Contact: Josh Tabish, Lead Coordinator, Media Democracy Day 2012 mddcoordinator@gmail.com 778.782.

7353 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Words of Witness by Director Mai Iskander Opens the 12th Annual Media Democracy Days Vancouver, B.C. October 18, 2012. WORDS OF WITNESS, the new feature-length documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Mai Iskander, will open the 12th annual Media Democracy Days Vancouver (MDD) on November 2, 2012 in the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at SFU Woodwards in downtown Vancouver. Produced by Mai Iskander, Tiffany Shauer, Steve Cohen and Wynne Comer, WORDS OF WITNESS follows 22-year-old Egyptian journalist Heba Afify as she covers the Arab Spring from inside Tahrir Square for the English edition of the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm. The documentary frames the political turmoil of a nation seeking freedom and democracy through Hebas coming of age story as a young journalist in the Middle East. WORDS OF WITNESS was filmed on location in Tahrir Square throughout the revolution. Much of the film depicts director Iskander and Heba on the ground interviewing Egyptian citizens who wish to see Mubaraks regime end, with footage capturing the escalating tension and chanting crowds from inside the movement. It also follows the story of Heba and her family, and shows how traditional values and gender roles challenge her desire to be a journalist. In addition, the film will be preceded by a talk from this years keynote speaker, Dr. Sunera Thobani. Dr. Thobani is an renowned activist, who has formerly served the president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC). She is currently an Associate Professor of Womens and Gender Studies at UBC and will be speaking on the representation of gender, race and power in North American news media. WORDS OF WITNESS will be shown Friday, November 2, at 6:30PM in the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema of SFU Woodwards (149 W. Hastings St.). Attendance is free, but seating is limited. RSVP at http://mdd2012filmscreeing.eventbrite.com/. For complete programming details for Media Democracy Days Vancouver 2012, please visit www.mediademocracyday.org. All events are open and free to the public. MDD 2012 is a partnership of SFUs School of Communication, OpenMedia.ca, and The Vancouver Public Library, and is sponsored in part by Vancity. About Media Democracy Days Launched in 2001, MDD western Canadas signature event for the growing global media democratization movement. This movement seeks to create a more participatory media system by supporting independent and public service media production, celebrating innovation and

creating dialogue around the politics and biases linked to our increasingly corporate and concentrated media. This year, MDD events will be taking place over two-days at SFU Woodwards Goldcorp Centre for the Arts and the Vancouver Public Library Central Library. To learn more, visit http://www.mediademocracyday.org. About the School of Communication at SFU For nearly 40 years, the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University has fostered the development of critical, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of media and technology with a commitment to social theory and political economy. Led by an award-winning team of educators, the School of Communication is at the leading edge of media policy research, technological innovation and cultural transformation on a global scale. For more information, visit http://cmns.sfu.ca. About OpenMedia.ca OpenMedia.ca is a grassroots organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open and affordable Internet. The group works towards informed and participatory digital policy. For more information, visit http://openmedia.ca. About Vancouver Public Library Founded in 1887, Vancouver Public Library is one of Canada's largest library systems dedicated to meeting the lifelong learning, reading, recreation and information needs of the people of Vancouver. Each year, the Librarys 22 branches serve over six million visitors and offer over 2.5 million items, including books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and countless online resources. For more information, visit http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/. -30Media Contacts: Kathleen Cross, PhD. Chair, The Media Democracy Project 778-782-3861 kcross@sfu.ca Stuart Poyntz, PhD. Steering Committee, The Media Democracy Project 778-782-7293 spoyntz@sfu.ca Josh Tabish Lead Coordinator, Media Democracy Days 2012 778.782.7353