Perspective Film Series:
First Cow (2019), dir. Kelly Reichardt
August 31
5:30 PM | Dome Theatre
First Cow (2019) is a slow-burn drama set in the early 19th century in the Oregon Territory. The film follows two men – Cookie, a shy and resourceful cook, and King-Lu, a Chinese immigrant on the run from a violent past. When they meet, Cookie discovers that the local wealthy landowner has a prized cow, the first in the region, which becomes central to the story. Together, Cookie and King-Lu hatch a plan to steal milk from the cow to make delicious fried dough cakes, which they sell for profit.
121 minutes, in English with English subtitles.
FREE for members. Non-members: $10—your ticket to this screening includes admission to Contemporary Calgary. Our galleries are open from 12-5 PM for viewing prior to attending the program.
About Perspective Film Series
The 2025 edition of Perspective is curated by Muriel N. Kahwagi, Associate Curator at Contemporary Calgary. Drawing on Calgary's proximity to the Bow and Elbow Rivers and the role that each of them plays in the city, the series considers the ways in which bodies of water are used and weaponized as markers of land, becoming sites through which power is negotiated, practiced, and enacted. Featuring filmic works from a wide range of geographies and genres – including ethnographic films and artists' films – this year's edition reflects on water as a site of refuge; as a border; as a means to an escape; and as a character in and of itself.
About the Curator
Muriel N. Kahwagi ((she/her)) is a writer and curator, working primarily across publishing and programming. Her research is centered on the politics of collecting and archiving the performative; and the act of listening as a form of preservation in and of itself. In 2023, she was the TD Curatorial Fellow at Art Windsor-Essex, and a curator as part of Vtape’s Curatorial Incubator, v.19. She is currently the Assistant Curator at Contemporary Calgary, and a programmer at the Toronto Arab Film Festival.
