The Secret Trial 5 is a crowdfunded documentary in-progress that examines the human impact of Canada’s “war on terror”; specifically the use of security certificates, a tool that allows for indefinite detention, with no charges, and secret evidence. Over the last decade, 5 men have been held under security certificates in Canada. They spent between 2 and 7 years in prison each. None of them have been charged with a crime.
These men are The Secret Trial 5, and YOU can help us tell their story.
Recent blog posts:
Amar Wala
Put up or shut up
I still get asked if I think The Secret Trial 5 "did anything". It's been 4 years and it's still one of the more common questions people have. My answer often surprises people. "It doesn't matter" is my usual response. This is usually met with a blank stare.
I planned this blog post to be an update on our project. After all it’s a very exciting time for ST5, as we’ve entered our home stretch. No more applications, no more pitching. After nearly 4 years, it’s time to finish this film. We have a long way to go, as this will be a complex and lengthy edit, but it’s nice to feel like a filmmaker again. Rather than bore you with updates on our process however, I’ve decided to use this opportunity to spark a conversation about the issues we hope to raise in the film, based on recent revelations.
As I write this post, Mohamed and Sophie Harkat are at The Supreme Court of Canada for their first bail review in 4 years. Mr. Harkat is entitled to one every 6 months. Later this year, the Harkats will return to that same court, to argue the constitutionality (or lack thereof) of the security certificate process, which has held Mr. Harkat in prison or under house arrest for over a decade. In all that time, he has never been charged with a crime, and has never come face to face with the information used to hold him captive. Letting him see that “evidence” we’re told, would endanger our national security. The question I’ve always had, one that after about 7 years making films about this issue I still cannot answer, is: why not charge Mr. Harkat with a crime? If he poses such a great threat, if he has indeed “engaged in terrorism” as our government says, let’s convict him in a court of law, where he has a chance to defend himself. Opponents argue that it’s not that simple. I beg to differ.
Last month two Muslim men from Toronto and Montreal were arrested for allegedly plotting to attack a Via Rail Train in Toronto. Like Mr. Harkat, they are not Canadian citizens, yet they were arrested by the RCMP, and charged with “conspiring to carry out an attack and commit murder at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group”. It would be highly irresponsible for anyone to assume either the innocence or guilt of these men, but it appears that they will be afforded due process and given a chance to defend themselves. This is a good thing. Why then, are Mr. Harkat and the other security certificate detainees not granted the same right? Why is this basic tenet of justice denied in these cases?
Perhaps Canada’s top ranking police officer can shed some light on that. In newly released documents, Bob Paulson, now Commissioner of the RCMP, referred to security certificates as “completely off the rails” in October 2009, which coincidentally, is when we started shooting ST5. Paulson also stated that, “If we had the threshold belief that we could take criminal action, we would do so.”
I’ll leave it to you to interpret that last quote. The Harkat’s Supreme Court challenge begins this fall; let’s see if we are ready to do the right thing, which is often the hard thing.
If you support Mr. Harkat’s right to a fair trial, you'll understand why I answer the above question the way I do.
We look forward to sharing our film and having this discussion with you all, and thank you for your continued support.
Amar.
Our Doc Ignite Campaign Wraps - THANK YOU!
Well everyone,
After 36 days, and 148 contributions, I guess all that's left is to say thank you. Thank you for proving to a couple of young filmmakers that the last 3 years have been worthwhile. Thanks for showing us, and the security certificate families that we are all ready to talk about these issues, and right these wrongs.
We raised just over $18k during this campaign, which may not be a lot in the life of the average documentary, but means everything in the life of THIS documentary. We wish to sincerely thank Hot Docs for this chance, and in particular, Elizabeth Radshaw, Stephanie McArthur, Chloe Sosa-Sims, and Patrycja Cieniewicz for their truly personal support, hard-work, and encouragement during the last few months.
We want to take this last opportunity to talk briefly about crowdfunding, and why it so important for emerging filmmakers. What we did this last month cannot be quantified. The money can, but the value of Doc Ignite vastly exceeds the money raised. We have no real idea how many people just learned about our project, and are now waiting to see the film. Sure, our FB and twitter accounts exploded, and we know we are reaching tens of thousands every week, but what exactly does that mean? The answer, is the aforementioned EVERYTHING. It means everything.
In a time when audiences are more fragmented then ever, and old models of funding and even distribution make less and less sense, crowdfunding just fits. It's a lot of work, but then filmmaking has always been so, and the results when it works are incredible. Right now, there are thousands of people waiting to see ST5. A film with little to no money, about a contentious issue, has a small but devoted audience behind it before it even enters post-production. This is an enviable position to be in for any film.
What this will ultimately mean for the film's distribution is anyone's guess. But it is seriously exciting. So we encourage all filmmakers out there, regardless of experience and funding, to embrace THEIR CROWD. Take the time to build a relationship with your audience, and they will not let you down. They don't ask for creative control, or rights of any kind. They simply want to be let in. Don't be afraid to share, both in good times and bad. Doc Ignite is a wonderful initiative. It is an organic reaction by Hot Docs to our climate, so please take advantage of it. And even without Doc Ignite, do not hesitate to start your own crowdfunding effort. That's how ST5 started, and it led to the success of this campaign. We thought we were at a disadvantage having crowdfunded already. We could not have been more wrong.
We feel our crowd now, we feel the support. It gives us confidence, and to a young filmmaker, confidence is invaluable.
Thank you all once again, we promise to make a good film. An honest film. Where we go from there (re: security certificates) will be up to Canadians.
Sincerely,
Amar and Noah
The Secret Trial 5 on the Tarek Fatah Show
We stopped by Newstalk 1010 yesterday to speak to host Tarek Fatah about our film. Tarek is known to be controversial. This is a great example of why we are making this film, blanket statements were being thrown around left, right and center. Warning, it gets pretty heated! Take a listen!
Noah Bingham
The Secret Trial 5 on Global’s The Morning Show
We are hitting the mainstream! Here is a clip of producer/director Amar Wala on Global TV's The Morning Show discussing The Secret Trial 5 and our Hot Doc's Doc Ignite campaign.
We have until Feb 19 to continue to raise funds. The more we raise the MORE we can do to spread the word and raise awareness about these important stories! Please encourage others to become a part of this project.
Amar Wala
A Few Words From Hassan Almrei
We'd like to introduce Hassan Almrei, one of the subjects of our film. We asked him to share a few words with you all.
