Status Quo The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada

Synopsis

The documentary combines archival material with contemporary stories, juxtaposing scenes from the 1967 Royal Commission on the Status of Women with the 2nd Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering in 2011 in Winnipeg, organized by the rebELLEs movement. It explores the progress made on concerns raised 45 years ago: universal childcare, violence against women and abortion access.

Production

Cho has stated that when she was approached by producer Ravida Din, she didn't know much about feminism and thought that most of the battles had already been won. In making the film, she had been shocked that "so many of the issues are still around today":

When I was talking with women through the research, I realized that a lot of these issues that were brought up in the past or fought for in the past, they continue to be concerns for women, in some ways, women are losing grounds on rights that might have already been won or it's issues like, in the case of childcare and violence, that are still continuing.

Cho stated in March 2013 that she began research on what was originally planned as an historical film on feminism five years earlier, and did not consider herself a feminist before she conducted her research.

Release

The film was named was best documentary at the Whistler Film Festival. The film was streamed for free at NFB.ca in conjunction with International Women's Day, and as of March 2013, was being screened at more than 60 events across Canada, with support from the YWCA, the Canadian Federation of University Women, Cinema Politica and public libraries.