On Demand

Wal-Town: The Film

by Sergeo Kirby

Six student activists. Thirty-six Canadian towns. One giant corporation. A daunting experiment in activism.

2006 · 1h6m · Canada

English

About the Film

Six student activists. Thirty-six Canadian towns. One giant corporation. A daunting experiment in activism. A group of six university students, calling themselves Wal-Town, take to the Canadian highway over two summers. Armed with thousands of pamphlets and fliers—with one gonzo journalist along for the ride—they visit 36 of Canada’s more than 200 Wal-Mart stores with one formidable goal: to raise public awareness about Wal-Mart’s business practices and the effects of the company’s policies on cities and towns across Canada. WAL-TOWN: THE FILM is the story of their ambitious, exasperating and ultimately rewarding journey to the very heart of Canadian consumerism—Wal-Mart’s front door.

Since the late 1980s, Wal-Mart has become an unstoppable force in the North American retail market. It is the largest corporation and the largest private employer in the world. Its growth rate is on an exponential curve that makes most economists blush. But not everyone believes Wal-Mart’s soaring success to be a good thing. The members of Wal-Town foresee dire consequences for Canada and the rest of the world if the Goliath retailer is not challenged immediately.

Interspersing frank exchanges between activists and Wal-Mart shoppers with interviews with a range of characters from either side of the issue, WAL-TOWN: THE FILM takes us to the frontlines of the ongoing debate over the company’s increasing dominance in the Canadian retail market.

Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Editor

Hannele Halm and Alan Kohl

Cinematographer

Keith Pattington

Producer

Sergeo Kirby, Ian McLaren and Germaine Wong

Soundtrack Composer

Matt Tomlinson

Writer

Sergeo Kirby

Film Related

About the Director

Sergeo Kirby

Sergeo Kirby: filmmaker and producer; part of the ageless wave of activist filmmakers, some notable films he has directed include: Student Politics a one hour documentary about the realities of student activism at Concordia University; Wal-Town (NFB/Radio-Canada/TVO) a road trip expose on Wal-Mart’s effects on small towns in Canada; and Merge Left a 16mm short experimental piece on travel and time.
Sergeo co-founded LoadedPictures, an independent documentary and dramatic film company. Where he produced Roadsworth (TeleQuebec/Bravo) and H2Oil (Global/ Discovery/Sundance) among other films.
Sergeo works on social and political documentaries that he hopes will challenge audiences to rethink our contemporary world.

Wal-Town: The Film

Sergeo Kirby

Share