• Discussant: Barry Avrich (director).
• In English.
• 84 minutes.
• Sponsors: The French Program and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures.

Despite the political ill-winds that blow over our border, Canadians still do many things differently. Our respective Supreme Courts are a case in point. The U.S. Supremes are celebrities, infamous ones in some cases. By contrast, Canadian Supreme Court justices fairly fly below the radar. This is why acclaimed Canadian director Barry Avrich’s Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella commands our attention. The film chronicles the career of Rosalie Abella, the former Supreme Court Justice of Canada, who stood up for many marginalized communities during her long legal career. Without Precedent features interviews with friends, colleagues and admirers from diverse political and ideological backgrounds, such as author Margaret Atwood, former Canadian PMs Brian Mulroney and Paul Martin, essayist, New Times staff writer Adam Gopnik and many others. This timely documentary presents a fascinating personality of whom the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “If I have a Canadian sister, her name would be Rosie Abella.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was present at the film’s world première in Toronto, Canada, stated this: “Rosalie Abella forces each of us to examine our conscience.  Where else does justice come from?  From our conscience.”

CineCulture is a film series provided as a service to Fresno State campus students, faculty and staff, and the broader community. CineCulture is also offered as a three-unit academic course (MCJ 179) in the Media, Communications and Journalism Department. The CineCulture Club promotes cultural awareness through film and post-screening discussions.

Screenings are held at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays in the Peters Education Center Auditorium (west of Save-Mart Center in the Student Recreation Center Building). All films screened on campus are free and open to the public. Parking is free (not enforced) after 4 p.m. on Fridays.