OPIRG hosts movie screening for McMaster alum's documentary about the history of student activism at McMaster

On Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, the film peace love (unicorns) & communism had its on-campus premiere. McMaster’s Ontario Public Interest Research Group Outreach branch, formerly known as the McMaster Social Issues Network, hosted a free screening of the film for students in the Burke Science Building.

McMaster alum Adeola Egbeyemi wrote, produced and directed peace love (unicorns) & communism. Egbeyemi is a 2022 McMaster graduate and one of the founders of Climate Justice McMaster, formerly known as MacDivest.

The film explores the activism and struggles that marked her time at McMaster, but also that of past generations. Egbeyemi is particularly passionate about climate activism. "When I learned Mac was investing in fossil fuels . . . myself and a couple of housemates started [what is] now known as Climate Justice McMaster but formerly MacDivest and that was the start of a long journey of organizing stuff and not winning it,'" said Egbeyemi.

Jiya Rawal and Nimra Atiq, the co-presidents of OPIRG Outreach, discussed OPIRG’s involvement in both the production and screening of the film on campus. “OPIRG Outreach really wants to help social injustices within our community and help to bring awareness about that, especially about student-led change,” said Atiq.

“A good portion of the documentary is funded through OPIRG McMaster. We also gave her other support,” said Rawal.

Egbeyemi discussed the documentary's reflection of the broader university student experience. “I feel like it’s a documentary that tries to not only talk about university issues, but it also feels like you’re in university where so much info is hitting you at so many corners. Where you’re kind of overwhelmed but you’re like, "Okay, this is what it’s like,"” said Egbeyemi. 

I feel like it’s a documentary that tries to not only talk about university issues, but it also feels like you’re in university where so much info is hitting you at so many corners. Where you’re kind of overwhelmed but you’re like, “okay, this is what it’s like."

Adeola Egbeyemi, McMaster graduate
producer, writer and director of peace love (unicorns) & communism

The documentary features powerful testimonies from students and activists who over the past 20 years worked hard to create a safer, more inclusive environment on campus. “It was cool to be able to now, looking back, document what — at the time when I was in middle school — people at Mac were doing to make the campus safer for people like me eventually when I would get there,” expressed Egbeyemi. “I think one really important thing they tried to make better is just making campus safe for women.”

It was cool to be able to now, looking back, document what — at the time when I was in middle school —people at Mac were doing to make the campus safer for people like me eventually when I would get there.

Adeola Egbeyemi,
producer, writer and director peace love (unicorns) & communism

As the writer, producer and director of the film, Egbeyemi had to juggle many different roles, each demanding a different set of skills. She credits her experience working on student musicals at McMaster with helping her learn how to manage a large, complex project.

"One aspect that I really feel like I gained was the spaces that are still there that foster skills in the arts . . . and one of those being McMaster’s faculty musicals in which I was able to learn what it means to be responsible for so many moving pieces in a musical and then to transfer those skills outside of Mac to a film," said Egbeyemi.

For Egbeyemi, the film represents more than just a personal project. It’s an expression of the collective student effort that has shaped McMaster over the years. She reflected on the powerful role that activism has played in transforming the campus. “They are the documentary. It’s almost hard to say this is my documentary because so many people contributed to it,” expressed Egbeyemi.

While peace love (unicorns) & communism showcases only McMaster’s campus, its themes can resonate and extend to student activism globally. The film touches on universal themes of social justice, environmental activism and the ongoing struggle for equity and inclusion. If you missed this documentary screening, keep an eye out for future upcoming screenings on the film's Instagram page.

This Halloween, The Westdale screened the 1975 cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with an extra special drag pre-show with Hamilton drag performers

By Naomi Moshe, Arts & CUlture contributor

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been drawing in audiences worldwide for over 45 years for a reason. The cult classic film is not only jam packed with fun, but it is also a landmark piece of cinema for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The film exudes the message of radical self acceptance, and being unafraid of the hidden desires that live deep within all of us––a sentiment that the queer community of the mid 1970’s desperately needed to hear. As a result, midnight screenings of Rocky Horror became safe spaces for the queer community to socialize and connect with one another at a time when simply existing as a gay person in broad daylight was a dangerous act.

When I heard that The Westdale was screening Rocky Horror on Halloween night, including a special drag pre-show with local Hamilton drag performers Jessie James and Karma Kameleon, I knew I needed to go. Besides, is there any better way to spend Halloween night than heckling profanities at a giant screen surrounded by hundreds of other people? 

The atmosphere at The Westdale was, in a word, electrifying. Of course, crowds of people dressed up as characters from the movie. But more importantly, people were genuinely excited for the show, even though most people in attendance probably have seen this film more times than they could count on both hands. The energy was infectious––the entire theater was buzzing with anticipation. 

The drag pre-show, hosted by Jessie James and Karma Kameleon, was a blast. Karma and Jessie performed campy lip syncs of songs from the movie’s soundtrack, including “Dammit Janet” and “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me.”  The highlight of the night for me was Jessie’s incredible live vocal performance of “Sweet Transvestite.”  I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessie shortly after the event to get some insight on the importance of nights such as these for Hamilton’s queer community. 

“Visibility is so important. I didn’t see myself growing up, and I struggled a lot with that. Being able to put on public events where people can come see us be explicitly queer, it’s the first step in having a conversation about [queerness.] It demystifies the queer experience. It brings a lot of joy into it,” explained Jessie.

When asked about her personal highlight of the night, Jessie said that it was when the whole theater got up and did the Time Warp with her and Karma. “To look out into the audience and see everyone standing up and dancing along…There [are] very few words I could use to describe the energy you feel from that. It’s almost addictive in a weird way,” said Jessie. 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show continues to bring together people from all walks of life, even 45 years after its release. And, for Hamilton’s LGBTQ+ community, events like these create space for authentic self expression and unapologetic queerness. 

Subscribe to our Mailing List

© 2025 The Silhouette. All Rights Reserved. McMaster University's Student Newspaper.
magnifiercrossmenu