
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Calgary Gay History 