sudbury mining pioneer to share her story on screen
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cathy mulroy is raising money for a short film based on her experience as one of the first females to work in the mining industry in sudbury. she has also written a book about her experience. the movie will be based on chapter 52 of the book.
john lappa/sudbury star
from mining trailblazer to author and now filmmaker, cathy mulroy is bringing her experiences as one of the first women in the mining industry since the war years to the screen.
in 2019 mulroy published her memoir my view from the blackened rocks: a woman’s battle for equality and respect in canada’s mining industry. her short film, entitled chapter 52, is based on the same chapter of the book, recounting a pivotal moment in mulroy’s career when she challenged a toxic workplace culture after discovering pornographic images of women displayed throughout the lunchroom.
in 1974, at just 19 years old, mulroy applied for a job with inco limited in sudbury. having married at 16 and seeking to leave an abusive relationship, she saw employment as a path to independence.
“i didn’t have any skills, any money or even a driver’s licence,” said mulroy. “one day i heard pierre elliot trudeau on tv say inco was going to hire women, so i just went down. i was second in line, and they hired me right off the bat.”
mulroy was assigned to the anode department at the copper cliff refinery, where her miner father had started his career. “he knew how dangerous it was and he asked me if i thought i could do it,” she said. “i said, yes, i’m going to do it. he supported me.”
cathy mulroy, right, with cinematographer zha babaieva. mulroy is raising money for a short film based on her experience as one of the first females to work in the mining industry in sudbury. she has also written a book about her experience.
john lappa/sudbury star
mulroy would go on to spend 30 years working for the nickel giant, retiring in 2004. shortly after leaving the mining industry, mulroy began writing her memoir. faced with serious health challenges that nearly claimed her life, she said finishing the book became the motivation that carried her through.
mulroy wrote a script based on chapter 52 of that book and then set out to assemble a crew, prioritizing female and nonbinary filmmakers and crewmembers from northern ontario.
“the history of women in northern ontario is invisible,” mulroy said about what is motivating her to continue sharing her story. “it’s time that women speak up and say, ‘we are here, too. we have stories as well.’ ”
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mulroy said women don’t need to have worked in the mining industry to identify with the story. “they will see themselves in this movie and know they have the strength to fight back,” she said.
chapter 52 sheds light on issues of gender equality and double standards that often exist in the workplace, she said. it also highlights the courage it takes for someone to stand up and make change happen. in mulroy’s case that meant refusing to accept inaction from her supervisor, who would not approach male colleagues about removing the nude images. mulroy responded by hanging up photos of nude men from playgirl next to the existing displays. shortly after, the images were taken down and not permitted in the lunchroom.
mulroy has launched an online fundraising campaign to fund the short film. her goal is to produce the film as a first step to generate interest and secure additional funding for a potential a television series. aside from an active gofundme campaign, mulroy is planning a fundraising event later this summer.
“being a heavy union person, i don’t want people to work for nothing,” said mulroy. “that’s why i want the money – to give them a living wage.”
zha babaieva joins the project as cinematographer. the ukrainian-born and sudbury-based filmmaker, producer and storyteller, whose short film 20 crickets was recently nominated for a nomfa award, said the story resonated with her. she heard mulroy pitch her story at scriptfest and despite the project not being accepted into the masterclass, she believed the story had value and was worth pursuing. she approached mulroy to say they should work on the film together, outside the scriptfest program.
“it is a very powerful women’s story and somehow i could empathize,” said babaieva. “i worked as a camera person for a director for many years in the film industry and yes, some things have changed, but i felt as she did. it was important to tell this story.”
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to support cathy mulroy’s short film chapter 52 go to www.gofundme.com/f/chapter-52-project-sudburys-film-by-catherine-mulroy.
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