Film Screening: Polytechnique

November 25 marked the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women.
This day also starts 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and runs from Nov 25 to Dec 10, concluding with International Human Rights Day.

This year the theme is Orange the World: #HearMeToo and is focused on ending gender-based violence in the world of work.

To commemorate the 29th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, the Caltech Postdoctoral Association will be holding a free film screening of Polytechnique by award-winning director Denis Villeneuve. 

Polytechnique (2009) is an award-winning film that portrays the tragic gender-based school shooting that occurred Dec 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique, an engineering school located in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. 28 people were shot and 14 women were killed by lone gunman Marc Lépine. This tragedy demonstrated the reality of gender-based violence and discrimination, particularly in the workplace and for women in STEM.

Postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, and the Caltech community are all invited to attend.

The film is 1 h 17 min.
Free pizza and drinks will be provided, and a post-film discussion will follow.

Come enjoy this powerful film by the director of Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and Sicario!

"The tragic art of Polytechnique isn't what it shows or reveals but rather the contemplation it inspires.
There are moments in life when nothing makes sense and sadness descends; this is one of them. Polytechnique makes no judgments, offers no panaceas. It shows the violence, faithfully recreating the historical record, but it doesn't wallow in it.  We are all one neuronal twitch and one shotgun click away from the ruthless effects of such twisted thinking."

~Film Critic, Peter Howell, Toronto Star