Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at The Cinematheque

The Cinematheque stands in solidarity with those fighting against racism and for justice, equity, and meaningful change. We will continue to support and amplify the voices of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized filmmakers by investing in their work and making it accessible to our diverse communities. But we must, all of us, do better.

In Fall 2020, The Cinematheque’s board and staff began an equity, diversity, and inclusion process to take a holistic look at how The Cinematheque can best operate as an inclusive and accessible institution with anti-racist values and practices.

We shared a survey with our audience members, staff, and volunteers to gather input from our community at this early stage in the process. Fifty-four people participated in the survey, sharing what they think we are doing well and where we can do better. The survey results were shared with staff and board, and continue to inform our learning and influence our discussions and the policies being created internally.

In 2020, The Cinematheque also became a Community Fund Partner with the SEARA (Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts) Fund. You can find out more about this fund here: searafund.ca

On November 28, 2020, The Cinematheque staff and board took part in an Equity Visioning workshop, facilitated by Cassyex Consulting, to identify the vision, goals, and principles of being a more equitable organization. Topics discussed included equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, colonialism, inherent bias, white supremacy, systemic racism, and decolonization.

In 2021 and beyond, we will continue to engage in ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training, learning, and conversations. We will continue to improve and introduce policies that will support an inclusive, accessible, culturally safe, and equitable organization. We will continue to amplify the voices, stories, and work of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized filmmakers. We will continue to share more about this process and invite participation from our community.

Equity Statement

The Cinematheque strives to be an inclusive, accessible, culturally safe, and equitable organization, providing films and education that reflect the values of the diverse population we serve. Recognizing that many inequities are systemic in nature, we are committed to identifying barriers to participation that may be implicit and hard to detect. The Cinematheque is committed to ongoing learning and education around equity issues such as anti-racism and decolonization, and fostering a culture of humility. We cannot do this work alone; we are committed to working with partners from underrepresented groups to build our capacity around equity and anti-racism.

Goals:

• To increase the diversity of staff, board members, and volunteers. • To build organizational capacity in identifying and responding to issues of inequity. • To build and strengthen relationships with organizations and partners doing equity work.

Principles:

• Equity • Anti-racism • Accessibility • Diversity • Inclusion

Immediate Priorities:

• Consider many types of accessibility issues that could be identified and addressed, such as accessibility due to geography, language, built environment, cultural relevance, stigma/ discrimination, etc. • Updating hiring policies and practices to mitigate systemic discrimination such as race, gender, and (dis)ability from staff and board members. • Focus on outreach to the community and building connections with racialized communities and organizations. • Create facilitated spaces for difficult conversations around equity issues such as racism, microaggression, White fragility, and White supremacy can be explored. • Engage in extensive and ongoing training and education around equity, particularly related to anti-racism.