Imagine going to the movies and having a say in the scene that’s shown next.

That’s what UWindsor film professor Kim Nelson is proposing with her latest research project: a live interactive documentary called Pitas and Passports.

The documentary will focus on the concepts of immigration and belonging, and the role food plays in the sociocultural identity of Arab-Canadians in Windsor and Arab-Americans in Dearborn.

The first part of the show will be like a traditional documentary, except that the narration and music will be live. For the remainder of the performance, the audience gets the chance to ask questions or give commentary. Nelson will play clips that illustrate what’s being said or asked, the content being mixed live.

Because of the audience’s influence on the performance, no two screenings will be the same.

And, in what’s described as “edible cinema,” the audience will sample foods during the performance that match what’s shown on the screen.

“Our aim is to expand the borders of live cinema through engaging live music and exploring multimedia staging, framed around cinematic projections and open interaction with the audience,” said Nelson, who is directing the film. “It’s an art form, a performance model, a dissemination vehicle, and an engine of engaged discourse.”

The project, which will involve more than a dozen students, has been awarded a $97,000 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Filming began last month and will wrap up by the end of October, Nelson said. Fellow School of Creative Arts professor Nick Hector, winner of a Gemini Award and a Hot Doc award for the film Prey, and the 2019 Canadian Cinema Editors Award for his work on Sharkwater Extinction, will edit Pitas and Passports. Nelson’s husband Rob Nelson, a UWindsor history professor who is an expert on the Windsor-Detroit border, is helping with the research. He will narrate the film and field questions and comments from the audience.

UWindsor’s Brent Lee will compose the music for the film. He will perform and mix the live score.

Other collaborators include UWindsor psychology professor Jill Jackson, artist and scholar Jaclyn Meloche, artist and new media expert Chris Salter, award-winning filmmaker Cyrus Sundar Singh, and film scholar Robert Burgoyne. They have consulted filmmaker Sam Green who originated the form.

The plan, said Nelson, is to enter the documentary into film festivals. The project will form the basis of journal articles and research papers.

Nelson said she came up with the idea for the project by looking at the local social landscape.

Windsor is home to the largest concentrated Arab-Canadian population in Canada. Dearborn, part of metropolitan Detroit, is home to the largest Arab and Muslim population in the United States.

“The Windsor-Detroit border runs through the largest Arab foodway in North America,” Nelson said.

The film will examine how the border thickened after Sept. 11, 2001, resulting in a more Arab-Canadian culture that, in food, manifested itself in fusions, such as shawarma poutine.

The documentary takes viewers to various homes and eateries on both sides of the border. Scenes feature young Lakeshore entrepreneur Ameen Fadel who founded food company Cedar Valley Selections on his mother’s fattoush salad dressing recipe and UWindsor history student Ronnie Haidar, taking viewers to a hookah bar and some of his favourite places to eat.

“The goal is to create a communal exchange of ideas, to hear how others react to the experience of the show and to make that a part of the spectacle,” said Nelson. “The audience is engaged in a very specific way. They are invited to raise their hands, grab a microphone, and speak.”

Nelson and her partners last collaborated on the SSHRC-funded Docum’istory Project, which produced the film 130 Year Road Trip.

─ Sarah Sacheli

Members of the campus community have a chance to make the holidays special for local children in need, through the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Foundation “Adopt-a-Family” program.

The annual campaign is a tradition for UWindsor faculty and staff, says co-ordinator Sabina Howell, administrative assistant in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

“I know that people look forward to making this charity an important part of celebrating the holiday,” she says. “It’s a great way for us to share a common purpose and address some of the real need experienced by families in our community.”

Sponsors may choose a family as large as two parents with four kids or as small as a single parent and child. Also available for sponsorship are youths on extended care — individuals over the age of 16 years old attending school while living independently.

The foundation requests that donations focus on food and clothing in addition to toys, as these items are often difficult for families to afford. Potential sponsors will receive profiles of family members and a list of their wishes.

At this stage, all Howell is looking for are expressions of interest from offices and individuals. She invites those interested to email her at Sabina.Howell@uwindsor.ca.

The athletics department is offering a special incentive for UWindsor employees to cheer on the Lancer basketball teams in their season openers Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse.

