A review by Daphne L. Hunt
11 November 2025

Soldiers returning home to Winnipeg from World War I, workers paid subsistance wages or none at all, women paid less than men for the same work, segregation of people based on skin colour, Indigenous soldiers denied recognition and benefits enjoyed by other soldiers, division along religious and cultural lines. Women, Indigenous people, and many other new Canadians still didn’t have the right to vote. A budding romance is challenged by many of these things. This is the setting for the movie musical STAND! (2019) based on the stage musical STRIKE! (2005) by Danny Schur and Rick Chafe about the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919. Crafted exquisitely, Director Robert Adetuyi brings all these together in telling the story of the events leading to the general strike that lasted six weeks.

Having attended the same high school in a similar time frame as Adetuyi, I recall many positive cultural exchanges which shaped my thinking about social justice issues and fairness. I can see how these arose in the lives of the characters in STAND! and how they were played out in their stories. The music was a fine and seamless addition to the fabric of the story.

This selection is timely viewing for Remembrance Day as we recall the freedoms that we have gained over the century that followed the first World War. And, we recall the sacrifices that were made of and by people with hopes and dreams for a better future for themselves, and for those who would come after them.

Check your local library for availability of STAND!