Name Amy Miller | ||
2013 04 06 am ven amy miller anxiety and depression part 1 of 3
Amy Miller (born 1980 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian filmmaker and social justice activist. She is the director of three films, Myths for Profit (2009) and The Carbon Rush (2012) and "No Land No Food No Life" (2013). Miller is a producer/director with Wide Open Exposure, the production company she founded. She attended Carleton University in Ottawa.
Contents
- 2013 04 06 am ven amy miller anxiety and depression part 1 of 3
- 2013 04 01 ven amy miller self esteem part 1 of 2
- Seven Year Squat 20022004
- Myths for Profit
- G20 controversy
- The Carbon Rush
- No Land No Food No Life
- Other projects
- References
2013 04 01 ven amy miller self esteem part 1 of 2
Seven Year Squat (2002–2004)
Miller was arrested in 2002 for her involvement in a protest known as the Seven Year Squat. The squat consisted of an occupation of an abandoned privately owned building at 246 Gilmour Street in Ottawa by "anti-poverty activists, homeless youth and anti-G8 protestors." The squat was so named because of the reported seven-year delay faced by those on a waiting list for subsidized housing in Ottawa. Police used tear gas to force protesters to leave the building.
After her arrest, Miller and her co-defendants mounted a defence which consisted of necessity and Colour of right. In a 2004 interview, Miller explained: "How much do we tolerate direct action as a society? And that was our big defence. What do we tolerate? We’re going to get so upset about people taking over an abandoned house and using it, and in the same blink of an eye, we tolerate how many homeless people sleeping in our streets every night?"
Miller was mentioned in a 2010 Maclean's Feature on "middle aged anarchists," which profiled the activities of Seven Year Squat Participants.
Myths for Profit
Myths for Profit (2009) was Miller's feature directorial debut. The film's narrative is structured around debunking three myths about Canada's role in the world. It uses interviews and animations to argue that Canada is not a "global good guy". Miller embarked on a nine-week tour, holding screenings in 45 communities across Canada.
G20 controversy
Miller was the subject of heated controversy during the 2010 G20 protests after she told journalists about treatment of detained women by police officers. In a press conference held after she was released Miller told journalists that she and other women had been threatened with rape. She said that some detained women had been sexually assaulted. In a meeting of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, Amy's testimony was referenced by Member of Parliament Maria Mourani: "She was told that they would have a lot of 'fun with her' and that she would never want to come to Toronto again."
The Carbon Rush
The Carbon Rush, which examines carbon trading projects around the world, is Miller's second feature film. The projects highlighted include "hydroelectric dams in Panama," "incinerators burning garbage in India," "biogas extracted from palm oil in Honduras," and "eucalyptus forests harvested for charcoal in Brazil."
No Land No Food No Life
No Land No Food No Life, is a hard-hitting film which explores sustainable small scale agriculture and the urgent call for an end to corporate global land grabs, is Miller's third feature film. The film "gives voice to those directly affected" in three locations: Mali, Cambodia and Uganda, "by combining personal stories, and vérité footage of communities fighting to retain control of their land."
Other projects
Miller also directed the short film, Outside of EUrope, which applies a critical perspective to European immigration policies. She was also involved in the Coalition for Justice for Adil Charkaoui, which advocated for the rights of those detained using security certificates.