Film

CYNARA

Official Women of WIFF Selection
This year, we are thrilled to be welcoming Sherien Barsoum, Bryn Hughes and Michelle Shephard as we celebrate extraordinary women filmmakers.

There are two ticket options for Women of WIFF:

A general ticket, which includes the screening and Q&A with the filmmakers.

A Women of WIFF donor ticket, which includes the screening and Q&A, as well as the post-film reception and a donation to Women of WIFF. A tax receipt will also be provided for the donation.

CYNARA
On February 19, 2011, a distraught woman calls 911, telling the dispatcher that two men broke into her house and that her daughter, Cynara, is not breathing. When first responders arrive, they find 16-year-old Cynara without vital signs, and her mother, Cindy Ali, lying on the floor, unable to move. Mere hours later, Cynara is dead, and Cindy is the prime suspect.

With exclusive access to Cindy, her family, her lawyer, witnesses and court documents, director Sherien Barsoum proceeds to piece together pertinent details from the case that she discovers were barely investigated before Cindy was sentenced to life imprisonment. Through the use of re-enactments, interviews and recordings, Barsoum paints a damaging picture of the gross missteps and assumptions that led to Cindy’s conviction in this investigative drama that leads us to reckon with the alarming cracks in Canada’s systems of first response, policing and justice, and our often deeply flawed perceptions of people with disabilities and the families who care for them.

Women of WIFF is generously supported by local individuals who have made contributions to help WIFF continue to ensure women’s voices are heard and their stories shared.