Amy Miller

For American historian, see Amy Bess Miller.

Amy Miller (born 1980 in Sudbury, Ontario) is an award winning Canadian filmmaker media maker and social justice organizer based in Montréal. Her documentaries have been screened in over 100 festivals throughout the world, and have been broadcast in over a dozen countries. She remains dedicated to developing critical documentaries for transformative social change and helping out grassroots campaigns for justice. She is the producer / director of Another Word For Learning (2019), Gaza: Health Under Siege (2018), Tomorrow's Power (2017), No Land No Food No Life (2013), The Carbon Rush (2012) and Myths for Profit (2009). Wide Open Exposure is the production company she founded. She attended Carleton University in Ottawa.

Seven Year Squat (2002–2004)

Miller was arrested in 2002 for her involvement in a protest known as the Seven Year Squat. The squat consisted of an occupation of an abandoned privately owned building at 246 Gilmour Street in Ottawa by "anti-poverty activists, homeless youth and anti-G8 protestors." The squat was so named because of the reported seven-year delay faced by those on a waiting list for subsidized housing in Ottawa. Police used tear gas to force protesters to leave the building.

After her arrest, Miller and her co-defendants mounted a defence which consisted of necessity and Colour of right. In a 2004 interview, Miller explained: "How much do we tolerate direct action as a society? And that was our big defence. What do we tolerate? We're going to get so upset about people taking over an abandoned house and using it, and in the same blink of an eye, we tolerate how many homeless people sleeping in our streets every night?"

Miller was mentioned in a 2010 Maclean's Feature on "middle aged anarchists," which profiled the activities of Seven Year Squat Participants.

Myths for Profit

Myths for Profit (2009) was Miller's feature directorial debut. The film's narrative is structured around debunking three myths about Canada's role in the world. It uses interviews and animations to argue that Canada is not a "global good guy". Miller embarked on a nine-week tour, holding screenings in 45 communities across Canada.

G20 controversy

Miller was the subject of heated controversy during the 2010 G20 protests after she told journalists about treatment of detained women by police officers. In a press conference held after she was released Miller told journalists that she and other women had been threatened with rape. She said that some detained women had been sexually assaulted. In a meeting of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, Amy's testimony was referenced by Member of Parliament Maria Mourani: "She was told that they would have a lot of 'fun with her' and that she would never want to come to Toronto again."

The Carbon Rush

The Carbon Rush, which examines carbon trading projects around the world, is Miller's second feature film. The projects highlighted include "hydroelectric dams in Panama," "incinerators burning garbage in India," "biogas extracted from palm oil in Honduras," and "eucalyptus forests harvested for charcoal in Brazil." This documentary is narrated by Daryl Hannah and Karine Vanasse.

No Land No Food No Life

No Land No Food No Life is a hard-hitting film which explores sustainable small scale agriculture and the urgent call for an end to corporate global land grabs, is Miller's third feature film. The film "gives voice to those directly affected" in three locations: Mali, Cambodia and Uganda, "by combining personal stories, and vérité footage of communities fighting to retain control of their land."

Tomorrow's Power

Tomorrow’s Power is a feature-length documentary that showcases three communities around the world and their responses to economic and environmental emergencies they are facing. In the war-torn, oil-rich Arauca province in Colombia, communities have been building a peace process from the bottom up. In Germany activists are pushing the country to fully divest from fossil-fuel extraction and complete its transition to renewable energy. In Gaza health practitioners are harnessing solar power to battle daily life-threatening energy blackouts in hospitals.

Gaza: Health Under Siege

Gaza: Health under Siege takes us into the streets and hospitals of Gaza. Here you will witness first-hand the daily realities affecting the management of human health-related systems under the blockade: access to clean water and hospital care as well as effective food and waste management. Filmed in Gaza City during January and February 2016, the audience will meet a variety of local Gazans from doctors, nurses, street vendors, water workers, waste pickers and children to learn what is life like behind Israel's massive wall surrounding Gaza.

Other projects

Miller also directed the short film, Outside of EUrope, which applies a critical perspective to European immigration policies. She was also involved in the Coalition for Justice for Adil Charkaoui, which advocated for the rights of those detained using security certificates.