The “Better than BOGO” deal will issue one free adult ticket and two free youth tickets for each purchase of entry at the gate by faculty or staff with employee ID.

The Lancers will host the Western Mustangs; the women tip off at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.goLancers.ca/tickets.

Chris Zorbas has written articles for the athletics website that anticipate the pending varsity action:

• A preview of the women’s basketball season highlighting the return of head coach Chantal Vallée;
• A look ahead at men’s basketball that emphasizes the squad’s youth; and
• A playoff profile of men’s soccer as the team prepares for its second straight post-season competition.

Catch all this and more at goLancers.ca.

Graphic novelist Scott Chantler, a former UWindsor cartoonist-in-residence, will be on hand for a campus commemoration of the 1934 Ontario Baseball Association provincial championship won by the Chatham Coloured All-Stars — the first by a black team.

Chantler wrote and illustrated an account of the historic win, titled All Stars: the True Story of the 1934 Chatham Coloured All-Stars; copies of the work will be available for purchase at $5, with proceeds benefiting the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society.

The 85th anniversary celebration is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall. It is free and open to the public, and will feature reflections on baseball, community, and that famous championship squad by those involved in the “Breaking the Colour Barrier” archive of materials documenting the achievements of Wilfred (Boomer) Harding and his teammates.

As much as 56 percent of email is spam, 40 percent of websites are fake, and 21 percent of phone apps are malicious, says Kevin Macnaughton, team leader security in Information Technology Services.

The internet can be a risky place — but users can take steps to minimize that risk.

“Antivirus is tried and true,” Macnaughton says.  It’s like putting on your seatbelt when you get in the car. It should be mandatory and automatic.”

But he suggests other activities that should be automatic, listing three fundamental practices for securing computers from hackers:

1. Look for the lock in the address bar for every website that you use.
2. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when using the Internet in public spaces to secure your data
3. Patch and Reboot your system regularly to ensure your computer is up to date and protected

Led by IT Services, Cybersecurity Awareness Month efforts highlight cybersecurity issues relevant to the UWindsor community. More information, along with how you can protect yourself, can be found at uwindsor.ca/cybersecurity. This website will be updated regularly with best practices and current threats.

The Department of Human Resources is seeking faculty and staff volunteers to serve on the Workplace Wellness Committee, with a mandate to identify, design, and implement health promotion projects for UWindsor employees.

Since its inception in 2013, the committee has implemented a variety of workplace campaigns and challenges designed to encourage health enhancing personal lifestyle practices, such as “Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight,” “3 Keys to a Healthier U,” “Take Charge of Stress,” and “Stay Hydrated for Better Health.”

Interested individuals are invited to complete the online Committee Interest Form by Oct. 31. Learn more about Workplace Wellness efforts on the Department of Human Resources website.

For additional information, contact Marcela Ciampa, director of organizational development and training, at 519-253-3000 ext. 2060, or by e-mail at mciampa@uwindsor.ca.

A party to watch returns of the federal election gave political science students a unique view of the process, Monday evening in the Hum Café.

Hosted by the Department of Political Science and CBC News, the evening advanced understanding of voting from theory to practice, said professor Emmanuelle Richez.

“Students learned about characteristics of our electoral system, the single-member plurality system, and how it can create discrepancies between voting intentions and seat allocation,” Dr. Richez said.

“For example, even though the Conservative Party won the popular vote, the Liberal Party won a plurality of the seats in the House of Commons.”

Master’s student Eric Hubberstey called the viewing party “a fantastic way” to get students interested in the election.

“The youth vote is critical to every election, and having this event for students is a phenomenal way to involve students and youth in the political process — which certainly does not end once one casts their vote,” he said.

The election saw the Liberals retain a reduced lead in Parliament; two incumbent New Democrats were defeated in Windsor-Essex.

The Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility (OHREA) is accepting submissions for the annual OHREA Awards.

The awards will be presented at an open house reception on Friday, Dec. 13.

Five awards will be given to recognize and celebrate the contributions individuals and groups have made to advance human rights, social justice, diversity, inclusivity, employment equity, mental health, and accessibility at the University of Windsor.

All members of the University community — students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, and volunteers — are eligible to be nominated for the awards.

The submission deadline is Monday, Nov. 4. More information about the awards and the nomination process is available on the OHREA website.