ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

SILENT NO MORE

 
 

The first film in the ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE series Silent No More - Louise Pentz: A Voice for Social Change is a 27-minute film based on the work of Nova Scotia ceramist Louise Pentz, whose sculptures give voice to the women around the world who are silenced by social, political, religious or family circumstances. 

Art is an expression of our humanity, and artists give expression to the time and place in which they live. In Silent No More Pentz shapes clay  into life-size female sculptures, scoring, marking and scarring them to create tactile surfaces that reflect the experiences of women whose lives have been restrained by culture, religion, illiteracy and fear.

Pentz discusses the inspiration and motivation around her work; her experience as a production potter; how she became interested in creating the female figure; her increasing awareness of the violence and injustice experienced by women around the world; and her pledge to use her art as a voice for social change. 

Silent No More includes interviews with Sandra Alfoldy, Professor of Craft History at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Shannon Parker, Curator of Collections at the Art Gallery of NS, Theresa Ulicki, Professor at Dalhousie University in the Department of International Development Studies and Phil Secord of the Secord Gallery, Halifax, NS.

Silent No More was produced by The Visual Blueprint Productions with the support of Arts Nova Scotia. 

Official Selection at film festivals in North America and Internationally include the 2016 Canadian International Film Festival, Vancouver BC; 2016 Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto ON; 2016 36th Atlantic Film Festival (FIN), Halifax NS; 2016 Shelburne Film Expo, Shelburne NS - AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD WINNER; 2016 Eureka Springs Human Rights Film Festival, Eureka AR, USA - GOLD WINNER AWARD; 2017 Equinox Women’s Film Festival, Palmer AK, USA; 2016 Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Ocean City Film Festival, Ocean City MD, USA; 2017 Milwaukee Women’s Film Festival, Milwaukee WI, USA - JURY AWARD BEST SHORT; 2017 Charlottetown Film Festival, Charlottetown PEI; 2017 Auroville Film Festival, Puducherry, India; 2017 Shorts On Tap, London UK; 2018 Silver Wave Film Festival, Fredericton NB; 2018 Parrsboro Film Festival, Parrsboro NS; 2018 Global Impact Film Festival, Washington DC, USA, and 2019 Women Deliver Film Festival, Vancouver BC.

 

SILENT NO MORE - Louise Pentz: A Voice for Social Change


“Silence I believe is not neutral. Silence gives consent.”

    - Louise Pentz

Photos by Garry Woodcock