Streaming with closed captions
Persister: Films by women, about women speaking up and being heard
In 2016, Stacie is barely scraping by in the small city of Rutland, Vermont. Manufacturing jobs have moved out, the opioid crisis has moved in and the working poor are at their breaking point. Stacie collects bottles to stretch her husband’s unemployment benefits, while she raises her kids and keeps herself off heroin. So when Rutland’s mayor takes the controversial step of accepting 100 Syrian refugees as part of his economic diversification plan, Stacie is torn. With so few jobs and government resources available to the people who already live there, residents begin to split along xenophobic and compassionate lines. Invalidated all her life for her poverty and addiction, Stacie could just as easily succumb to the white rage that crystallizes around her as identify with the intense daily struggles she shares with the incoming refugees. Nuanced and passionate, this fascinating look at a town divided reveals an unlikely hero caught in a flashpoint of Trump’s America. Myrocia Watamaniuk
This film includes a pre-recorded Q&A.
Persister program presented in partnership with Oxfam Canada with the participation of the Government of Canada
For the Love of Rutland, Q&A and accessible versioning presented with support from U.S. Consulate General of Toronto
MEDIA COVERAGE
- Indiewire - 10 Most Exciting Films
- POV - "Captures perfectly the tensions and ideological rifts of contemporary America"