Winnipeg, MB, CANADA - Click over to CBC to see Winnipeg Artist, Joanne Roberts’, piece about confronting the internal nuances of colourism with a nod to her traditional cultural dishes.

Bio provided by the Artist: Joanne Roberts is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, writer and actress best known for writing, directing and starring in her short film “I am” with CBC Creator Network. She won the prestigious Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition at the 2020 Gimli Film Festival to produce her personal film, Anak.

At ‘Gimli Film Festival 2021’, Joanne will present the screening of her film "Anak", a story that evokes discussion concerning family dynamics and mental health. By shedding light on familial issues that are too often kept in the shadows due to societal and cultural stigma, she hopes to encourage people to seek the help they need in understanding and improving their relationships and mental health. Joanne is a very outspoken individual when it comes to systemic racism and safety in the arts community. She is not afraid to speak about her own experiences. She participates in revealing discrepancies in the treatment and hiring of minorities in the arts, and advocates for diversity, equal treatment, and opportunity through interviews, consulting, and her own hiring practices.

Love to P, J, and D.

Find more from Joanne on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Click here to see Joanne’s piece “I am” on CBC!

Description from the Artist: I am a woman of colour, the daughter of immigrants, and a first-generation Canadian. 

In my experience, Asian culture and beauty revolves around Western standards. Light skin is beautiful and dark skin is ugly.

I used to be pressured into beauty products that erased my Asian features and lightened my naturally tan skin. But these teachings and societal norms — are they really true?

In summer 2020, I had the pleasure of sharing space with the most wonderful group of Brown womxn (an inclusive term that welcomes all trans, non-binary and gender-queer people) from all over the world during the Shades of Brown Girl Creative Storytelling Workshop.

For the first time in my life, I was able to examine my cultural roots as someone who identifies as Filipinx (identifying as gender queer member of Filipino(a) diaspora).

Before now, I was ashamed to reveal my identity. These powerful souls (participants in the workshop) taught me that despite societal pressures to look a certain way and to conform to a certain Asian stereotype, we are all beautiful. Our culture is magnificent. Our food is delectable. We can wear hybridity like royalty. 

*Thumbnail image by Alexander Decebal-Cuza for CBC